Former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has agreed to become the next head coach of the Norfolk State University Spartans football team, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
After rumors linked him to the jobs both at Norfolk State and Sacramento State, Vick has agreed to stay in his home state Virginia to take charge of the program at the HBCU which competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
Norfolk State competes at the FCS level (Division I-AA) – a division below the FBS (Division I-A), which sends its teams to the College Football Playoff.
Per the Virginian-Pilot’s sources, the school and Vick agreed to contract terms on Tuesday and a press conference announcing the hire is expected within a week.
Vick comes in to replace Dawson Odums, who was fired in November after a 4-8 season. He will now be tasked with trying to bring the Spartans back to the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2011 – when they lost to in-city rivals Old Dominion in the first round.
Vick was born in Newport News, Virginia – which makes up part of the Hampton Roads region that Norfolk is also a part of.
Michael Vick has reportedly agreed to become the next football coach at Norfolk State
Vick was a superstar with the Atlanta Falcons before legal troubles halted his momentum
Vick does not have any coaching experience at any level. He was slated to be the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in the short-lived spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, but was demoted to being an analyst before the season started.
In college with Virginia Tech, Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 BCS National Championship game where they lost 46-29 to the Florida State Seminoles.
He was selected first overall in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons – becoming the first Black quarterback taken with the top pick.
Vick instantly became a star in the NFL – earning Pro Bowl recognition in 2002, 2004, and 2005 with Atlanta.
But his entire career came to a screeching halt in 2007, when investigators uncovered evidence that an unlawful dog fighting ring was being run at a property Vick owned in Virginia. He pled guilty to federal charges and spent 21 months in federal prison.
Hours after pleading guilty, Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL.
Shortly before he was released from prison in 2009, the Falcons released Vick after considering trading him.
A free agent, Vick signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in August of 2009 at the suggestion of Philly’s then-starter, Donovan McNabb.
Vick led Virginia Tech to a national title game in 1999 and was picked by Atlanta first overall
But he served 21 months in federal prison for his role in a dog fighting ring in 2007
After being freed from prison, Vick experienced a career renaissance with the Eagles
When McNabb was traded to the Washington Redskins in 2010, Vick spent a few weeks on the bench behind Kevin Kolb before he eventually took over the starting job. He experienced something of a career renaissance with Philadelphia, winning the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010 and being named to his fourth and final Pro-Bowl.
In total, he played five seasons in Philadelphia before hitting free agency in 2014. He signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets that season, making sporadic appearances.
At the end of his career, he signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. After going unsigned throughout the 2016 season, he officially announced his retirement in 2017.
Vick tossed for over 22,000 yards in his NFL regular season career – completing 133 passing touchdowns. He was also prolific on the ground, rushing for over 6,000 career yards and 36 rushing touchdowns. In the playoffs, Vick managed 977 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, 271 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Since retiring, he’s played in the American Flag Football League and has been an NFL analyst on FS1’s ‘Fox NFL Kickoff’. He also briefly served as a coaching intern under former coach Andy Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs in their 2017 training camp.
