On Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, two former Eagles stars and teammates, Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, took the field again to play a game, only this time as opponents and rookie head coaches.
This season, Vick and Jackson took the reins at Norfolk State and Delaware State, respectively, as the latest former NFL players to become head coaches at HBCU programs, a list that includes Tyrone Wheatley (Morgan State), Deion Sanders (Jackson State) and Eddie George and Reggie Barlow (both at Tennessee State).
While neither had previous coaching experience, the opportunities for all parties involved were too great to pass up. That was obvious on Thursday night as a reported 47,266 people showed up to watch the teams, led by the cultural icons, clash in a MEAC battle.
The game had its share of exciting moments.
Spartans QB Otto Kuhns had 311 yards passing with 3 TDs, including a 70-yard bomb to receiver J.J. Evans, who shredded the Hornets for 124 yards receiving and 2 TDs. He was joined by fellow receiver DreSean Kendrick, who had 9 catches for 112 yards and 1 TD.
But the Hornets controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 201 yards to the Spartans 51; the former including a game-clinching, 76-yard 4Q TD run by running back James Jones.
In the end, Jackson and the Hornets prevailed 27-20, pushing their record to 6-3, an impressive feat when you consider the team went a combined 2-21 over the last two seasons.
For Vick and the Spartans, the defeat dropped them to 1-8, which includes a 7 game losing streak.
So while things look bright for Jackson and Vick has work to do, their battle was about much more than a score or a record.
It was a moment of reflection and celebration.
Here were two former teammates reuniting for a game on the field that held great significance for them.
It’s the home field of the team that drafted Jackson with the 49th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, bringing him from the West Coast to the East coast and under the guidance of future Hall of Fame coach, Andy Reid.
It’s where he torched opposing secondaries and became a 3x Pro Bowler while amassing 6,512 receiving yards and 35 TDs over six years.
For Vick, it was where he received his second chance after being imprisoned over the infamous dog fighting case and missing two consecutive seasons in 2007 and 2008.
It’s where he stepped on the field to be serenaded with both hate and love. It was the city where he threw for 9,984 yards and 57 TDs and where he became a Pro Bowler again.
It’s the field where both men threw and caught passes to and from each other, and where they both received their shots from the same legendary, Super Bowl winning head coach.
And it’s also where, after retiring from the league and moving on to different careers, Vick in broadcasting and Jackson in coaching at the high school level, both former teammates reunited as rookies in a new journey in college coaching.
For the respective programs, schools, students, alums, fans and HBCU football in general, it was a win and a chance to share in the game’s significance, particularly after the game when the two coaches, former teammates and new faces in HBCU football met in an emotional embrace captured by dozens of cameras.
So although one team won and the other lost, Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia between HBCU programs and MEAC competitors was about much more than the score.
It was why people like current/former Eagles’ players Brandon Graham and Hugh Douglas showed up.
And for those who saw and felt the moment between Jackson and Vick, you understand it.
Most importantly, you felt it.
