Michael Anderson grew up in the suburbs of Washington DC. At an early age he was taught a very important lesson by his parents. The lesson was, “Demand more from yourself than anyone can ever expect of you.” He took that lesson to heart and began to excel in athletics and academics.
By the time he graduated DeMatha High School in 1985 he was another in a long list of decorated student athletes. He was an All-American running back and two-time All-Met performer, garnering the prestigious award of Offensive Player of the Year by the Washington Post after only his junior year. He played on the basketball team for 3 years, being on a National Championship team as a junior. He ran track for 2 years and was a member of a record setting 4×100 meter relay team as a senior. He was also V.P. of the National Honor Society and an Academic All-American .Mike accepted a football scholarship to the University of Maryland where his career and life were almost cut short in their prime. At the promising age of 20, he was diagnosed with Chronic Mylogeounous Leukemia and was told with no equivocation that he would never play football again and might not live to see his 21st birthday. Without question, God had different plans for Mike. Not only did he survive and return to play 2 more years of football, he also played on Maryland’s basketball team during his senior year.
The struggles he faced and the achievements he accomplished, as a result of overcoming his ordeal, were recognized through numerous awards. The Brain Piccolo Comeback Player of the Year Award for the ACC and the Ed Block Symbol of Courage Award were only a couple of the awards that he was blessed to receive.
After college, Mike was introduced to the Sports and Entertainment business by Len Elmore. His professional contributions were one of the main reasons behind the success of Precept Sports & Entertainment in the 1990’s. He recruited and managed pro athletes like Walt Williams (#7 pick in the 1992 NBA Draft), Joe Smith (#1 pick in the 1995 draft), and Randolph Childress (#20 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft) just to name a few.
Mike is a mentor to young people and truly believes that his main purpose and mission for being on this earth is to be a positive and motivating force if the lives of young people. Since he has such a passion for mentoring youth and such a broad history in athletics, it is a no-brainer for him to be intimately involved in the development of the Grassroots Youth Football League.
Mike is a graduate of the University of Maryland, with a degree in communications. He is married to the most amazing woman that God ever created, Tonya. They have a daughter Tamya who is truly an angel. They reside in Upper Marlboro, Md.