The details of Michael Vick’s first head coaching contract at HBCU Norfolk State University are out.
The former no. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft has a base salary of $400k, according to a report by The Virginian-Pilot. That salary is $160k more than what his predecessor, Dawson Odums, was being paid by the school.
And that is just the starting point. Vick is eligible for performance bonuses for Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season championships ($10,000), Football Championship Subdivision playoff victories ($15,000) and coach of the year honors (ranging from $2,500 to $5,000).
The bonuses get bigger, however, if Vick can lead the HBCU program to new heights. A win in the Celebration Bowl earns him an additional $25,000. An FCS national title win would net Vick a $100,000 raise.
It is important to note, with these bonuses, that as a MEAC member Norfolk State University is bound to the Celebration Bowl should it win the six-team MEAC. The conference does not have an automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, but Norfolk State could make it as an at-large team if its record is good enough and it doesn’t win the MEAC.
Vick is due an automatic one-year extension if his squad can get into the top half of the conference and he’s also allotted an SUV, according to the contract.
Prior to Michael Vick’s hire, Chennis Berry had the highest reported salary amongst HBCU coaches in the MEAC with a base salary of $300k. North Carolina Central head coach Trei Oliver, the MEAC’s longest tenured head coach, has a listed salary of $289,224 according to the UNC system salary database. Morgan State’s Damon Wilson had a salary of $274k in 2023 according to open payrolls. Howard University is private and head coach Larry Scott’s salary is not listed. Former Delaware State head coach Lee Hull had a salary of $220k prior to being fired and replaced by DeSean Jackson.