College Triumphs
John Michels was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and rose to prominence as a standout guard for the University of Tennessee’s football team, the Tennessee Vols.
During the 1951 season he helped the Vols finish a perfect 10‑0 regular campaign, securing the program’s first consensus national championship.
That year the Vols amassed 3,068 rushing yards, averaging 306.8 per game, and scored 40 rushing touchdowns; Michels was credited with blocking three defenders on Hank Lauricella’s 75‑yard run against Texas in the Cotton Bowl, a play that helped seal a 20‑14 victory.
Honors and Legacy
His performance earned him First‑Team All‑SEC honors, a Jacobs Trophy as the conference’s top blocker, and a consensus All‑American selection, and he later made the all‑time Cotton Bowl team.
From Service to the NFL
After college Michels played professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles and then served in the U.S. Army from 1954 to 1956, rising to the rank of lieutenant before launching his coaching career.
He spent a single season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League before joining the Minnesota Vikings, where he remained for 27 years as an assistant coach, eventually becoming the franchise’s longest‑tenured assistant.
A Coaching Legend
During his tenure with the Vikings he contributed to four Super Bowl appearances and eight divisional playoff runs, while also coaching the offensive line and, for one season, the running backs.
Michels was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Tennessee Athletics Hall of Fame, and he passed away in Kingsport, Tennessee, on January 10, 2019, at the age of 87.