NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Norfolk State University formally introduced former NFL quarterback and Newport News native Michael Vick as its new head football coach at a press conference Monday morning.
NSU President Javaune Adams-Gaston spoke about the decision to hire Vick and how she hopes this will propel the university going forward.
“Right now, this transformation means that now is our time,” Adams-Gaston said. “I also just want to say a little about what it takes to make an engine run like Norfolk State University. We would not be who we are without our legislators, our friends who allow us to say to them, ‘You know this historical issue of underfunding universities,’ and then I don’t have to say the rest, because they say, ‘has to stop.’ And it stops with us.”
During the conference, cheers of “Behold Green and Gold” could be heard as Vick made his way up to the stage. His family, including his wife Kijafa Vick, an alumna of Hampton University, also briefly went up on stage.
“We gonna take it out on [Hampton University] at some point,” Vick said, jokingly.
Vick said that while it was hard for him to make the decision to walk away from Fox Sports, it was important for him to serve young men in the community he grew up in.
“It wasn’t the easiest decision to make, you know,” Vick said. “I got family that I sincerely care about, that I love. This requires a lot of change, but at the same time, it allows me to serve young men in my community.”
Vick is just the latest in a long line of prominent coaches from the Peninsula. They include Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin (Denbigh HS), New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo (Kecoughtan HS), Buffalo Bills quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry (Hampton HS), Glen Allen High School coach Aaron Brooks (Ferguson HS), and more.
During the press conference, Vick also described the three-week process it took to become the school’s new coach, and he discussed the value of being a coach at a HBCU.
“I understand the value of a HBCU,” Vick said. “The fact that it is in my hometown makes it even better. And so, it’s a great admiration for HBCUs, the NFL has numerous partnerships with HBCUs, so I think it shows that people care. You’ve got these big time Division I programs where they’ve got all these amazing things, bells and whistles, money, and they tend to forget about the HBCUs and the schools that have the same type of prominence, and so, to start here, it wasn’t even by design.”
The full press conference can be seen below:
Vick got emotional Sunday on NFL on FOX as he spoke about accepting the gig, saying, “When you’ve got a chance to go lead young men in your community, where I grew up watching this team, … I’ve got what it takes.”
After Vick was officially hired at NSU, he released a statement saying in part,
“I am blessed and humbled by this opportunity to lead, mentor, and transform the football program at Norfolk State University.”
Vick doesn’t have any coaching experience. However, he is an accomplished quarterback on the high school, collegiate and NFL levels.
Hear more on what Vick plans for the Norfolk State football team below:
In 1999, Vick led Virginia Tech to the national title game. Then, the Atlanta Falcons made him the first Black quarterback to be chosen with the number one overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.
However, in 2007 at the prime of his career, Vick was convicted for dogfighting.
He retired 10 years later, making advocacy against animal cruelty a part of his mission.
