Energy & Persistence

When Dick Vermeil arrived in Philadelphia from UCLA in 1976, he inherited one of the worst teams in the league. Prior to his arrival, the Eagles had not made the playoffs in well over a decade. Because of bad trades, they did not have a first round pick until 1978. Two years later, they were in the Super Bowl, staring down John Madden's iconic Raider team.

He didn't win that game, but he forever won the hearts of Eagles fans everywhere - Because he won certainly, but also because of his legendary work ethic. Philadelphia has always loved fighters and hard workers. Vermeil embodied both.

Indeed, before him, you never heard of coaches working until 5:00 a.m. and sleeping on couches in their offices, only to rise ninety minutes later to get back at it. Good or bad I suppose, he set the standard in that regard.

So in terms of energy and persistence, I think I'll go with Vermeil...