NORFOLK, Va. — Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick is starting a new career as a college football head coach. Vick confirmed that he has accepted the head coaching position at Norfolk State.
Vick grew up in Newport News, Virginia, which is located about 30 miles from Norfolk State’s campus.
“It’s an honor to announce that I’ll be the new head coach of Norfolk State University… looking forward to coming back home,” Vick wrote in a statement on Tuesday night.
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Vick had also spoken with Sacramento State about its head coaching vacancy before he accepted the Norfolk State job.
Vick becomes the latest former NFL star to begin his head coaching career with an Historically Black College and University program.
Former Atlanta Falcons star Deion Sanders took over the program at Jackson State before he left for the Colorado coaching job. Former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George became the head coach at Tennessee State University and led the Tigers to a 9-4 season this year.
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The Falcons drafted Vick as the No. 1 overall draft pick out of Virginia Tech in the 2001 NFL Draft. He made three Pro Bowls with Atlanta and helped launch an era of dual-threat quarterbacks.
In 2007, the NFL suspended Vick after his arrest for his role in a dogfighting ring. He pleaded guilty and served 18 months in federal prison.
The Falcons released Vick in 2009 and he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Eagles, he won the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010.
He played a few more seasons for the Eagles, Jets and Steelers before he retired in 2017 and began working as an NFL analyst for Fox Sports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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