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Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 4B
Dick Vermeil cries. The coach of the St. Louis Rams has been known to weep
at the press-conference podium after a difficult game or an injury to one of
his players. He’s an emotional guy.
But that hasn’t stopped Vermeil from transforming the Rams from a perpetual
doormat into NFC champions and the favorites in today’s Super Bowl. On the
contrary, the transformation of the Rams is due in large part to Vermeil’s own
personal transformation. And therein lies a lesson for anyone who would lead
athletes on any level – including Hazleton Area Football Coach John Yaccino,
who was accused last week of abusing his players and might lose his job.
You see, Vermeil was once the poster boy for coaching burnout. In fact, he
practically invented the term before he retired from the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1982. Working 16-hour days, seven days a week, sleeping in his office,
Vermeil drove himself, and his team, hard. He delegated little responsibility
to assistants and demanded a lot from his players.
Even when he returned to coaching in 1997 after 14 years as a broadcaster,
Vermeil carried that drive to extremes, to the point that Rams players
rebelled against a work ethic that demanded long practices and full-contact
drills in full pads up to 48 hours before game day.
So Vermeil, whose job was on the line after two losing seasons, changed. He
entrusted his assistants with more responsibility and he eased up on his
players, who responded by taking him all the way to Super Bowl.
So when Hazleton Area Coach John Yaccino argues that he can’t motivate his
high school players without calling them names or kicking them in the behind,
we’d like him to examine the experience of Vermeil, the NFL’s Coach of the
Year.
Discipline is necessary to succeed in sports, or any worthwhile endeavor.
So are diligence, practice and teamwork. It is the job of a coach to instill
those values. But any coach who abuses players to the point that the abuse
overshadows the lessons he or she is trying to teach loses the loyalty of the
team and much hope of winning. Such a coach also loses an opportunity to give
players a lesson about the virtues and obligations of leadership.
Whether the Rams win or lose today, we’ll bet Vermeil will be crying. And
we’ll bet he’ll be surrounded by a team that respects him and believes in him.
He’s already a winner.