"Mike Utley was the greatest football player in the history of John F. Kennedy High School in Seattle, Washington."

- Tom Merrill, Football Coach

• 1984 Scholarship to Washington State University in Pullman, WA.
• In 1989 he led the Cougars to their most successful season since 1929 with a 9-3 record and their fourth ever post-season bowl bid, an Aloha Bowl invitation.
• The WSU Cougars won the Aloha Bowl with a win over the Houston Cougars (score 24-22).

• Coca Cola Bowl, Tokyo, Japan 1987
• Aloha Bowl 1988, Mike was MVP
• Hula Bowl 1989
• East West Shrine Game 1989

He became only the second player in WSU history to earn consensus first team All American honors.

He received this recognition from:

• American Football Coaches Association
• Football News
• Football Writers of America
• Kodak
• Scripps-Howard
• United Press International
• Voted WSU Most Valuable Player
• He was one of the 10 nominees for the Seattle Post Intelligencer's Sports Star of the Year Award

• 1989 by the Detroit Lions - 3rd pick in the third round.
  
  
• In Mike's rookie year, he became the starting right guard for the Lions. He started the first five games, but was injured in the fifth game with Minnesota. Mike was put on injured reserved for the rest of the year.
  
  
• In his second year, he fractured two ribs in the third preseason game. He was out for the last preseason game and the first three regular season games. Mike came back playing in the second half of the next two games.
  
  
• He started in the next game, but dislocated his shoulder in the 3rd quarter. He finished the season playing the 2nd half for the rest of the season.
  
  
• In his third year, Mike regained his starting position at right guard. He started every game and was the full time right guard until his injury in the Rams game on November 17, 1991.

• November 17, 1991 - fractured 6th and 7th cervical vertebrae.
• Hospitalized and had surgery at Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan.
• Started rehabilitation December 13, 1991 at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.
• April 1, 1992, moved to apartment in Denver, CO.
• April 1, 1998, moved to house on the water in Wenatchee, WA where he lives at the present time totally independent.

• December 1991 - with the help of his agent, Bruce Allen, he founded the Mike Utley Foundation.
• 1992 through 1995 - Annual Mike Utley Celebrity Golf Tournament at Desert Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ (monies raised over $200,000).
• Foundation still presently running with various fundraising events around the United States.

• March 3, 1992, Baltimore, MD - Ed Block Courage Award. This is a foundation that benefits abused children.
  
  
• September 22, 1992 - Honored at the 7th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Ballroom, benefactor of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis.
  
  
• November 13, 1992 - Recipient of the "Against All Odds" Award at the Tavern on the Green, sponsored by the American Paralysis Association that supports research to cure paralysis.
  
  
• 1992 - Judge at the ESPY Awards.
  
  
• February 1993 - Received Victory Award at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Washington, D.C.
  
  
• October 5, 1993 - Honored at 8th Annual Sports Legends Dinner.
  
  
• April 1993 - Started his first series of biofeedback at the University of Miami Medical Center in Miami, FL.
  
  
• March 1994 - "Rookie of the Year" at Purgatory-Durango Adaptive Ski Races.
  
  
• June 23, 1994 - Honored as the 1994 "Hall of Fame" Recipient at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Center, Allentown, PA.
  
  
• August 4, 1994 - Guest on Jim Rome's one hour sports talk show ESPN.
  
  
• August 15, 1994 - Guest of honor at 6th Annual John VanBiesbrouck Celebrity Golf & Tennis Tournament, Westchester, CC.
  
  
• October 4, 1994 - Honored at 9th Annual Sports Legends Dinner.
  
  
• October 5, 1994 - Guest on ABC's "Good Morning America".
  
  
• October 30, 1994 - Featured on ESPN's "Portraits of Courage".
  
  
• October 8, 1995 - Mike tosses coin - Lions vs. Browns game in Detroit.
  
  
• November 23, 1995 - Featured on Inside the NFL "Where Are They Now?"
  
  
• December 28, 1995 - Featured on ESPN's Up Close with Chris Meyers.
  
  
• January 21, 1996 - Selected as an honorary member of the All-Madden Team.
  
  
• January 26, 1996 - Featured on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.
  
  
• May 14, 1996 - Featured on American Journal.
  
  
• August 13, 1996 - Featured on the Sports cover of USA Today.
  
  
• September, 1996 - Featured on American Journal for a second time.
  
  
• November 11, 1996 - Interviewed by Leslie Visser for ESPN's pre-game show.
  
  
• March 24, 1997 - Selected as recipient of the prestigious Gene Autry Courage Award.
  
  
• October 1997 - Featured on NFL Films in the Grand Cayman Islands, scuba diving.
  
  
• August 1997 - Featured at home in Washington for Fox television.
  
  
• December 1997 - Received Detroit Lions Spirit Award, which is now called (The Mike Utley Spirit Award).
  
  
• February 15, 1999 - Mike takes his first steps in Phoenix, AZ.
  
  
• March 1999 - Grand Marshal for the Winter Special Olympics in Washington.
  
  
• March 1999 - Recipient of the Ed Block Alumni Courage Award.
  
  
• September 1999 - The Discover Channel produces segment on Mike's lifestyle.
  
  
• 2000-Current - Mentor for People Magazine to help troubled kids.
  
  
• January 2000 - Mike films a virtual reality tour for the GM International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan.
  
• March 2000 - Received the 22nd Annual Ed Block Courage Alumni Award.
  
  
• May 2000 - Mike Utley/NFL Alumni Celebrity Golf Classic at Scottsdale, Arizona TPC Stadium Course.
  
  
• July 2000 - Mike Utley 1st Annual Thumbs Up Bike Tour in Michigan.
  
  
• March 2001 - Mike is a guest on the Mitch Album Show.
  
  
• March 2001 - Ford Diversity Conference in Detroit, Michigan.
  
  
• July 2001 - Mike Utley 2nd Annual Thumbs Up Bike Tour in Detroit, Michigan.
  
  
• October 2001 - Monday Night Countdown on ESPN.
  
  
• August 2002 - Mike Utley 3rd Annual Thumbs Up Bike Tour in Detroit, Michigan.
  
  
• September 11, 2002 - Nominated as the Everyday Hero of Douglas County for the State of Washington.
  
  
• May 2003 - Recipient of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Courage Award.
  
  
• September 2003 - 1st Annual DAM2DAM Thumbs Up Bike Tour in East Wenatchee, Washington.
  
  
• December 2003 - The 5th Annual Thumbs Up Fantasy Fireworks Show in Orondo, Washington.
  
  
• February 2004 - Inducted into the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
  
  
• February 2004 - Recipient of the Shoemaker Award presented by the Paralysis Project of America.
  
  
• September 2004 - 2nd Annual DAM2DAM Thumbs Up Bike Tour in East Wenatchee, Washington.
  
  
• September 2005 - 3rd Annual DAM2DAM Thumbs Up Bike Tour in East Wenatchee, Washington.
  
  
• October 15, 2005 - In a one-of-a-kind biography, Fearless examines the life of Mike Utley, both before and after a tragic accident on the playing field that resulted in a broken neck and severe spinal cord injury that doctors said would leave him paralyzed from the mid-chest down for the rest of his life.
  
  
• October 27, 2005 - "Mike Utley – Still Giving Thumbs Up" article by Luke Sacks, NFLPLAYERS.COM. Former Lions guard Mike Utley's thumbs-up gesture after his spinal injury in 1991 became a symbol of courage, and he's now helping others with spinal cord injuries get the resources they need.

• September 2006 - 4th Annual DAM2DAM Thumbs Up Bike Tour in East Wenatchee, Washington.

• September 2007 - 5th Annual DAM2DAM Thumbs Up Bike Tour in East Wenatchee, Washington.
  
  

Mike continues to be more active than your average person. Some of his activities include: skiing, skydiving, kayaking, scuba diving, boating, seadooing, handcycling and, waterskiing.