Standing inside William “Dick” Price Stadium isn’t something new for Michael Vick.
Before he became a Virginia high school, college, and then NFL star, the current Norfolk State coach spent several fall Saturdays as a youth watching the Spartans play football.
Vick recounted the experience during a recent interview at New York’s Fanatics Fest and was asked whether he considered attending the HBCU.
“I grew up watching Norfolk State, not aspiring to go to Norfolk State as a school, because I knew my direction in order to make it to the NFL,” Vick told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But my coaches in Pop Warner used to take us to Norfolk State games, and I remember the game was just exciting. It was a great culture, good people, and they really seemed like they loved football.”
Vick, an elite high school quarterback at Warwick High School in Newport News, committed to Virginia Tech. While there, Vick led the Hokies to the 1999 BCS National Championship Game and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting as a sophomore.
Now Vick returns to the place where he watched games years ago—before he became an NFL star—to help lead Norfolk State back to prominence as a coach.
“It’s special to be part of that now,” he said.