Monday Thoughts: The Halfway Point, Hoops, and Michael Vick

Will Stewart

October 24, 2022 39

Brent Pry Virginia Tech — Brent Pry and the Hokies got a breather, and now they'll tackle the back end of the schedule. (Ivan Morozov)

Virginia Tech is a little more than halfway through the football season, and the off week provides us with a perfect opportunity to do a “mid-season” look.

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Monday Thoughts

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39 Comments

HokienGeorjaw October 25, 2022 at 1:59 PM

Was at Ferguson,in 1972, when we did beat Hampton. Team went 9-1 winning the Peninsula District conference. We were ranked number one in the state at one point. No team has never been as good as that one.
Vippie1 October 25, 2022 at 1:03 PM

Thanks Will for the Vick stories. Uplifting to hear. And by the way, Vick was right , Ferguson (or any NN high school) was never ever beating Hampton in that era.
Hokester October 25, 2022 at 9:30 AM

I was at the VT vs South Carolina game in Columbia in 1968. VT won 17-6 in a driving rain storm. At halftime the Gamecock band would not perform because the field was too muddy and they did not want to get their uniforms dirty. The Highty-Tighties stepped up to the plate and put on a great half time show despite the mud. In what would have got us arrested today, my buddies and I ran out on the field after the halftime show and lined up with the Highty-Tighties to welcome the Hokies back on to the field. We thought we were so cool!
TrueGrit69 October 25, 2022 at 12:08 AM

A really good insiteful aarticle. I really am happy for Michael Vick finding his way in life. I really wish him luck.
HokieACC October 24, 2022 at 11:50 PM

Great writeup Will! I found the Mike Vick segment to be very interesting - it reminded me that it really is the seemingly little things in life that sometimes makes all the difference :)
VAHokie89 October 24, 2022 at 10:35 PM

Yes. Back in the 1980s, Hampton was it. Not too many teams couch touch them. The 4 main Newport News schools were Denbigh, Menchville, Warwick, and Ferguson. Ferguson was mid-town. It did get closed. Menchville was ok...It had Al Toon at one point but not much to claim for fame. Menchville's main rival was Denbigh. They were probably about 5 miles apart or so. Other schools in the area that had a pulse: Bruton, Kecoughtan... beyond the teams on the other sides of the rivers
1. Cappydave October 27, 2022 at 5:21 AM
  
  Hampton was good in football in the 1970"s as well. Hampton defeated Annandale (Northern Virginia) to win the 1976 Virginia state championship.
Cheesehokie October 24, 2022 at 9:24 PM

A pleasant and enjoyable read, Will. A good, sober evaluation of where we’ve been and what that portends for where we’re going. Loved the part about Michael Vick. I always thought it was a pity he didn’t come back for at least one more year. The additional experience probably would have been a “win – win“ for both him and VT. He would’ve become a better quarterback, more ready for the NFL; and we might have had another chance to win a natty. And imagine what his continued presence would have done for recruiting…
Tailgate Guru October 24, 2022 at 9:07 PM

Williams Brice Stadium is a fantastic venue. I covered the Hokies game there in 1987, a 40-10 beat down of Frank’s first team by a Gamecock team that had Todd Ellis at QB and Sterling Sharpe at WR. The setting is unimpressive but once you are inside the venue it is great. And Gamecock fans are great; they support that team in force in bad years and good.
MAHokie69 October 24, 2022 at 9:07 PM

Great "Monday Thoughts" Will! Enjoy what sounds like a great long weekend with your boys! GO HOKIES!!
Efigalaxie October 24, 2022 at 8:48 PM

I would love to know what Bryan Randall is doing now. I enjoyed watching him. I was in the dome for the bowl game against Auburn. We played pretty well in that loss. That Auburn team should have played for the Natty. I love New Orleans as a bowl destination. Both times were awesome for me though we lost both times.
1. MACE HOKIE October 24, 2022 at 10:30 PM
  
  I was there also. But we could have beat Auburn had the fullback (I'm not mentioning his name on prepose as I liked him) caught the late pass in the endzone. Should have beat Michigan there as well.
  1. MACE HOKIE October 24, 2022 at 10:31 PM
    
    I believe that is purpose
2. JDods123 October 25, 2022 at 1:14 AM
  
  Mike Vick and Dwight Vick had Bryan Randall on their podcast last year. One of the first podcasts near the beginning of the season, maybe right after the UNC win. Find it on youtube, he sounded great.
ToledoHokie October 24, 2022 at 8:20 PM

Or Bryan Randall......one of my favorite players because he improved so much by his senior year and busted his butt every game!
VTAtlantaHokie October 24, 2022 at 7:08 PM

What could have been?......shoot......If Vick had returned 1 more year, we would have had our 1st Natty guaranteed, we would have joined the ACC has the Top Gun of the conference (opposite FSU), we probably celebrate a 2nd or 3rd National Championship within the next 10-15 years of our first before CFB retires and probably continue to play for the Championship at least every 5 to 10 years thereafter. I have no doubt. That was the trajectory we were on due to the Mike Vick Effect. We were already starting to see a good legacy of talent at the QB position by players who weren't even considered National 5-star Blue Chip QB prospects yet depending on which recruiting service you listened to. But still.... if we could have surrounded Bryan Randall, Tyrod Taylor, Logan Thomas with unlimited weapons on both sides of the ball as a result of a Mike Vick Championship. I dare say Teams would still be chasing Virginia Tech right now in my opinion. Even MV2 likely goes 12-0 his Junior year (instead of 11-2) and marches us to the Championship Game at the very least simply because of the doors opened by his big brother Mike. The Elvis Gator Bowl Frustration Stomp never happens. (b/c we likely never lose that year). The only uncertainty I have is would a successful 2+ National Championship Virginia Tech join the SEC instead of Missouri when the time came or would they have elected to stay in the ACC?
1. JDods123 October 25, 2022 at 1:17 AM
  
  Wow. That's a very confident and specific prediction.
Tim Lewis October 24, 2022 at 6:55 PM

I went to Ferguson High School, class of 76. We had Larry Bethea, Parade All American National Player of the Year. Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year and Dallas Cowboys #1 draft pick. We still couldn't beat Hampton.
1. Will Stewart October 24, 2022 at 7:22 PM
  
  ??
69VPI October 24, 2022 at 6:49 PM

Enjoy you time with your sons. Best times ever.
1. Will Stewart October 24, 2022 at 7:22 PM
  
  Indeed.
hokie4life93 October 24, 2022 at 6:43 PM

Great piece on Vick. He has decided to have a positive impact after all the nonsense of him going to jail when NFL guys like Leonard Little spent no time in prison for manslaughter.
1. MISTERBIG October 24, 2022 at 10:26 PM
  
  Or Ray Lewis for murder during the Superbowl week in Atlanta.
  1. Atlee Hokie October 24, 2022 at 11:55 PM
    
    Amen to this.
DGHOKIE October 24, 2022 at 5:56 PM

I had heard that Michael asked to be moved to WR his redshirt season because he was having such a problem with the playbook. Good thing they threw away the playbook for the next two years.
1. IAHokie October 24, 2022 at 7:05 PM
  
  I think MV threw the playbook away.
  1. Arch72Hokie October 24, 2022 at 8:41 PM
    
    We didn't need a playbook w/Vick as QB. Best impov player-ever. Except for Corey Moore in the 1999 Clemson game, has there ever been a Tech player who could impose his will on a game like MV? (Bruce Smith?).
Aero81Hokie October 24, 2022 at 5:52 PM

I remember when they were playing at Ferguson. It was amazing. I would have loved for them to beat Hampton. I didn’t like Smith’s love for UVA. :-)
1. Arch72Hokie October 24, 2022 at 8:46 PM
  
  Smith lost his affection for UVA when his kid (a kicker) rode the pine. Story goes, Smith wanted to go to Tech but was jilted.
No_Limit_Hokie October 24, 2022 at 5:52 PM

Vick - Please do a discount double check on his eligibility! I keed! I keed! I can dream can't I?!
Al Czervik October 24, 2022 at 5:07 PM

A kid in a man's world. What could have been with that extra year for him and VT but, its hard to pass up the pay check especially at #1. Wow, what could have been though.
1. Atlee Hokie October 24, 2022 at 11:58 PM
  
  It would have been great for VT, if he came back. It probably would have helped him in the NFL. However, I would have questioned his sanity if he came back, knowing he was the #1 pick overall.
2. Thorpe October 26, 2022 at 12:40 AM
  
  "The saddest of all words, spoken or penned, are these: it might have been." Some poem (close enough) that I read long ago.
2hhoop3 October 24, 2022 at 4:59 PM

Enjoyed the Monday thoughts. I like BYE as an opponent this year. I also have to say that while I am excited about hoops, the Michael Vick section was worth the subscription. Even in his troubles he did not seem like a bad guy, just lost and poorly advised. Kudos to him for putting his life back together!! Those circumstances would break lesser men.
1. VTCC 65 October 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM
  
  Sadly, his punishment, like Martha Stewart & other celebrities, far exceeded the crime. It cost Mike especially because 'his time' was what would have been his prime years as a professional. Kudos to Mike for coming back from depths of despair.
  1. nkhooch October 26, 2022 at 2:00 AM
    
    His punishment was harsh. But, if it had been shorter or no jail time would he have come out as mature and changed? His transformation was remarkable but maybe he needed that much time away from the lights of being a celebrity. I have never heard him talk about the transformation process during that time.
Born a Hokie October 24, 2022 at 4:59 PM

I really enjoyed the Vick portion of this article. More content like this please! If all we have are the glory days at the moment, I'll take as much as you can get. Do Corey Moore next!
1. 2hhoop3 October 24, 2022 at 5:00 PM
  
  Ditto.
2. Will Stewart October 24, 2022 at 5:19 PM
  
  I actually interviewed Corey way back in .... probably late 2000/early 2001. He was great. He LOVED talking about the Hokies.

Monday Thoughts: The Halfway Point, Hoops, and Michael Vick

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