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Vermeil Pages

The document is a foreword by Dick Vermeil about Vince Papale and his journey to becoming an NFL player. Vermeil was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 and held open tryouts to find players, as the team did not have draft picks that year. Vince Papale stood out at the tryouts for his athleticism and speed. Though he did not have much football experience, Papale worked extremely hard during training camp and excelled during preseason games. His passion, work ethic, and athletic skills allowed him to make the team as a special teams player. Vermeil was impressed by Papale's example of perseverance and determination to achieve his dreams through hard work, even in the

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Jim Morris
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174 views3 pages

Vermeil Pages

The document is a foreword by Dick Vermeil about Vince Papale and his journey to becoming an NFL player. Vermeil was the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976 and held open tryouts to find players, as the team did not have draft picks that year. Vince Papale stood out at the tryouts for his athleticism and speed. Though he did not have much football experience, Papale worked extremely hard during training camp and excelled during preseason games. His passion, work ethic, and athletic skills allowed him to make the team as a special teams player. Vermeil was impressed by Papale's example of perseverance and determination to achieve his dreams through hard work, even in the

Uploaded by

Jim Morris
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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B

N V I N C I B L E

Foreword
by Dick Vermeil, former head coach, Philadelphia Eagles
When I took the Philadelphia Eagles job in the winter of 1976, I went in knowing that they didnt have a first, second or third round draft pick until 1978. Thats three years in a row without quality draft choices, and they hadnt had a winning season in ten years. We were fortunate that back then, there were 17 rounds in the draft instead of the seven they have now, so we would at least gain in numbers. As we went through our early organizational thoughts, we said, Why dont we host an open tryout in the spring? We wanted to see if we could pick up a few players who could come in and help us during our ten-week training camp. In 1976 we had six preseason games, so camp was long and tough. You need plenty of bodies to keep intense practice sessions going. Believe me when I say, practices were combative! The open tryout was a fun (and in some cases, humorous) event. All sizes and shapes showed up. Some had almost no football experience. Some had high school experience. Very few had college experience and a few had been in other training camps. We put those attending through every basic football drill we could without pads on and without killing someone. Only a few appeared to have a little talent. But there was one who kept jumping out at us in the drills, and when we finally timed them all in the 40-year dash, this guy ran very well. His name was Vince, and when he ran a fast time, we found out his last name was Papale. He had already displayed other athletic movement skills, and now speed. So why not invite him to training camp? Training camp numbers were not limited to 80 like today, so what did we have to lose? The next step was to interview Vince and find out where he was coming from and what were his expectations. It didnt take long to recognize his passion to play was greater than his talent to play, but when you combined them, there was a slight chance you could end up with a
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possible contributor. His story was warm, sincere, compassionate and a perfect fit for the Philadelphia environment. Training camp opened in early July, which is the hot, humid time of the year in the Delaware Valley. A lot of guys quit before they ever gave themselves a shot, but Vince thrived. He got better every day and demonstrated the intensity it would take to end up being a good special teams player. He would get just as tired as everyone else, but would try very hard not to show it. The combination of his athletic skills, passion and work ethic made the evaluation process easy. The only thing we didnt know was how much of what we were seeing would transfer to game day. With six preseason games, he would get a chance to demonstrate how he would handle the pressure of game day competition, and needless to say, he excelled, especially in covering punts and kickoffs. Vince liked to hit people! It was fun for him and it really made the decision process easier. You dont cover punts and kickoffs live in practice sessions, so the only time we could test him was on game day. I was very glad that he passed the test with flying colors. The coaches couldnt help but root for this kid to make it, and since I had the final say in personnel decisions, I was convinced we had someone who could help us build the foundation we would eventually win with. Its a good story, and its also true. Its a story that many could duplicate if they could do things the same way that Vince did, regardless of their endeavor. One of the greatest things a person can be is a good examplean example worthy of emulation. Vince is that, and Im sure there are many other Vinces out there who just havent given themselves a chance. The years have passed, our relationship has matured and Vinces opportunities have expanded due to his ability to take a vision and reinforce it with a value system and a process that would not allow negatives or setbacks to misdirect him. He found a way to invest in the present that would ultimately dictate what his future could become. Hes experienced tough times and bad days like we all havehealth issues, all the obstacles that most of us face at one time or another. But due to his drive to excel, Vince never used them as excuses to fail. He used them as motivation to succeed. If you get nothing else out of this book, take with
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you the example of what a person can achieve if he has a passion for excellence guided by common sense and backed with an old-fashioned work ethic. The problem many people have is that they leave their dreams in a dream state of mind. They dont take those dreams and apply an approach that makes those dreams start coming true. Vince didnt waste his dreams. He made them all come alive. Almost everything he had in mind for his life he has made happen, and you can do the same thing. It is never too late to become the person you aspire to be, do the things you want to do and enjoy the pleasures of life you would like to enjoy. This book wont give you all the answers, but it will provide you with an example of what a person can do if his or her goal means enough. Vince Papale is an inspiration to me, even now when my coaching career is behind me. I can apply what I have learned from him by using his formula for success in everything else Im doing today. As Vince says, no matter the changes or challenges, we all have what it takes to be invincible. Dick Vermeil

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