San Jose, Calif. – San José State Athletics announces the launch of the Dick Vermeil Fund for Football Excellence to drive sustainable championship-level support for Spartans Football.
"We are thrilled to establish the Vermeil Fund to honor Coach Vermeil as we continue to build a sustainable football program that each and every year contends for the Mountain West Championship," said Marie Tuite, San José State Director of Athletics. "Coach Vermeil has been a champion for us, and we honor his incredible coaching career by this key initiative to generate resources for our football program through the Vermeil Fund."
As a part of One Spartan Nation, the Vermeil Fund honors the legacy of San José State Sports Hall of Famer, Dick Vermeil, while advancing the future of Spartans Football.
The impact that the Vermeil Fund can have is important to Head Coach Brent Brennan. "The Vermeil Fund is a total game-changer for us! Not only do we get to honor Coach Vermeil, we will be able to continue to build a championship program with increased resources to thrive on and off the field," said Brennan. "We are excited to get our One Spartan Nation behind Football through the Vermeil Fund!"
Legacy of Coach Vermeil
Dick Vermeil was a quarterback for the Spartans in 1956-1957 and graduated with an M.A. from San José State in 1959. "San Jose State Football and Coaches Dr. Robert Bronzan, and Bob Titchenal were very much responsible for me raising my own level of career expectations," said Vermeil.
Following his time at San Jose State, became a football coach with the rare distinction of being named "Coach of the Year" on four levels: high school, junior college, NCAA Division I and the NFL. Vermeil was honored as a "Coach of the Year" in 1978, 1979, 1999, and 2003, enshrined in the Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Rams Football Ring of Honor, and led teams that won a Rose Bowl and Super Bowl. Coach Vermeil and his wife, Carolyn, have provided wonderful support for San José State Athletics, including personally investing in the transformational Spartan Athletics Center. "I personally get involved in supporting SJSU Football because of how much the program has done for me," said Vermeil.
Vermeil believes that now is the time to invest in San José State Football. "If [San José State] could do this for me, I'm convinced with proper financial support, the program and people in it can do the same for many others to come!"
Impact of the Vermeil Fund
After winning the 2020 Mountain West Championship, the Vermeil Fund was established to provide championship-level resources that helps Spartans Football continue to "Climb the Mountain." Specifically, One Spartan Nation members that give through the Vermeil Fund will provide resources for recruiting, the Beyond Football life skills program, academic initiatives, coaches and staff supplementary salaries and any other operational or programmatic support for the Football program. Members that invest in Football through the Vermeil Fund will also be granted One Spartan Nation membership benefits as well as additional engagements with the coaching staff.
The establishment of the Vermeil Fund is one of three key ways for alumni and friends to invest in the continued growth of Spartan Football which include:
- Purchasing season tickets
- Joining One Spartan Nation through giving for student-athlete scholarships and/or through the Vermeil Fund
- Investing in the Spartan Athletics Center facility project
For more information on how to invest in Spartans Football through the Vermeil Fund, visit onespartannation.com/vermeilfund or email OneSpartanNation@sjsu.edu.