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 at both Norfolk State and Sacramento State, Vick has agreed to remain in his home state of 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.
According to 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 getting the Spartans back to the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2011 – when they lost in the first round to city rival Old Dominion.
Vick was born in Newport News, Virginia, which is part of the Hampton Roads region that includes Norfolk.
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 has no coaching experience at any level. He was set to become the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends in the short-lived spring football league, the Alliance of American Football, but was demoted to analyst before the start of the season.
In college at 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 to be selected overall.
Vick immediately became a star in the NFL, earning Pro Bowl recognition in 2002, 2004 and 2005 with Atlanta.
But his entire career came to an abrupt halt in 2007, when investigators discovered evidence that an illegal dog fighting ring was being run at a property Vick owned in Virginia. He pleaded 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.
Vick, a free agent, signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in August 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 first overall by Atlanta
But he served 21 months in federal prison for his role in a 2007 dogfighting ring
After being released from prison, Vick enjoyed 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 eventually taking over the starting job. He enjoyed something of a career renaissance with Philadelphia, winning the 2010 Comeback Player of the Year award and being named to his fourth and final Pro-Bowl.
He played a total of five seasons in Philadelphia before hitting free agency in 2014. He signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets that season and made sporadic appearances.
At the end of his career, he signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015. After being unsigned for the entire 2016 season, he officially announced his retirement in 2017.
Vick threw for more than 22,000 yards in his career in the NFL regular season and completed 133 passing touchdowns. He was also productive on the ground, rushing for more than 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 his retirement, he has 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.