Dick Vermeil
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Dick Vermeil started his NFL coaching career by going 4-10 and 5-9 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Those are terrible records but nothing too out of the ordinary for the team. Before 1978, the Eagles last had a winning season in 1966; they haven't made the playoffs since 1960.
The Eagles improved the third year drastically in 1978, making the playoffs with a 9-7 record. In 1980, they made it to the Super Bowl but ultimately lost. Vermeil retired in 1983. However, he would coach the St. Louis Rams in 1997 at 61 years old.
His first two years with the Rams were similar to the Eagles, going 5-11 and 4-12. But, predictably, year three was a dramatic improvement, as they jumped to thirteen wins and ended up winning the Super Bowl.
Vermeil would repeat this third-year improvement pattern one last time with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003 before finally retiring for good after the 2005 season.
