Arts and Entertainment

Dick Vermeil final speaker in 2009-10 Distinguished Speaker Series

University Park, Pa. -- Dick Vermeil, NFL head coach and football broadcaster, is the next speaker in Penn State’s 2009-10 Student Programming Association Distinguished Speaker Series. Vermeil will speak at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in Eisenhower Auditorium at Penn State's University Park campus.

The event is free and open to the public but tickets are required for admittance. Tickets are available now for students -- two issued per I.D. -- and will be available to faculty, staff and the general public on Tuesday, April 13, based on availability.

Vermeil was head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1982, the St. Louis Rams from 1997 to 1999 and the Kansas City Chiefs from 2001 to 2005. In his seven seasons with the Eagles, the team had four playoff appearances and made it to the Super Bowl in 1980. That year Vermeil was also named Coach of the Year. During his hiatus as a head football coach, he was a sports announcer for ABC and CBS television networks. When Vermeil returned to coaching with the Rams, he led them to their first Super Bowl victory in 1999 and again was named Coach of the Year. He retired for two years but returned again in 2001 to coach the Chiefs. Since his 2005 retirement, Vermeil has worked as a television commentator for ESPN and the NFL network.

He and his wife, Carol, are active philanthropists for organizations like the Philadelphia-area The Second Mile Center jobs-training program and The Boy Scouts of Chester County. Vermeil hosts an annual golfing fundraiser for the Boy Scouts group, raising about $100,000 each year. The Vermeils also are partners in OnThEdge Winery, where Vermeil produces his own cabernet wine.

Distinguished Speaker Series tickets are available at the following locations and times:

Eisenhower Auditorium, corner of Shortlidge and Eisenhower roads, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; HUB-Robeson Center, on Pollock Road, weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Bryce Jordan Center, corner of University Drive and Curtin Road, weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., all on the University Park campus; and the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center, 146 S. Allen St., State College, weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information about the Distinguished Speaker Series and the Student Programming Association, visit http://www.spa.psu.edu/dss.html.
 

Last Updated April 18, 2017