Former NFL coach Dick Vermeil spoke to a mid-sized audience at Eisenhower Auditorium on Tuesday night, giving those in attendance some insight he developed in his 31 years of coaching all levels of football. Before starting his talk, he told the crowd that he felt bad being retired after sitting down and talking with Joe Paterno earlier in the afternoon, and seeing the fire and passion he still has for coaching.

His lecture was titled “The 7 Common Sense Principles of Leadership.” These included bringing energy to your workplace, being a good example, liking the people you work with, and most importantly, establishing credibility and being sincere with those around you. Two qualities he spoke very highly of were passion and spirit, something that was evident in most of the players he coached throughout his time in the NFL.

The evening also included several other highlights. These included the presence of  former Penn State and Kansas City Chief running back Omar Easy, whom Vermeil referred to a number of times, Vermeil’s thoughts on the last play of Super Bowl 34 and a diehard Eagles fan asking if the coach would come back to take the helm from Andy Reid for the upcoming season. All in all, it was a great way to close out the 2009-2010 Distinguished Speaker Series.

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