Christmas came slightly early for the Norfolk State community when Michael Vick agreed to become the Spartans’ 19th head football coach.
At Monday’s introductory press conference, Vick, the longtime NFL quarterback who inspired a generation of dual-threat offensive leaders, enthusiastically announced his arrival and pledged to build a program.
“We’re going to make the most of this,” Vick said. “We’re going to win, we’re going to have fun and bring in the right leadership, so when these young men leave this program, they’ll go on to bigger and better things.”
The Norfolk State administration moved quickly and decisively in naming Vick their new football leader. Vick credited university president Javaune Adams-Gaston, athletic director Melody Webb, and Virginia Sen. Aaron Rouse with reaching out to him to set everything in motion.
Watching Monday’s press conference, I couldn’t help but notice the joy on Michael Vick’s face. Here was a native son of the Hampton Roads area (Newport News, to be exact), one of their best and brightest, coming back home to hopefully awaken a football program that has been slumbering for the better part of 40 years, as well as mentor young Black men.
Nice threads, Coach!#GoodStandard
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— Norfolk State Football
His excitement for his new gig is enough for me to admit that a previous column I wrote about splash hires not being beneficial to HBCUs may look a little short-sighted.
I still maintain that it would be nice for young assistants, position coaches, and coordinators to get their first cracks at head coaching at an HBCU, but if Vick follows Eddie George’s template (learning about the school community and the larger struggle HBCUs face), he and the Spartans program should be in good shape.
And as well-known as George was in Music City for his exploits as the Tennessee Titans’ first star running back, you can multiply that endlessly for what Vick means to the 757. Vick, along with fellow Hampton native and Basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson (who was in attendance Monday), are two Gen Xers millennial Black men have admired for years.
We all know the pomp and circumstance will eventually wear off, and it will be time to get down to business. There will be questions: What kind of offensive and defensive strategy does Coach Vick have in mind? Who will be his trusted staff members in this transition? Can he draw kids away from other Virginia institutions? How quickly can Norfolk State compete in a small but competitive MEAC landscape?
We will have to wait and see, of course. For now, there’s no reason to believe that the Michael Vick experience will be anything other than successful. For one, this is the most we’ve talked about Norfolk State football in…forever.
Also, as previously mentioned, Vick’s sense of pride and commitment in taking on what will be a tall task will make Norfolk State football relevant in the HBCU conversation, as well as maybe nationally. He himself admitted that this new assignment would be a lifestyle change, but the call to serve his community and his people was greater.
That alone is enough for anyone with a vested interest in HBCUs to see what Michael Vick does with the Norfolk State football program.
