Michaels succeeds his father, Vic Michaels, the longest-serving Catholic High School League director, who passed away in 2025
DETROIT — Was Marc Michaels destined to be a Catholic League administrator? His life history and experiences seem to indicate so.
“Really, it started before I was born,” Michaels said. “I was in my mom’s stomach and was at basketball games at (Center Line) St. Clement, because my dad was a coach and athletic director and vice-principal and a history teacher.
“Before I was born, I was in the league and didn’t even know it.”
Michaels' father, Vic Michaels, was the longest-serving Catholic League director until his sudden passing last December at age 71. Mike Evoy was appointed to the league’s top administrative role in February, and now Michaels is on board to fill the vacancy as the CHSL’s new associate director.
Although Marc comes into the role having been a sales representative for Adidas for the past 20 years, his connection to and perspective on the league are unmatched.
His father ultimately left St. Clement to become the league’s associate director, serving under Tom Rashid, when Marc was a sixth-grader at St. Joan of Arc in St. Clair Shores (where he is still an active parishioner). That gave him a broader view of the CHSL, even as he became a multi-sport student-athlete at Harper Woods Notre Dame.
After graduating high school, Marc served the league as an administrative assistant for two years, during which he helped coordinate championship events and worked alongside athletic directors to create schedules – something he had done on an informal basis while in school.
“I don’t know how many total hours, but (I was) selling programs at the Prep Bowls, working at Calihan Hall,” Michaels said. “Anytime I wasn’t playing a sport, I was working at one of the events or working in the office. The office part was great too, working over Christmas break, over the summer, helping with scheduling, and talking with athletic directors, some of whom are still in the league.”
Michaels started his new role in July.
“I was with Adidas for 20 years, which is a long time for anyone to do anything. And then with any life-changing event, like what happened when my dad passed, it just kind of changed the perspective on everything,” Michaels said. “I just knew I was ready for a change. I’d loved my time at Adidas, but I was ready to do something different, and I still didn’t realize what. Then the league position just happened to open up, and it just seemed like a no-brainer to go back to my roots and follow in his footsteps.”
At first, Michaels hesitated to apply for the role, correctly sensing that comparisons to his father would be inevitable.
“I wrestled with that because I don’t want to compare myself to my dad. That’s impossible, and that would be unfair to him and to me,” Michaels said. “I know I have to make my own path, but I just felt like it was the perfect fit, hopefully for the league and definitely for myself. It’s something I really wanted to do, and would have felt like if I didn’t take the opportunity to get involved, I would have regretted it.”
Marc was asked what his dad might say had he known his son was applying for the job.
“He would have probably told me to not do it,” Marc said. “He always told me how good I had it with my previous position, and he just said the grass isn’t always greener, but he knew I was starting to think about doing something different, too. I think he would be proud, but I think he would have joked, ‘What are you thinking?’ Although I think deep down, and maybe after the joke settled, he would have been proud and told me that I was making a great decision and wished me luck.”
What has Michaels learned from his father that prepares him for his new role at the Catholic League?
“Everything, really,” he said. “Just character, loyalty, the way he could diffuse heated situations, whether it was with coaches, parents, our family. He always just seemed like he had a plan and stayed calm. If he was riled up, you didn’t see it. You might hear about it after, but he knew how to handle situations with the right temperament.
“I don’t have all of that, I have some of it in me, and that’s what I always try to think about when situations arise – when I’ve been coaching or when I’ve been at my previous job – is to try to take a breath," Michaels continued. "He never rushed into any decisions. That was the main thing I learned from him: don’t rush, take your time and make the right decision, not just the first thing that comes to mind. He could always calm down, think it through and make a decision he felt was best for everybody involved. He always had the interests of student-athlete at heart.”
Three weeks into his job, Evoy said hiring Michaels is already starting to pay dividends.
"His background and experiences speak to his character. He went through the interview process just like everyone else, and came out of it as a top candidate,” Evoy said. “He understands what some of the CHSL does, but he is going to provide a fresh perspective. He’s already asked some questions, and the outcome was, yeah, that sounds better than how we did it before. Just because I did things in a particular way doesn’t mean we always have to do it that way.”
Michaels said starting his new job on the cusp of the Catholic League’s centennial year magnifies his role even more.
“I feel like I know a pretty good amount of the history of the league from being around it for my life, but yeah, it’s pretty cool,” he said. “We were at the (CHSL) Archives last week, it was eye-opening to see some of the letters from the ‘30s and ‘40s, schools asking to be in the league, and just looking through the old standings and pictures and programs and posters. Mike (Evoy) and I talked about that, and it’s like it really tells you the responsibility we have, and what this league has been for so long.
“We’re in charge of keeping it going and keeping it growing.”
