Former Steelers LB Joins Michael Vick at Norfolk State
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Terence Garvin has been named the defensive coordinator at Norfolk State. He reunites with former Steelers teammate Michael Vick, who was named the head coach at Norfolk State last month.
Garvin, who played his college ball at West Virginia, played for the Steelers from 2013 to 2015. He predominately was a special teams player. His most noteworthy play was when he threw a crushing block on Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber on an Antonio Brown’s 67-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Garvin was fined $25,000 for the block, which broke Huber’s jaw, along with a cracked vertebrae.
After his three-year tenure with the Steelers, Garvin had stints with the San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, and Seattle Seahawks before playing in the AAF and XFL in 2019 and 2020.
In 2022, Garvin was hired by Florida Memorial University as the team’s linebackers coach, defensive run-game coordinator and assistant special teams coordinator. Garvin was promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2023. Florida Memorial University is an NAIA school Miami Gardens, Florida.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin gave fellow 757 native Michael Vick a ringing endorsement on his new adventure as the head coach of the Norfolk State football program.
Vick played under Tomlin in Pittsburgh for one season in 2015. The two have also known each other for a longtime due to both being from the Newport News/Hampton area in Virginia.
“I am so excited for Mike Vick, and I am so excited for Norfolk State and the 757 community as a whole,” Tomlin said in a statement, via Norfolk State’s football account on X. “I’m highly familiar with the circumstances, I’m highly familiar, obviously, with Mike as a man. I just think you got a guy who cares about people, a quality human being, and a guy who certainly cares about that community, and so what better leader to put into that circumstance? I’m rooting for that group and can’t wait to see the exciting work that happens with Norfolk State football.”
RELATED: Mike Tomlin Wishes Former Steelers QB Well on New Coaching Position
The job is the first professional coaching gig at any level for Vick, who hasn’t played in the NFL since his 2015 season with the Steelers.
Vick had been rumored to be a candidate for multiple college football head coaching jobs prior to this announcement. The Virginia native will get his first official coaching opportunity in his home state.
“I am blessed and humbled by this opportunity to lead, mentor, and transform the football program at Norfolk State University,” Vick said in a statement posted to social media. “A prestigious HBCU with a rich athletics history, NSU provides a tremendous environment for students to reach their full potential on the field and just as importantly, in the classroom. I am honored to join the Norfolk State family and welcome your support as we embark on this journey together.”
The former first-overall pick in the 2001 draft last played for the Steelers in 2015 before officially retiring in 2017. In his lone season, he stepped in for an injured Ben Roethlisberger in five games.
Prior to his Pittsburgh tenure, Vick spent his first six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. His career took a turn when he was convicted in a dog-fighting ring and served two years in prison. He eventually found an opportunity with the Philadelphia Eagles and eventually take the starting job in 2010. After Philly, he spent a year with the New York Jets.
In four career starts against the Steelers, Vick posted a 2-1-1 record including two memorable showdowns in 2002 and 2006.
RELATED: Former Steelers QB Michael Vick Lands Head Coaching Job
Jobe Morrison contributed to this story.
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