Christine Lynn Michael Sr.
(; born November 9, 1990) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
at
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
and was selected by the
Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the
2013 NFL draft.
Early life
A native of
Beaumont,
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, 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
High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
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.
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. He was also a member of the
4 × 100m (42.00) and
4 × 200m (1:28.45) relay squads.
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).
College career

Michael accepted an athletic scholarship to attend
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
, 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
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
.
Michael underwent season-ending surgery during the 2010 season due to a cracked right tibia. He compiled 631 total yards for four touchdowns.
Professional career
Seattle Seahawks (first stint)
Michael was selected in the second round (62nd overall) by the
Seattle Seahawks in the
2013 NFL draft. 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
Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2013 Denver Broncos season, Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion 2013 Seattle Seahawks season, Seattle Seahawks to ...
over the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
and made an appearance in
Super Bowl XLIX
Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...
against the
New England Patriots during that time. Michael was traded to the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
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).
Dallas Cowboys
Michael was acquired to help improve their depth at
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
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.
Washington Redskins
On November 19, 2015, Michael was signed to the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
practice squad. He was released by the team on December 15, 2015.
Seattle Seahawks (second stint)
On December 16, 2015, the Seahawks signed Michael after injuries to
Marshawn Lynch and
Thomas Rawls. In his first game back with the Seahawks, Michael rushed for a career-high 84 yards against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. Michael rushed a new career-high of 102 rushing yards, including a 45-yard run, against the
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
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
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
.
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.
Green Bay Packers
Michael was claimed off waivers by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...
on November 16, 2016.
On March 23, 2017, Michael re-signed with the Packers on a one-year deal worth $800,000. On May 1, 2017, Michael was released by the Packers after the team drafted three running backs in the
2017 NFL draft.
Indianapolis Colts
On June 1, 2017, Michael signed with the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on June 15, 2017.
On March 21, 2018, Michael re-signed with the Colts. He was released on September 24, 2018.
St. Louis BattleHawks
In October 2019, Michael was drafted by the
St. Louis BattleHawks in the
2020 XFL Draft. In March, amid the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the league announced that it would be cancelling the rest of the season. Playing in all 5 games, he had 59 rushes for 178 yards and a touchdown. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Postseason
Personal life
Michael's first name, which is unusual for a male, is pronounced KRIS-tin . 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
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
song "
A Boy Named Sue."
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.
References
External links
Texas A&M Aggies bioarchivedSeattle Seahawks bio (archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michael, Christine
1990 births
Living people
Players of American football from Beaumont, Texas
American football running backs
Texas A&M Aggies football players
Seattle Seahawks players
Dallas Cowboys players
Washington Redskins players
Green Bay Packers players
Indianapolis Colts players
St. Louis Battlehawks players