‘I was real close to coming to Syracuse, but in the end it came down to me wanting to be my own person. … I wanted to be the first Michael Vick.’ – Michael Vick to The Daily Orange, 2000

Now didn’t SU avoid that one? That was like giving up tickets to the Titanic. You’re missing a great show, but it works out in the end.

Or does it? Virginia Tech isn’t weeping right now. They’re actually better off because Vick attended. Syracuse would be, too.

When Vick arrived in Blacksburg, Va., the football program had renowned special teams and a mascot no one could explain. When he left, they played for the national championship, had the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft and were a program with a national identity. Seven years later, Vick is fighting for his freedom – not to mention his football career – after pleading guilty to conspiracy in a dogfighting scheme. But when you think of Michael Vick, do you think Virginia Tech was wrong for taking him?

Probably not. In fact, Vick as a college player will likely be remembered as one of the most dynamic athletes to ever set foot on a campus.

And that’s the irony here. The same critics who used to wonder what would have happened if Vick succeeded Donovan McNabb behind center at Syracuse are now brushing off their shoulders, thankful they missed the Vick whirlwind. Except no one knew then what we know now. And what we know now wasn’t even relevant when Vick was a teenager.

Before letters start overflowing The Daily Orange’s mailbox, let’s be clear. This column is not defending Michael Vick. What he did was wrong and reprehensible and deplorable or whatever the word of the week has become on cable television. If you don’t think so, just flip through the channels. Chances are, you’ll hear somebody talking about Vick and the opinion will be the same as all the others.

But there’s a notion out there that Syracuse eluded some type of catastrophe by Vick passing on the Orange. That’s simply not the case. The federal indictment revealed the dogfighting started in Vick’s rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons, after Vick left Virginia Tech.

But while he was there, he managed to become one of college football’s greats.

In Vick’s two seasons at Virginia Tech, he brought the Hokies to the 2000 Sugar Bowl to compete for the national championship and the 2001 Gator Bowl. He finished his career 20-2 in games he played, and Vick left one of those losses – Nov. 4, 2000 against Miami – early with an injury. The other loss was the national championship game against Florida State. Disregard the Miami game when a sprained ankle held Vick to just 19 plays and his career totals are outstanding:

Vick completed 202 of 360 passes for 3,504 yards and 22 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,318 yards and 18 touchdowns. The Hokies outscored opponents, 893-400, in those 22 games.

Compare those numbers to Syracuse at the time. The Orangemen used two quarterbacks in 1999 – Troy Nunes and Madei Williams – and two quarterbacks in 2000 – Nunes and R.J. Anderson.

The SU quarterbacks totaled 3,761 yards with 23 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. The rushing yards didn’t even come within the same area code as Vick’s.

Perhaps the most telling of all, Syracuse was 13-10 during those two seasons. Since Vick left Virginia Tech, the Hokies are 58-22. Syracuse is 31-43. What Vick did for the Hokies was make them a national name. They were very good before Vick arrived, albeit relatively obscure. Vick changed that.

In fact, the Carrier Dome crowd has exceeded 49,000 just twice since 2000 – both in the 2000 season. One was Homecoming against Miami. The other was Vick’s lone game in Syracuse. By the way, Vick won the game for the Hokies in the final minutes by sprinting past Syracuse defenders for a 55-yard touchdown. In 2007, it could take a month for Syracuse to accumulate 55 rushing yards.

If Vick came here, fans wouldn’t have just filled up the Dome. There would have been a parade down Erie Boulevard. No. 7 could be a retired number – or better yet, a recruiting tool.

At Virginia Tech, Vick’s jersey hangs above Lane Stadium and his name is on a hall in the football facility. The school won’t remove Vick’s name from the facility in the wake of the plea. They will continue to honor his jersey.

‘He earned that when he was here, before he ever was involved in these activities,’ Virginia Tech athletic director Jim Weaver told The Roanoke Times earlier this summer.

College sports are filled with short-lived careers. You can use one hand to count the number of years a player stays, and you judge him and adore him based on what he does during those years. What happens after a player leaves campus is often for their next home to either celebrate or bemoan.

There are a lot of people who think O.J. Simpson is guilty, but few of them likely hold it against USC. Lawrence Taylor is notorious for substance abuse, yet North Carolina still has his jersey retired.

Even Syracuse icons have had off-the-field troubles, and we don’t hold it against them. Carmelo Anthony won a national championship for Syracuse basketball, and for that, he will never have to buy a drink at a Marshall Street nightspot regardless of whether he’s in a ‘Stop Snitchin” video. Derrick Coleman received a standing ovation two seasons ago when his number was retired despite a series of run-ins with the law.

This is not to equate these actions with Vick’s. What Vick did is decidedly more severe. It’s to illustrate that in college sports, there’s an out-of-sight, out-of-mind factor. What happens after an athlete leaves – good or bad – is not always an indication of what he was like when he was there.

To think Syracuse is better off because a man who was one of the greatest college football players to ever take the field committed an asinine crime after he left campus is simply illogical.

What Vick did was wrong. But Virginia Tech is better because of him.

Syracuse would be, too.

Zach Berman is the sports columnist at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear every Wednesday and other select days throughout the semester. E-mail him at zberman@syr.edu.

Published on September 11, 2007 at 12:00 pm