At Norfolk State, will Michael Vick be the next Deion Sanders?

Michael Vick (left) and his wife Kijafa Vick (right) hold up a No. 7 Norfolk State jersey with his name on it after he was introduced as the next head football coach during a press conference on Dec. 23 in Norfolk, Virginia.

NORFOLK, Va. — In a hiring that can be fairly cast as an early Christmas present, Michael Vick was introduced as the 19th football coach at Norfolk State University on Monday.

This high-profile hire was a gift for Vick, who has never coached before, and a gift for the institution’s beleaguered football program which has not had a winning season in years. Monday’s announcement was the biggest football hire in program history.

Vick’s hiring is a sorely needed boost for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

“It is a great opportunity for Norfolk State to extend their reach on a national platform as well as for the MEAC,” said conference commissioner Sonja Stills. “He gives us the opportunity to really showcase the talent that we have in the MEAC.”

The hope for a turnaround was reflected in a typically optimistic press conference.

Norfolk State president Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston called Vick a transformational leader who would change the course of Norfolk State football and the lives of the players. Spartans’ Athletic director Dr. Melody Webb said that Vick’s hiring represented an exciting new chapter for Norfolk State football and that his legacy, “includes not only his athletic achievements but also his ability to inspire and overcome challenges. His journey is one of resilience [and] redemption.”

Vick — wearing a Norfolk State jacket, a Spartans football cap and coach’s whistle — was excited and upbeat as he talked about his vision for the program’s future. He will give up his job as an analyst on Fox Sports to turn his full attention to building a program at a tumultuous time for college football.

“It wasn’t the easiest decision to make,” he said. “I got family that I sincerely care about that I love. This requires a lot of change in lifestyle but at the same time it allows me to serve young men in my community. This is where I want to be.”

Michael Vick takes a photo with family after being named the next head football coach of Norfolk State University during a press conference on Dec. 23 in Norfolk, Virginia. Mike Caudill/AP Photo

Vick, who was born in Newport News, Virginia, added that “creating a new culture in in my backyard was really the deciding factor and so I hope this can be a long-lasting working relationship.”

This was truly a homecoming. In Newport News, Vick was a high school star before leaving to play football in state with Virginia Tech. The community has been with him through the exhilarating highs when he was star with the Atlanta Falcons. The community stayed during his stunning fall from grace when he was convicted of dog fighting and spent nearly two years in prison. The community rallied around Vick when he was released and staged a successful comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, Norfolk State University will give Vick the opportunity to be a first-time head coach.

In his opening remarks, Bishop Kim W. Brown, rector of the Board of Visitors, said, “I truly believe that today is a representation of what HBCUs are all about and exactly what Norfolk State University is about. Today, we put on full display the mission of HBCUs, especially our school. We provide opportunity.”

Dr. Gatson said that, because of Vick’s experiences, one of the intangibles he brings is the ability to teach his players the power of transformation — teaching players that there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome.

“In transforming their lives, he will transform our football team and our football success,” she said. “I have no doubt about it, but I want each young man to learn from him what it means to have transformation in your life — to have change in your life that allows you to do the next thing and the next day and move higher and higher.’’

Basketball legend and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was on hand for Vick’s introductory press conference. Like Vick, Iverson was born in the Tidewater area. He witnessed Vick’s fall from grace and his subsequent rise. Iverson became emotional when he passed the football stadium and saw a welcome image of Vick splashed across the scoreboard.

“What he’s been through, what his family has been through, I mean, like damn man he’s tough, he’s strong,” Iverson said. “Shout out to his mom and his family and the people that love him that really love him that helped him get through everything that he’s been through.

“A lot of people gave up on him. Not me. Not the people that really, really matter,”

Basketball Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson, a friend of Michael Vick, looks on as Vick is introduced as the next head coach of the Norfolk State University football team during a press conference on Dec. 23 in Norfolk, Virginia. Mike Caudill/AP Photo

During the question-and-answer session with media after the formal introduction, Vick acknowledged how hard coaching will be between managing the transfer portal, speaking with current players and assembling a staff. “I’ve done more work in the last two weeks that I’ve done in the last five years,” he said. “It’s really cool to dive into what it takes to be a head coach. This is something I was planning on doing years from now, but it just came a couple years sooner than I expected.”

College football has changed drastically since 1999 when Vick led Virginia Tech to the national championship game. With the ability to receive Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) revenue and enter the transfer portal, athletes have more freedom than ever before. Vick said he was OK with the movement even if it meant some players would come to Norfolk State and then leave.

“Some will come here, improve, have some eligibility and maybe go on and play at big school but, it starts right here,” he said. “I think that there are a lot of young men who will appreciate the opportunity to come play here at Norfolk State. It’s an opportunity to create your own legacy. Some of these guys might not be here for four years, for one year, two years, because opportunities will happen if you play good football and that’s what I expect. But in the process of doing that, that’s just a great win for us.”

Vick said that after he accepted the Norfolk Sate job, he reached out to a number of former coaches and mentors. The first person he reached out to is the coach everyone is comparing him to.

“The first person I reached out to was Deion Sanders because he’s a mentor,” he said. “We talked about it last year and Deion was like ‘I don’t know what you’re waiting for, you might as well go ahead and get into it.’ ”

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There will be comparisons — two high profile, iconic NFL players getting their first head coaching opportunities at HBCUs — but that’s where the comparison stopped. Vick and Sanders are two different players with two different styles.

Sanders coached both of his sons from the time they were in pee wee football. In Sanders’ second season at Jackson State, he snatched Travis Hunter, one of the best defensive backs and receivers in high school football, from his commitment to Florida State. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy on Dec. 14.

Sanders began building his brand when he was at Florida State and continued building it while he was in the NFL.

“A lot of people ask, ‘Are you going to be the next Deion Sanders?’ ” Vick acknowledged on Monday. “I said there’s only one Deion Sanders. His soul, his spirit, the way God created him … he created an amazing man and Deion is Deion.

“But I’m Michael Vick.”

Norfolk State is betting that that will be enough.

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