Michael Vick and Norfolk State could potentially finish their season with one win, but attendance numbers tell a completely different story. Despite raising season-ticket prices by 82 percent,changing the Homecoming ticketing system, and enduring the program’s worst on-field results since 2015, the Spartans posted one of their strongest attendance years of the past decade.
The reason is simple: Michael Vick’s arrival changed everything.
Comparing Homecoming Crowds: 2025 vs. 2023
Homecoming is Norfolk State’s biggest annual measurement of fan engagement. And under Vick, the jump was significant.
2025 Homecoming (South Carolina State)
47,273 fans
2023 Homecoming (Morgan State)
24,960 fans
That’s an increase of +22,313, nearly doubling the previous Homecoming turnout.
But there’s crucial context
In 2025, Norfolk State implemented a new ticketing policy requiring all campus participants— alumni, vendors, tailgaters, and general spectators—to have a valid game ticket to access the Homecoming footprint…