Mike Quick

 

If the 1983 NFL draft was the Year of the Quarterback with Hall of Famers John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino going in the first round, the previous year was decidedly NOT the year of the wide receiver. The first three receivers of the 1982 NFL draft included such forgettable names as Anthony Hancock (11th), Lindsay Scott (13th) and Perry Tuttle (19th). 

However, the 1982 draft was definitely the year for one  wide receiver since the 4th receiver and 20th pick that year was Mike Quick, a 6'2" 190 pounder out of NC State selected by Philadelphia Eagles.  

 

The Eagles had actually targeted Tuttle, who had run a 4.4 in the 40 (to Quick's 4.6). However, Buffalo traded up and chose Tuttle right before the Eagles. Fortunately for Philadelphia , Lynn Stiles, executive director of player personnel had scouted Quick:   "We had a highlight film of him and most of it was blocking," Stiles says. "I liked his toughness and ability to go into a crowd. On the basis of what I'd seen, I called him the most competitive and sure-handed receiver in the draft."

 

Following the strike-shortened 1982 season Quick set team records in 1983 with 69 catches and 1,409 yards to go along with 13 touchdowns. While leading the league in receiving yards Quick earned his first trip to the Pro Bowl.

 

Michael “Mike” Anthony Quick was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, the youngest boy among nine siblings. Then and now, his close-knit, spiritual family under the loving and steadfast guidance of his mother, Mary, inspired and motivated him to succeed as an athlete, community leader, businessman, friend and most important, son, brother, and father to his twin sons

A gifted athlete from an early age, Quick’s first experience on the football field was with Hamlet’s youth league, where coach Clyde Norton, helped lay a foundation for his future success both on the field and in life.

Quick excelled at football, basketball and track and was among the distinguished seniors to graduate from Richmond Senior High School in Richmond County, NC. He was a member of the state champion 4 X 400 relay team and, at age 18, a world-class hurdler. Quick led his basketball team and conference in points that same year and intended to play basketball in college. Recognizing his talent and potential to succeed athletically and academically at a Division I college, Quick’s high school football and track coach, Ron Kroll, encouraged him to attend Fork Union Military Academy before going onto college. Quick recalls that Coach Kroll often said, “Son, you don’t even know how good you are.”

 

At Fork Union, Quick learned discipline as well as good study habits and continued to excel in athletics. He was named most valuable athlete and earned a football scholarship to North Carolina State, where he majored in speech communications.

Initially used primarily as a blocker, by the time he graduated, Quick was the leading receiver in Wolfpack history. He was offensive MVP of the Blue-Gray Game and played in the Olympia Gold Bowl, leading to that 1982 first round draft selection by the Eagles.

 

Quick’s 1983 breakout was the start of 5 straight seasons in which he lead the Eagles in receiving yards and touchdowns while earning Pro Bowl honors every year. He was among the NFL’s top 10 in receiving touchdowns in each of those years as well.

 

"He stretches the zones with his deep routes. Even when he's not the primary receiver, he helps the others by creating more of an area for them to work in, said Eagles Quarterback Ron Jaworski. This ability led to one of Quick's most memorable plays. On November 10, 1985 he caught a 99-yard touchdown pass from Ron Jaworski to beat the Falcons in overtime at Veterans Stadium. The pass play stands as the longest in team history.

 

Quick’s 5-year run as one of top receivers in the game ended with a broken right leg in October 1988 when he missed eight games and finished with just 22 catches. After catching just 22 receptions in 1989 and 1990 combined, Quick retired as a result of severe patellar tendonitis.

 

Since arriving in 1982, Mike Quick has been a fixture in the Delaware Valley, raising a family and working in numerous business ventures. An avid golfer, Quick also enjoys drawing - both expressions of his exceptional talent, eye-hand coordination and creativity. He also gives unselfishly of his time to the community, serving on the board of directors of Philadelphia Big Brothers Big Sisters and on the board of trustees for Archway Programs Foundation, which serves children and adults with special needs in Southern New Jersey.

 

Today’s latest generation of Eagles fans, too young to remember him dominating NFL defensive backs, know Mike Quick from his color commentary on Eagles radio broadcasts. Teamed with fellow Philly Sports Hall of Famer Merrill Reese, Quick provides a keen player’s insight to the nuances of the game, a perfect complement to Reese’s patented play-by-play calls

 

Mike is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and the Eagles Honor roll.