Dick Vermeil was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year, and he thinks more coaches need to join him.
“Every time I get a chance, I mention it,” Vermeil told Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette.
At his Hall of Fame induction speech last summer, Vermeil named seven other coaches he thought were deserving. One of them, Don Coryell, was voted into the Hall of Fame this year. Vermeil continues to talk up the other six: Dan Reeves, Mike Shanahan, Mike Holmgren, Marty Schottenheimer, Tom Coughlin and George Seifert.
Vermeil said he’d like to see two coaches a year inducted, one recent and one old-time coach posthumously inducted.
“I would be in favor of any time they put in a coach, they put a deserving deceased coach in with a comparable or better record,’’ Vermeil said. “Otherwise, you’re going to keep having more deceased coaches to try to get in.”
The Hall of Fame has attempted in recent years to induct more members with bigger classes of Hall of Famers, but Vermeil’s wish of two coaches a year may be more than the Hall and its selectors are willing to go for. Still, the 86-year-old Vermeil sounds like he has plenty of energy left to fight for more coaching Hall of Famers.