Michael Vick Biography

Michael Vick was born on June 26, 1980, in Newport News, Virginia. At the time of his birth, his parents, Brenda Vick and Michael Boddie, were unmarried teenagers, aged sixteen and seventeen years respectively.

Born second of his parents four children, he has an elder sister called Christina and two younger siblings called Courtney, and Marcus. Although their parents got married sometime in early 1986, about two years after the birth of Marcus, the siblings continued to use their mother’s surname.

The children were raised in the Ridley Circle Homes, a public housing project in a crime-ridden neighborhood on the city’s east side. Life was not easy there and yet Michael, whose nickname was Ookie, grew up to be a cheerful, focused and polite child.

When he was three years old, his father gave him his first football and took time off to introduce him to the game. Quickly, he developed a passion for football, picking up tricks from his second cousin, Aaron Brooks.

Sometime now, he joined the local chapter of Boys and Girls Club along with Brooks. It not only enabled him to receive proper guidance from the club coach, but also saved him from getting involved in drugs and gang fights.

In his grade school, Michael showed tremendous promise both in football and baseball. But by junior high, he began to show preference for football and by his ninth grade gave up all other sports.

In the fall of 1994, Michael entered Ferguson High School, where he showed his athletic ability, throwing for over 400 yards in a game that year. When it shut down in 1996, he took transfer to Warwick High School, where he successfully participated in the school’s sports team, Warwick Raiders.

During his high school years, he was coached by Tommy Reamon, who had also moved from Ferguson to Warwick. Under his guidance, Michael became one of the top five high school signal callers by end of 1997.

In 1998, Michael Vicks graduated from Warwick with a scholarship in football and at Reamon’s insistence entered Virginia Tech. In the very next year, he appeared in his first collegiate game in a match against James Madison, scoring three rushing touchdowns in just over one quarter of play.

As a redshirt freshman, Vicks had a wonderful year, leading the Virginia Tech Hokies to an 11–0 undefeated season. Sometime during the season, he appeared on the cover of an ESPN Magazine issue.

Continuing to excel, he won ESPY Award as the nation's top college player and Archie Griffin Award as college football's most valuable player in 1999. In 2000, he made a record, rushing total of 210 yards against Boston College in Massachusetts.

In 2001, Michael Vick began his professional career with the Atlantic Falcons with a six-year $62 million contract. Although he was short for NLF quarterback he was picked up by the Falcons in the first overall pick of the 2001 NFL draft because of his strong arms and unparalleled athleticism.

By his second year, he had become Atlanta’s full-time starting quarterback, making fifteen starts, throwing for 2,936 yards and 16 touchdowns. On January 4, 2003, he led his team to an upset victory over the heavily favored Green Bay Packers and was named to his first Pro Bowl after the season.

In the 2003 season, he had to miss 11 games due a fractured right fibula; but returned to the form in the 2004 season, signing a $130 million contract extension with Atlanta in December. Shortly, he led his club to the NFC championship and made his third Pro Bowl in 2005.

In 2006, he became the first quarterback to rush for 1,039 yards a single-season. By then, he had become a star, with a sprawling $3.8 million home in Duluth, Georgia and another in Surry County, Virginia. However, he never forgot his roots, including many of his old friends in his inner circle.

In 2007, Michael Vick's first cousin, Davon Boddie, was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. He gave the address of Vick's country house in Surrey as his home address, which led to a raid in the property, which in turn revealed the existence of a dog-fighting ring.

Further investigation revealed that Vick was deeply involved with the blood sport and that an outfit called Bad Newz Kennels had been operating on his property since long. Michael was implicated in everything from wagering on matches to approving the disposal of dogs that lost.

As his involvement in dog-fighting became public animal rights groups began to protest, leading to his suspension from the NFL. In July 2007, he was indicted for animal cruelty and was sentenced to 23 months in federal prison.

His finances also came under scrutiny and banks began to sue him for defaulting on loans. Soon, he not only lost all his endorsement, but was also asked to pay back $19.97 million out of his $37 million bonus by his club, forcing him to file for bankruptcy.

In May 2009, Michael Vicks was released from prison.  Although he was quickly reinstated by NFL, Atlantic Falcons released him from their contract. Eventually in August, he signed a one-year contact with Philadelphia Eagles, initially playing as back up.

In 2010, he resumed the position as the quarterback, setting career highs by passing for 3,018 yards and 21 touchdowns in only 12 games. For his new vigor, he was named to Pro Bowl and earned Comeback Player of the Year Award.

He remained with Philadelphia Eagles till 2013, after which he joined New York Jets for a fee of $5 million, remaining with the club for the 2014 season. Thereafter, he signed a one-year contract worth $970,000 with Pittsburgh Steelers, remaining with them for the 2015 season.

Vick retired from professional football in February 2017. However, he continued to remain associated with the game, participating in the newly-formed American Flag Football League, later serving as NFL analyst on Fox NFL Kickoff on FS. In 2019, he also served as a coach and advisor for Atlanta Legends.

Michael Vick was named to Pro Bowl four times; in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

In 2012, Vick married Kijafa Frink. Currently a successful entrepreneur, she was with him throughout his ordeal. The couple has three children; two daughters called Jada and Landon and a son called Michael Jr. From his earlier relationship with a high school girlfriend called Tameka, he has another son named Mitez.