New honor makes Vick thankful for playing style
Last week, Michael Vick was inducted into the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame in a ceremony in Scottsdale, Arizona. Never heard of it?
Well, neither had Vick.
But he was ecstatic when he got a phone call from former NFL quarterback Doug Williams, who was inducted into the club’s hall of fame in 2020.
“Anytime Doug Williams calls you, you got to pick up,” Vick said of Williams, who was the first Black quarterback to both start and win a Super Bowl when he played for Washington. “He was telling me about this ceremony and this opportunity, and I was like, ‘That’s pretty cool, Doug. But you sure they want me?’ I talked to some of the representatives and I was ecstatic. It’s really cool anytime you can be honored with greats who played the game. It’s certainly an awesome experience.”
The National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame is just the second Hall of Fame Vick is in. In December, he was inducted into the ACC Hall of Fame.
“Now I’m in the National Quarterback Club Hall of Fame. I can hang my hat on that if the other one doesn’t happen,” said Vick, referring to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The National Quarterback Club was founded in 1965. In 1985, the club expanded to bring national attention to the top quarterbacks from the professional, collegiate and high school ranks. The first recipients were Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon, Iowa quarterback Chuck Long and Indiana’s Warren Central High quarterback Jeff George.
Later, it began to induct distinguished quarterbacks to its hall of fame. It now has 29 members, including Vick, Williams, Johnny Unitas (1987), Bart Starr (1987), Roger Staubach (2004), Jim Kelly (2005), Kurt Warner (2020) and Donovan McNabb (2021).
Vick’s induction class included Ron Jaworski and Brad Johnson.
“To be mentioned with Ron Jaworski, I have a lot of admiration for him,” Vick said. “He’s a great person and a great friend. I have so much love and respect for him. I always call him the real No. 7.
“And Brad and I had some good battles,” Vick added. “In the 2002 season, the reason why we didn’t get seeded higher is because Brad Johnson was an amazing quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the year that they won the Super Bowl. Those guys know exactly what they meant to the game, and I know exactly what they’ve accomplished and how much they put into the game. So, to be honored with those guys makes this even more special, for sure.”
Vick starred at Warwick High in Newport News, where he threw for 4,846 yards and 43 touchdowns and rushed for 1,048 yards and 18 touchdowns.
At Virginia Tech, he guided the Hokies to an 11-0 regular-season record and a spot in the national championship game — the 2000 Sugar Bowl. He completed 90 of 153 passes for 1,840 yards and 12 touchdowns that season and added 617 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Vick was the first Black quarterback to be drafted No. 1 when the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the 2001 NFL draft. He played 13 seasons in the NFL for four different teams, throwing for 22,464 yards, with 133 touchdowns during his career. His 6,109 career rushing yards set an NFL record for a quarterback. He also was a four-time Pro Bowler.
“I don’t really talk about my accolades and things that I accomplished,” Vick said. “I think when I think about my career, I think about not playing in the Super Bowl and not advancing in the NFC Championship. Even though I feel like I did some great things individually, my mind can’t go no further than that. I leave it right there.
“It’s a little disappointing and I always wish I could have done more and think about the whatifs. Then I see guys breaking records of mine, and that puts things back into perspective that, ‘Wow, I really did some good things and I guess it is to be celebrated.’ So, I’m thankful.”
Vick’s off-the-field transgressions — his role in a dogfighting ring sent him to prison — have been well-documented, and he has worked to rehabilitate his image in recent years.
On the field, Vick is arguably the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the history of the game. But he remembers a time when he questioned the way he played, almost to the point of calling it quits early in his career.
Then he saw Cam Newton do the same things and was glad he didn’t listen to the naysayers.
Now he wants to pay it forward. Current players often thank him for what he did for the game.
He, along with McNabb and current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, gathered for a conversation on their shared history as Eagles leaders and Black quarterbacks in the NFL. He’s also spoken to many other players.
“It shows that the ones coming after you certainly appreciate what you did for the game,” said Vick, who joined Fox Sports in 2017 as an analyst for the Fox NFL Kickoff show. “It’s so cool because a lot of the young quarterbacks, they always come up to me and tell me they appreciated what I’ve done for the game and they love the way I played and want to be like me in some facet of my game.
“I tried to make it better for the guys who came after me. That’s all I can do.”