Michael Vick

Michael Dwayne Vick (born June 26, 1980 in Newport News, Virginia) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons NFL franchise. He is the older brother of current Virginia Tech quarterback Marcus Vick and cousin of New Orleans Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks.

Career

Virginia Tech

Vick played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Vick was an excellent high school player, but was overshadowed in his state and region by Ronald Curry, the eventual North Carolina Tar Heel who won Gatorade's National Football Player of the Year Award, and was first team Parade All-American in basketball. After a somewhat disappointing career at North Carolina, Curry went on to become a wide receiver with the Oakland Raiders. Vick, though, as a redshirt freshman led the Hokies to the 2000 Bowl Championship Series national title game in the Nokia Sugar Bowl against Florida State University. Virginia Tech lost the game, but Vick brought the team back from a 21 point deficit for a brief lead before the ultimate result in the game that made him a household name.

Related Topics:
College football - Virginia Tech - High school - Ronald Curry - North Carolina Tar Heel - Oakland Raiders - Hokies - Bowl Championship Series - Sugar Bowl - Florida State University

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Vick's follow-up campaign was one of the most hyped for a college football player in recent history, but injuries, specifically a bad ankle sprain, marred it from living up to expectations. It certainly had highlights, such as his career rushing high of 210 yards in Chestnut Hill against Boston College, but ultimately did not live up to the promise of his Sugar Bowl performance. He left for the NFL after that year.

Related Topics:
Injuries - Boston College

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NFL

In 2001, the Atlanta Falcons traded various draft picks and Tim Dwight to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for the first pick of the draft. The Falcons selected him as the 1st overall pick in the NFL Draft. On January 4, 2003, the Atlanta Falcons led by Vick stunned the Green Bay Packers by breaking the undefeated streak for the Packers at Lambeau Field in the playoffs. During a 2003 pre-season game against the Baltimore Ravens, Vick fractured his right fibula and missed most of the 2003 NFL season. Upon his return, the Falcons beat the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, going 3-1 in the final four games of the 2003 season. In 2004, he led the Falcons to a record of 11-5, earning a first-round bye in the NFL Playoffs for only the third time in franchise history. The Falcons' 2004 season ended with a defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Conference Championship game. Many would argue that Vick has nearly single-handedly transformed the Falcons from a team with an unspectacular reputation to one of the rising franchises in the NFL. The quarterback's No. 7 jersey has become one of the best-selling pieces of NFL apparel alongside the No. 81 jersey of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens. Vick has also become a focal point in the growing rivalry between the Falcons and Carolina Panthers.

Related Topics:
2001 - Tim Dwight - San Diego Chargers - NFL Draft - January 4 - 2003 - Green Bay Packers - Lambeau Field - Playoffs - Baltimore Ravens - Fibula - Carolina Panthers - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Jacksonville Jaguars - 2004 - Philadelphia Eagles - Terrell Owens

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