Dick Vermeil is returning to pro football, this time as an owner in the Arena Football League.

Vermeil, who took the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl Championship in 1999, joins former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski and current New Orleans Saints players Marques Colston and Jahri Evans as owners of the Philadelphia Soul. Vermeil will have a small stake, 2.5 percent of the franchise.

“My main interest is in Ron Jaworski,” Vermeil said when asked why he was getting involved in the indoor game. “No matter how much money I invest in that team, I will be in debt to Ron for what he did for me.”

That would be helping turn the Philadelphia Eagles from an also-ran into NFC champions; they lost the Super Bowl in 1981 to Oakland.

Vermeil coached 15 seasons for three NFL franchises, also making the 1981 Super Bowl with the Eagles, who lost to Oakland. His other coaching job was in Kansas City, where he lead the Chiefs to an AFC Western Division Championship in 2003. He also coached UCLA for two seasons.

Jaworski calls Vermeil a mentor, a something of a father figure, and a friend.

“He was been one of the greatest people in my life,” Jaworski said. “He taught me discipline and how to be a professional. It’s a relationship that is very special, and it’s a thrill to have coach Vermeil as part of the Philadelphia Soul.”

The Soul, who became part of Arena Football in 2004 and won the championship under then-owner Jon Bon Jovi in 2009, currently has a seven-member ownership group, with Jaworski and Craig Spencer majority owners.

“It’s fun football, a great way to introduce the game, especially to the kids who can’t afford to go to an NFL game,” Vermeil said. “They’re so close to the action they can hear the players breathing.”