Christine Lynn Michael Sr.[1] (/ˈkrɪstɪn/; born November 9, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Christine Michael
refer to caption
Michael with the Seattle Seahawks in 2015
No. 33, 30, 32, 38
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1990-11-09) November 9, 1990 (age 34)
Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:West Brook (Beaumont, Texas)
College:Texas A&M (2009–2012)
NFL draft:2013 / round: 2 / pick: 62
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,089
Rushing average:4.3
Rushing touchdowns:7
Receptions:26
Receiving yards:135
Receiving touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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A native of Beaumont, Texas, Michael attended West Brook Senior High School in Beaumont and played high school football for the West Brook Bruins. He rushed for 4,234 yards on 501 carries. He was also named the District 21-5A Offensive MVP as a junior in 2007. He won the 2009 Walter Payton Trophy for the best high school football athlete. He participated in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl and was a finalist for the 2008 Hall Trophy for the best player in the nation.[2]

Michael was also on the West Brook Senior High School track team, where he competed as a sprinter. He was timed at 11.02 seconds in the 100 meters as a junior.[3] He was also a member of the 4 × 100m (42.00) and 4 × 200m (1:28.45) relay squads.[4]

Considered a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Michael was listed the third best running back prospect in the nation (behind Hall Trophy winner and fellow US Army All-American Bryce Brown and Alabama's Trent Richardson).[5]

College career

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Michael with Texas A&M in 2011

Michael accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Texas A&M University, where he played for the Texas A&M Aggies football team from 2009 to 2012. In 2009, after posting 844 total rushing yards on 166 carries, Michael received Offensive Freshman of the Year honors from the Big 12 Conference.[6]

Michael underwent season-ending surgery during the 2010 season due to a cracked right tibia. He compiled 631 total yards for four touchdowns.[7]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
5 ft 10 in
(1.78 m)
220 lb
(100 kg)
31+12 in
(0.80 m)
9+38 in
(0.24 m)
4.54 s 1.49 s 2.51 s 4.02 s 6.69 s 43 in
(1.09 m)
10 ft 5 in
(3.18 m)
27 reps 11[8]
All values from NFL Combine[9]

Seattle Seahawks (first stint)

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Michael was selected in the second round (62nd overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2013 NFL draft.[10] During his first two seasons, Michael saw limited action as the third running back behind Pro-Bowl veteran Marshawn Lynch and backup Robert Turbin. The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos and made an appearance in Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots during that time. Michael was traded to the Dallas Cowboys on September 6, 2015, after the Seahawks signed veteran Fred Jackson. In exchange for Michael, the Seahawks received a conditional seventh-round draft pick (number 225, Devin Lucien).[11]

Dallas Cowboys

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Michael was acquired to help improve their depth at running back with the departure of DeMarco Murray via free agency. After being inactive the first three weeks, it was rumored during the Cowboys bye week that the coaching staff would possibly name him the starter. Instead Michael played in five games as a backup. On November 17, 2015, he was waived to make room for former Seahawks teammate Robert Turbin.[12]

Washington Redskins

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On November 19, 2015, Michael was signed to the Washington Redskins practice squad. He was released by the team on December 15, 2015.[13]

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

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On December 16, 2015, the Seahawks signed Michael after injuries to Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls.[14] In his first game back with the Seahawks, Michael rushed for a career-high 84 yards against the Cleveland Browns. Michael rushed a new career-high of 102 rushing yards, including a 45-yard run, against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks later.

Michael received his first start in a playoff game in Seattle's Wild Card match up against the Minnesota Vikings and finished the 10–9 victory with 70 rushing yards and 14 receiving yards.

On March 17, 2016, Michael signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Seahawks.

In Week 3 of the 2016 season, Michael had a then career game after rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.[15]

On November 15, 2016, the Seahawks released Michael, despite being their starting running back for seven games and leading the team in rushing yards and attempts. After much speculation, head coach Pete Carroll cited that his release was due to the return of Thomas Rawls and the emergence of rookie running back C. J. Prosise alongside Michael's significant reduction in effectiveness on the field.[16]

Green Bay Packers

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Michael was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers on November 16, 2016.[17]

On March 23, 2017, Michael re-signed with the Packers on a one-year deal worth $800,000.[18] On May 1, 2017, Michael was released by the Packers after the team drafted three running backs in the 2017 NFL draft.[19]

Indianapolis Colts

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On June 1, 2017, Michael signed with the Indianapolis Colts.[20] He was placed on injured reserve on June 15, 2017.[21]

On March 21, 2018, Michael re-signed with the Colts.[22] He was released on September 24, 2018.[23]

St. Louis BattleHawks

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In October 2019, Michael was drafted by the St. Louis BattleHawks in the 2020 XFL Draft.[24] In March, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season.[25] Playing in all 5 games, he had 59 rushes for 178 yards and a touchdown.[26] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[27]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Season Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2013 SEA 4 0 18 79 4.4 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2014 SEA 10 0 34 175 5.1 45 0 1 12 12.0 12 0 1 0
2015 DAL/SEA 8 2 54 243 4.5 45 0 3 16 5.3 11 0 0 0
2016 SEA/GB 15 7 148 583 3.9 42 7 22 107 4.9 13 1 2 1
2018 IND 1 0 2 9 4.5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 38 9 256 1,089 4.3 45 7 26 135 5.2 13 1 3 1
Source: NFL.com

Postseason

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Season Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2015 SEA 2 1 21 70 3.3 13 0 1 14 14.0 14 0 0 0
2016 GB 3 0 16 58 3.6 10 0 1 3 3.0 3 0 0 0
Total 5 1 37 128 3.5 13 0 2 17 8.5 14 0 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Personal life

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Michael's first name, which is unusual for a male, is pronounced KRIS-tin /ˈkrɪstɪn/.[28] His mother told him she wanted her first child to be a girl, so she chose the name before she knew the baby's gender; she likened the name to the character in the Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue."[29] In May 2016, he fathered a son named Christine Michael, Jr. and has since started wearing "Michael Sr." on the back of his practice and game jerseys.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Thompson, Elaine (August 19, 2016). "Why is Christine Michael a changed running back? He's a changed, matured man". Tacoma News Tribune. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
  2. ^ "West Brook's Christine Michael has shot at Army honor". Houston Chronicle. November 12, 2008. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  3. ^ "NFL Draft 2013 Multi-Sport Breakdown". footballtalentadvisors.com. April 28, 2013. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  4. ^ "Christine Michael". trackingfootball.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  5. ^ "Rivals.com running backs 2009". 2009 Prospect Rankings. Rivals.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  6. ^ "2009 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced". Big12Sports.com. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  7. ^ Burch, Jimmy. "Big 12 Insider: Early success of Texas A&M's Tannehill no fluke". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  8. ^ "Historical NFL Wonderlic Scores". wonderlictestsample.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  9. ^ "Christine Michael NFL Combine Results". NFL.com. June 10, 2015.
  10. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  11. ^ Patra, Kevin (September 6, 2015). "Seahawks trade RB Christine Michael to Cowboys". NFL.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  12. ^ Bergman, Jeremy (November 17, 2015). "Christine Michael released by Dallas Cowboys". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  13. ^ Tesfatsion, Master (December 15, 2015). "Redskins waive injured Trenton Robinson, release Christine Michael from practice squad". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  14. ^ Tesfatsion, Master (December 16, 2016). "Seattle Seahawks re-sign Christine Michael to add depth at running back position". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  15. ^ "Seahawks re-sign RB Christine Michael". Seattle Seahawks. Archived from the original on March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  16. ^ Patra, Kevin (November 16, 2016). "Packers claim Christine Michael off waivers;why was he waived?". NFL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  17. ^ "Packers claim RB Christine Michael". Packers.com. November 16, 2016. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  18. ^ "Packers re-sign Michael". packers.com. March 23, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  19. ^ "Packers release two running backs". Packers.com. May 1, 2017. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  20. ^ "Indianapolis Colts Make Roster Moves". Blogs.Colts.com. June 1, 2017. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  21. ^ "Colts Place Running Back Christine Michael On Injured Reserve". Colts.com. June 15, 2017. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017.
  22. ^ "Colts Re-Sign Veteran Running Back Christine Michael". Colt.com. March 21, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  23. ^ "Roster Moves: Colts Claim CB Arthur Maulet Off Waivers; Release RB Christine Michael". Colts.com. September 24, 2018.
  24. ^ Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  25. ^ "XFL Injured Reserve". XFL.com. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  26. ^ "XFL Christine Michael stats". XFL.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  27. ^ Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  28. ^ "Current and Former Player Name Pronunciation Guide". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  29. ^ Zwerneman, Brent (September 7, 2009). "It's easy for a boy named 'Christine'". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
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