Former All-Pro QB pays visit to Shane Beamer, South Carolina football team
Former NFL All-Pro quarterback Michael Vick was on campus at South Carolina on Monday.
Linebacker Debo Williams posted on Instagram a picture of him and Vick, who played 13 seasons in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Vick was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.
“Blessed to meet one of my idols,” Williams posted.
Vick has ties with new Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer. The two were teammates at Virginia Tech in the late 1990s when the Hokies advanced to the National Championship game against Florida State.
Vick even lobbied for Beamer to be hired by Virginia Tech when Justin Fuente linked to the Baylor job in 2020.
“@CoachSBeamer is ready, and I mean READY!” Vick wrote in a tweet in 2020. “He played for/with the best, and coached with the best. If Coach Fuente decides to leave....Shane could fill the void!”
Beamer and his family posed for a picture with Vick and posted it on Twitter. Sporting a South Carolina shirt Vick also spoke to the USC players on maturity, ownership and accountability.
“Awesome having him at practice to hang with our team and can’t wait for him to speak to our team later today !! Been a friend for almost 25 years and I really appreciate him being here to share his story,” Beamer tweeted.
Vick isn’t the only high-profiled former NFL star to make an appearance on campus in recent months. In addition to Gamecock greats Alshon Jeffery, Jadeveon Clowney and Stephon Gilmore stopping by, former Detroit Lions receiver Calvin Johnson also visited the football operations building and spoke to the team.
Johnson is friends with Derrick Moore, USC’s executive director of character and player development. Moore was Johnson’s presenter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday.
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 2:56 PM.
