Michael’s Willamette football career came to an end as a first-year player in the fifth game of the 1974 football season when an in-game injury left him paralyzed. After initially picking up the sport of table tennis, Michael went on to compete as a Paralympic athlete in the sport of air rifle after joining the U.S. national team in 1984. He was the United States Champion in 1985, 1986, and 1987, placed third at the 1985 World Championships in Germany, and placed second at the 1986 Pan American Games. In 1988, Michael competed at the Paralympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, and finished seventh, eighth, and ninth in the three events in which he participated.  After finishing his competitive career, Michael turned his focus toward being an advocate for people with disabilities.