Country Coach All-Stars
Dan and Debbie Dierdorf…Yeah, That’s the Ticket!
Our motorcoach owners are all stars to Country Coach. Dan Dierdorf…the name conjures up images of the NFL, St. Louis Cardinals, Monday Night Football and game analysts such as John Madden. Dan Dierdorf is a legend in the world of football and sports announcers but you’d never know it by talking with him and his wife Debbie. Proud owners of a 2006 Country Coach 45’ Affinity 770, Dan and Debbie recently sat down to chat with us while in Junction City, Oregon for a brief visit.
I thought to myself at least a couple of times after a hit, ‘Boy, that’s going to leave a mark. I’m going to pay for that some day down the road.’ We didn’t talk about spinal compression. I’m sure I lost at least 2 inches in height over my career. I’m barely hanging onto 6-2 now.”
- Dan Dierdorf
Dan and Debbie Dierdorf have been RVing for 24 years and previously owned five other brand motorhomes before being recruited to the Country Coach team. “We did our homework.” said Dan “Everything kept coming back to Country Coach as the best.” Dan had just one requirement to be truly comfortable; an adjustment to the driver seat. “They had to move the seat back for me.” Since then, the Dierdorfs have done much of their traveling in their Affinity, enjoying family vacations, NFL games and relaxing at their favorite getaways; wintering at Pelican Lake in Naples, Florida and spending summers at Hearthside Grove Resort in Petoskey, Michigan. Debbie and Dan both agreed, “We love it.”
Winning the Lottery
Debbie told us how she met Dan for the first time, on a blind date set up by friends. “I worked for a friend of his,” Debbie explains, “I didn’t pay much attention and had no idea who he was but I guess he was already kind of popular before we met.” Though not impressed by the up-and-coming jock named Dan Dierdorf, Debbie was admittedly attracted to Dan. She began to warm up to the opposite minded, very interested football player who swept her off her feet. “It felt like I had won the lottery,” Debbie said as she laughed and added, “We were perfect together. Still are.”
They…Could…Go…All…The…Way!
After 30 years together they both truly enjoy spending a lot of time together, especially traveling and visiting with their four adult children and their families. Katie, currently a college senior, is a gifted basketball player for the University of Michigan (Dan’s alma mater). Their other three (Dana, Kristen and Dan) are all very successful and talented. As they continue to talk about their family, Dan adds, “You have to be master of your own destiny.” As you can imagine, travel is not a new frontier for Dan Dierdorf. “All my life I’ve had to live very structured and travel all the time,” Dan lamented, “last thing I want to do is go to an airport.” He laughed. “Traveling in our motorcoach is just so comfortable.” They both enjoy the outdoors, reading and as connoisseurs, stop to visit some of the wineries they encounter as they travel the country. Debbie also loves cooking, golf, bike riding and needlepoint. Dan and Debbie are as gracious as they are fascinating. Dan has served for 19 years on the Board of Trustees of Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, which includes an emergency and trauma center named in his honor, and for 24 years on the board of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s St. Louis Chapter. Both he and Debbie are devoted to their community and to the charity work they’ve enthusiastically dedicated themselves to, especially the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
A Celebrated Career
Daniel Lee Dierdorf was born June 29, 1949 in Canton, Ohio. Coincidentally, Canton is the birthplace of the NFL. He played football in high school, then at the University of Michigan. At Michigan, Dierdorf was, by consensus, named All-American and all-conference, with his team winning the Big Ten Championship in 1969. In 1971 Dan Dierdorf was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft and in 2000, was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dierdorf was named to the Pro Bowl six times and was named All-Pro for four consecutive seasons beginning in 1975 and NFC Offensive Lineman of the year in 1976-1978. He received the ultimate honor in 1996 when he was enshrined in the
Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After his retirement from NFL football, Dan made the evolution to broadcasting. He called Cardinals games on radio before moving to CBS television for two seasons. In 1987, he joined the Monday Night Football team where he remained for 12 years, returning to CBS to broadcast NFL games. Dan began working as a color commentator with Verne Lundquist and Dick Enberg from 2000 to 2005 and currently, he does the play-by-play with announcer, Greg Gumbel. Dan and former Cardinals quarterback, Jim Hart are the co-proprietors of Dierdorf and Hart’s Steakhouse with a reputation as
St. Louis’ best steak house.
We Were Curious
We took the opportunity to “talk shop” with Dan and asked some specific questions.
- Q: Was there someone who had a significant influence on your career?
- A: “My college coach at Michigan, Bo Schembechler. He made me work harder than humanly possible.” He said, “I learned to set goals.”
- Q: What do you miss the most, if anything, about playing NFL football?
- A: Dan points to a bad leg that causes him a great deal of pain and makes walking difficult and says, “Pro football is really hard on a body!” and he laughed then said seriously, “I do miss the camaraderie. When you’re working with a group of individuals, playing NFL ball, in the prime of your life, working toward a common goal as a member of a team pulling together to win…I guess that’s what I miss.” he said fondly.
- Q: In your opinion, how has the game changed since you were a player?
- A: “The game hasn’t changed much at all really. Of course, there are a few subtle things; like there’s more passing now than there was say, 20 years ago.” He continued, “Now its more controlled violence played by hard competitors, really tough men. Unfortunately, some get a little slack-jawed at times and that’s bad for the game.”
- Q: Who’s your favorite player in the NFL today?
- A: Not wanting to single out just one favorite, Dan paused but Debbie offered her husband what seemed to be the obvious answer for both, “Peyton Manning is his favorite.” Debbie said and Dan quickly agreed. “Yes, Peyton is my favorite; he’s such a great ambassador for the NFL. His father Archie Manning is a good friend of mine and also a very good man. He’s got a lot to be proud of.” Dan said warmly.
- Q: Will we see you at a Country Coach rally in the future?
- A: The Dierdorfs said, “Yeah, we just might do that, might be fun.” Of course, we hope they do attend a Country Coach rally sometime in the future (We teasingly suggested perhaps in a new Rhapsody?).
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful head coaches in the history of American football, once said “If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?” Dan and Debbie Dierdorf are winners in life yet they know how to give back. They inspire others to aim high and realize success.
We asked one final question…When its time for a new coach, will it be a
Country Coach? “Of course, nothing but the best.” Debbie said with a smile. “There’s no better way to travel.”
* As published in the SUMMER 2007 issue of Country Coach Destinations
