NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- There was no wide screen television at the Hampton
Roads Boys & Girls Club -- just two small TVs on carts, in front of several rows
of folding metal chairs.
But the cheers of about 50 people -- mostly kids -- still filled the gym as
they yelled "Go Michael!" and "Yes, yes, yes!" when Michael Vick was
selected as the top pick in Saturday's NFL Draft.
One of their own from Newport News' tough East End had made it big.
"It's wonderful, wonderful," said Johnny Woods, 21, who said he went to
Warwick High School with Vick. "He worked hard for that. He should have been
No. 1. He has the talent, why not get paid for it?"
Tyrone Williams, who helped coach Vick in youth football, said the Vick's
family will be helped greatly by the money he stands to make from the Atlanta
Falcons.
"They went from nothing to all of a sudden -- boom! -- they have everything
they could want," said Williams, who lived next door to the family when the
former Virginia Tech quarterback was growing up.
The Hampton Roads Boys & Girls Club holds special significance for Vick, who
spent a lot of time there growing up. In January, he chose the youth center as
the site of his news conference announcing that he would pass on his last two
years of college eligibility and enter the draft.
James "Poo" Johnson, a longtime family friend and executive director of
the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Hampton Roads, Inc., has known Vick since the
player was 8. He said Vick was a good kid with a lot of energy who especially
enjoyed fishing.
Johnson said Vick made the right decision by turning pro.
"How many times does a youngster have the opportunity to come into money
like this and take care of his family?" Johnson said. "If I had a daughter
who was a sophomore at Virginia Tech and Bill Gates offered her $30 million to
work for him, I'd go down there and help her pack."
Johnson said he also thinks Vick, who recently donated an autographed
football to raise money for the center, has the capacity to go back to school
and fulfill his degree requirements.
Many of the kids watching the draft at the youth center -- which Vick still
visits often -- look up to Vick as a hometown hero and a role model.
"Michael Vick is my favorite football player," said Antonio Hudson, 12.
"He throws real good, and he's a good quarterback."
"He inspired me to push harder in football," said 14-year-old linebacker
Dakota Johnson, Hudson's cousin.
AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service
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