Since Deion Sanders assumed management at Jackson State in 2020, the names of NFL legends have grow to be a central a part of discussions surrounding teaching, significantly inside the HBCU group. From chatter about Ray Lewis’s viability as an HBCU coach and Ed Reed’s short-stint at Bethune-Cookman to the success of Eddie George at Tennessee State, there seems to be a fervent urge for food to copy the “Prime Impact” within the HBCU soccer house. Now, a brand new identify has entered the dialog: Michael Vick.
Rumors have run abound of his doable candidacy to be Norfolk State College’s head coach following the firing of Dawson Odums after a lackluster tenure over the previous few seasons. A lot of the dialogue stems from enthusiastic HBCU followers and supporters eagerly speculating and in search of buzz harking back to Sanders’ impactful tenure within the SWAC. Virginian-Pilot author Michael Sauls, in his latest article outlining potential teaching candidates for the Spartans, subtly hinted at this risk, including gasoline to the dialog.
“Phrase across the campfire is there may truly be legs to his candidacy, however that doesn’t assure something in terms of the teaching cycle,” Sauls stated.
I haven’t got something so as to add on the reporting entrance however it could be silly of me to quail my pleasure and anticipation on the considered Vick getting into the HBCU house and probably etching himself in historical past. As an HBCU alumnus and passionate sports activities fan, I hope that this does certainly occur. I might be wanting to see Vick’s Norfolk State Spartans line up towards Chennis Berry’s South Carolina State Bulldogs or Trei Oliver’s North Carolina Central Eagles. I might like to see a hypothetical matchup between Vick and Eddie George’s Tennessee State Tigers recent off of an look within the FCS Playoffs and, in fact, the matchups with SWAC groups reminiscent of Florida A&M and Jackson State.
From a media perspective, I’m anticipating the possibility to leverage my abilities and platform to cowl a possible Vick teaching tenure whereas additionally educating new HBCU followers about Norfolk State and the wealthy historical past of HBCU soccer. However, as somebody with widespread sense, I do know that this is able to be a slam-dunk rent for Norfolk State College. If conversations are certainly occurring and are heating up, the Spartans ought to shut the deal and brace of the journey of a lifetime that solely Jackson State devoted have skilled within the historical past of HBCU soccer.
We will simply state the apparent: Michael Vick is a local of Virginia. He is a hometown hero within the best sense. He was born in Newport Information, Virginia, performed highschool ball at Homer L. Ferguson Excessive Faculty in Newport Information, and he elected to remain in Virginia and play for Virginia Tech. His legendary soccer profession was jumpstarted from Virginia, how becoming would it not be for him to enter the following act of his soccer life at Norfolk State College?
A possible Vick rent can be a brand new frontier for the Spartans. Norfolk State takes satisfaction in its storied basketball custom, dwelling to 2 of the nation’s top-tier males’s and ladies’s basketball groups. Each have seen success out and in of the convention, with each groups even clinching appearances within the March Insanity match. The soccer group hasn’t shared the identical ranges of success.
Because the Spartans joined the MEAC in 1997 they’ve solely had 5 successful seasons. In 2016, the NCAA stripped Norfolk State of all of its wins from 2009-2011, together with the 2011 MEAC title, after neglecting to supervise its eligibility certification course of. So, resulting from this, Norfolk State has solely loved two successful seasons since 1997: 2007 underneath Pete Adrian (8-3) and 2021 underneath Dawson Odoms (6-5).
The dearth of success at Norfolk State by no means totally made sense. The establishment is stellar, with lovely amenities, an engaged pupil and alumni base, and entry to stellar recruits that predominate the state of Virginia. Perhaps it is time to attempt one thing new and instill a brand new tradition of successful for the soccer program. Who higher than Vick, the house state hero who may construct a profitable program with the appropriate employees behind him?
On this hypothetical dialogue, a number of factors might be made to spotlight the potential drawbacks of Vick’s candidacy. One is Vick’s teaching background. Though he served as a training intern underneath Andy Reid in 2017 and accepted a place because the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Legends within the Alliance of American Soccer earlier than he withdrew to grow to be a advisor, he does not have any recognizable teaching expertise sometimes befitting of a extremely touted (or closely rumored) teaching candidate.
It’s totally cheap to hunt a coach with expertise in soccer, whether or not at the highschool, faculty, or skilled degree. However, we are able to have a look at the instance of Eddie George to see that taking an opportunity on a candidate who’s a former NFL nice who lacks teaching expertise might be guess. George entered Tennessee State with no teaching expertise and, surprisingly, no actual need to grow to be a school coach.
“I used to be like, ‘Are you positive you already know what you are asking me? However it simply resonated in my spirit, and it would not go away,” George stated in a quote obtained by the Tennesseean in 2021.
Tennesee State, led by Mikki Allen, took the possibility and recruited George to the place and it labored out. Geroge led the Tigers to win a share of the OVC-Huge South Championship this season, received all 4 of their HBCU matchups, and took FCS Nationwide Championship runner-up to their restrict of their FCS Playoffs first-round matchup. Whereas Vick’s star energy and cultural significance place him on par with Deion Sanders, the roadmap to his success has already been laid out by Eddie George.
However the Deion Saners-esque recruiting fervor may probably be the identical. Vick helped reinvent the quarterback place in soccer along with his pace and uncanny capability to run the ball and make performs. Quarterbacks reminiscent of Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts adopted the method that Vick created to large success. Why would not dual-threat quarterbacks wish to play for Michael Vick as they’ll study from one of many best athletes to the touch the soccer subject? It is little doubt that different recruits and transfers would leap on the alternative to play for a Vick-led Spartans group, benefitting from the eye and adulation that will include successful in his tenure.
However maybe the largest impediment to Vick’s hypothetical rent to Norfolk State, or any faculty soccer program, can be his authorized troubles, particularly linked to the canine combating scandal that led to going through federal racketeering expenses and subsequently being sentenced to 23 months in jail. His rent would absolutely trigger conversations to shift about whether or not he can be proper to guide younger males of their private {and professional} improvement.
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However, Vick served his time and has seemingly dedicated himself to alter within the years following his authorized transgressions. Vick even supported the “Animal Preventing Spectator Prohibition Act of 2011,” a congressional invoice designed to ascertain federal misdemeanor penalties for attending unlawful animal fights and impose felony expenses on adults who carry youngsters to such occasions. On February 7, 2014, President Barack Obama signed the invoice into legislation as a part of the Agricultural Act of 2014.
Vick has additionally made it his mission to advocate to younger males, significantly younger athletes, about making the appropriate choices and never making related errors that he did in his profession. He visited Alabama A&M in 2019 about turning his life round following his authorized troubles
“Second probabilities imply every part to me, man. Individuals who stood on the forefront, who allowed me to be put in that house, they deserve all of the credit score. I used to be only a man who wanted them at a crucial time in my life,” Vick stated on the time per a report by WAFF.
Vick being a school head coach may enable him to make use of his various expertise to additional develop the younger males on his group each on and off the sphere. Vick’s potential teaching candidacy would carry nothing however advantages to Norfolk State, its present and future gamers, the Norfolk group, the state of Virginia, and the broader HBCU athletics panorama.
Although nothing is official and every part remains to be rumors and conjecture, I hope Michael Vick turns into the pinnacle coach of Norfolk State. It might be a becoming subsequent chapter for the previous Atlanta Falcons star and an amazing story of triumph and redemption worthy of the eye of the sports activities world.