FACTBOX: Disgraced U.S. football star Michael Vick

(Reuters) - Disgraced U.S. football star Michael Vick was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday to 23 months in prison for his role in a dogfighting conspiracy.

Here are some facts about Vick:

* The 23-month sentence was higher than expected. Vick faced up to five years but prosecutors had requested between 12 and 18 months.

* After Vick pleaded guilty in August, the National Football League suspended him without pay indefinitely.

* Vick, reared in a public housing project in Newport News, Virginia, was a stand-out high school football player who attended Virginia Tech, where he led the Hokies to a 20-1 record over two seasons before entering the NFL draft.

* Vick, 27, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He was the first African-American quarterback taken with the first choice.

* He signed a 10-year, $130 million contract with the Falcons in 2004 and has made more than $61 million in his six NFL seasons.

* With breakaway running speed and a powerful passing arm, he was selected to the NFL's all-star Pro Bowl three times.

* A federal grand jury indicted Vick and three other men on July 17 for involvement in interstate dog-fighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" from early 2001 through April 2007. Vick pleaded guilty after his co-defendants agreed to testify against him.

* Vick, who lost lucrative endorsement contracts with companies like Nike Inc after his guilty plea, has been in financial trouble, according to court documents.

* Vick turned himself in to U.S. marshals in November to begin serving the federal sentence three weeks early.

* He will stand trial next April 2 on separate state charges of involvement in dogfighting.

(Writing by Paul Grant and Deborah Charles, editing by Philip Barbara and Jackie Frank; Washington Editorial Reference Unit)