Former Virginia Tech Quarterback Michael Vick Says He Should Have Won The Heisman Trophy in 1999
Michael Vick is the greatest player to ever play at Virginia Tech and accomplished a lot of great things during his time in Blacksburg. He led the Hokies to the national championship game where they lost to Florida State and after the 2000 season, he was drafted 1st overall by the Atlanta Falcons and became the most exciting player in the NFL. One thing that Vick did not do while playing at Virginia Tech was win the Heisman Trophy. Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne won the Heisman in 1999, but when talking to former Texas A&M quarterback and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel on his podcast Glory Daze, Vick says that he should have won the award:
“Yes, based on the way I played, I should have won. I just know I was an underclassman. I was a freshman (and) Ron Dayne paid his dues. He was like, destined for it. Those guys probably deserved it more than me being a freshman, just breaking through, because they had been consistent guys.”
Vick led the Hokies to a 22-2 record while he was a quarterback, earning a Big East championship and winning the 2000 Gator Bowl before he was drafted with the first pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Vick had an incredible and historic career in the NFL, and it’s safe to say that Vick is loved in Blacksburg, Virginia. In two years in Blacksburg, Vick totaled over 3,000 yards passing, 1,200 yards rushing, and 36 total touchdowns. He led Virginia Tech to a birth in the 1999 BCS National Championship against Florida State and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting that season, finishing behind Dayne and Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton.
Earlier this offseason, Vick was hired to be the new head coach at Norfolk State, which will be his first head coaching job.
This will be a fascinating hire for Norfolk State and one that Hokies fans will watch closely. Vick does not have any head coaching experience at the FBS level, but that does not mean that he could not have success. You can look at Deion Sanders as a recent example of a former player who had no prior coaching experience at the FBS or FCS level and he was fantastic at Jackson State and at Colorado. Sanders had the Buffaloes in the thick of the Big 12 title race, WR/CB Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy, and Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders are projected to be top-ten picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Does that mean Vick will be as good as Sanders has in his career? No, but I think he is going to have a chance to succeed at Norfolk State and how he does will be something that a lot of Hokies fans are going to be watching.
