Former Falcon Michael Vick among Other NFL Greats Who Lost College Coaching Debut

Bill Belichick and DeSean Jackson were not the only former NFL greats who lost their college coaching debut. Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Mike Vick also had his coaching debut spoiled in front of a television audience.

The Norfolk State Spartans faithful were wearing the number seven jersey that Vick donned during his playing days while with the Atlanta Falcons. The campus was buzzing the whole week surrounding what Vick could do to bring the Spartans to a national prominence level in football.

Opening as an 8.5 point underdog, Norfolk State fell to Towson 27-7 on a night when the Spartans never led, had too many costly mistakes, and ultimately got in their own way too often to establish any consistency. Afterwards, Vick spoke to the media and seemed pretty happy with the defense, but not so much with the offense’s inability to get anything going for the Spartans.

“Defense played great. Defense did a lot of good things, so I’m very proud of them. But the offense has got to catch up for sure,” Vick said after the game.

For Vick, the stale play was frustrating to watch, given his college and NFL playing style during his prime.

“Tonight, certainly, we could’ve done a lot of things better. Certainly shot ourselves in the foot in a lot of situations,” he said. “We’ve gotta find a way to make the corrections, so back to the drawing board (Friday). That’s what it’s all about. We’re going to keep that championship mindset. Own it, accept it, and keep pushing."

The rise of Deion Sanders plays a role in former NFL players wanting to join the trend of becoming coaches. Some have wanted to coach from the beginning, even during their playing days, but few get to experience it the way Vick has, getting to lead a school in the hometown in which he grew up.

Before his hire, Vick had worked only as an intern for the Kansas City Chiefs under Andy Reid and as offensive coordinator for an Alliance of American Football team.

This weekend, Vick will look to get the Spartans in the win column when the team is set to take on what will be Vick's first taste of a rivalry game when Norfolk State matches up with Virginia State. The following week, Vick will be tasked with coaching against his first FBS opponent when the Spartans take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.