“We Had The Motorola Two Way Pagers … Used to Blow Up All Night Long”: Alge Crumpler Recalls The Michael Vick Experience With Atlanta Falcons

Former Atlanta Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler was one of Michael Vick‘s favorite targets during his seven years with the organization. Crumpler was drafted in 2001, the same year Vick crashed the NFL season as a dynamic dual-threat rookie, the likes of which we had never seen. 

Crumpler appeared on The Shadow League “Locker Room” to discuss his firsthand experience as someone who was close to the quarterback and has seen his life transformation up close, dating back to his rookie season, through his dogfighting scandal, to his current position as a pride of the Virginia community and first-year head coach of the Norfolk State football team.

Alge Crumpler Recalls Early Days Of Michael Vick’s Atlanta Falcons Career

The early Vick days, says Crumpler, were special times. Crumpler came out of North Carolina with the ability to catch more passes than he did in college, and says he connected himself to Vick’s hip as soon as he got to the ATL. Urging the rookie early on in his career to rely on him in the passing game. 

“He [Mike Vick] was the first pick in the 2001 draft, and I was the second-round draft pick. We were the 1-2 punch coming in. I got cursed out every day in practice because me and Mike were just killing it on the scout team. I didn’t care what the cards said, I was like, ‘Mike throw me the ball.'” 

Crumpler continued: “I didn’t catch a lot of balls in college, and I felt like I had the skill set to blossom once I got to the National Football League and I took practice seriously and completed hard in practice. I wanted to make sure I was a dog out there. Catching the ball and tearing people up every day in practice and it got to the point where they finally put me on the field after a couple of years and my career blossomed. 

Crumpler quickly became a go-to target for the dynamic rookie. In total, Crumpler had 223 catches for 2,944 yards and scored 25 touchdowns in 73 games with Vick, who was recently inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his brilliance at Virginia Tech. 

Crumpler remembers how Vick’s presence hit Atlanta with the force of a meteorite striking the earth.  

“He was one of the most electric players in college football history,” Crumpler said. ”He started in Atlanta as a rock star and the city was excited.”

Arthur Blank Bought More Than Just The Atlanta Falcons Football Team

Current owner Arthur Blank hadn’t purchased the team yet or started transforming the stadium experience into one of the best in pro football. The one thing he had coming in was that fans had already brought into the “Michael Vick Experience” and wanted to be a permanent part of it. 

When Blank, co-founder of Home Depot, purchased the Falcons in 2002 for $545 million, he was also investing in an exploding culture and the rise of Atlanta as the new beacon of Black fashion, athletics and entertainment. 

Many Black New Yorkers had been re-locating down to Atlanta en masse since the ’90s due to its favorable cost of living and overall quality of life. The music scene exploded, blessing us with artists such as Ludacris, Usher, TLC, Outkast and Jermaine Dupri’s “So So Def” label.

The Hawks had talent, and the Braves were perennial contenders who couldn’t achieve championship status more than once. The Falcons had cultural appeal with Deion, Andre Rison and the Dirty Bird, but it wasn’t until Michael Vick arrived on the scene in 2001 that eyes really shifted to the ATL. 

Vick quickly become a fan favorite across the nation, eventually signing deals with Nike and EA Sports; the Madden 2004 game, which featured him as the cover image, showcased his talents, basically making him unstoppable and banning the Falcons from being used in many households during Madden matches.

Michael Vick Was A Rock Star at Height Of Fame

“Even when I tried to hang out in Atlanta I had to wait for Mike to come to get in (the clubs),” said Crumpler “Cause they didn’t know who Alge Crumpler was. He was a rock star.”

Crumpler recalls life as a Falcons player with Vick at the height of his fame Everybody from the groupies to the fans to the local high rollers wanted a piece of Vick Mania.    

“It was fun, we were roommates on the road,: Crumpler recalls. “Back in the day we had the Motorola two-way pagers, and that thing used to blow up all night long. I was the one waking up and he (Vick) would sleep right through it.” 

Vick had a taste for the nightlife and was welcoming to fans and friends, but Crumpler also added that he was always locked in when it was time to hit the field. 

“Mike had a great heart, everybody wanted to be around Mike and the Falcons when he was playing,” Crumpler added. “But when we got to practice, he was locked in — that’s how the Michael Vick experience started.”

Atlanta was an NFL show stopper back then and when the team started having success on the field, Crumpler says it took things to another level.   

“When we got going it was fun,” the former Falcons tight end said. “The city was electric and we made it to the NFC Championship Game.” 

Michael Vick Has A Stronger Foundation In Norfolk Than Coach Prime Did In Jackson

Deion Sanders started the wave of former NFL greats taking over HBCU football programs. Eddie George followed, Ed Reed had the same intentions, and now Vick is taking over a 4-8 college program in his home state. 

While Vick hopes to have the same success as Coach Prime, Crumpler says he’s already in a better position when it comes to recruiting and culture-building. Being a hometown legend already secures Vick the community support he will need.  

“Prime went to Jackson State, Mississippi,” Crumpler said, “and he had to bring everybody to him at Jackson State. 

RELATED: “I Wish I Had A Father Figure “ | Mike Vick Reveals That Dogfighting Was Addictive But Some Strong Male Guidance Might Have Saved Him

“Mike is going home to the perfect place.  The community is going to surround themselves around Mike and try to build up Norfolk State to make sure he has the thing he needs to build up that organization. … Mike can teach his kids how to deal with adversity.”

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