Both his parents born in Illinois. His farm was bought by his grandfather when he was a kid. He's been farming there 32 years and his grandfather 10 or 15 years before him. Mike didn't spend a lot of time on the farm until after college. They raised horses and had chores involving horses at his home in Robbins, IL.
COLLEGE EDUCATION
After high school, he got a rodeo scholarship to go to school in Casper, WY at Casper Junior College. After that he went to University of Southern Colorado at Pueblo and studied physical education.
RODEO
Mike continued competing in rodeos while at Pueblo. He rode his first bull when he was 12 years old. He didn't go the full eight seconds, maybe six. Mike runs the Pembroke Rodeo, a rodeo promotion company that provides animals for rodeos. He continued rodeoing, but turned to teaching because of his mother.
NON-FARM WORK
After graduating college, Mike turned to teaching despite wanting to continue rodeoing. However, it really was a good thing, rodeo wasn't what he was supposed to be doing.
