When Mike was ten, he and his parents were involved in a boating accident. He was rescued by his brother St John, but their parents drowned. After the death of his parents and the subsequent death of his girlfriend in a car crash, Mike grew to believe that anyone he loved was destined to die tragically. In a U.S. Army mission during the Vietnam War, Mike was separated from St. John; Mike was rescued, but St. John was not. St. John was subsequently listed as M.I.A., causing Mike to further withdraw from society. Mike had a Master's degree in applied physics and, while often hot tempered, could be pragmatic. An avid fisherman, Mike ate fish, but refused to eat red meat; he also refused to wear underwear. Mike lived in seclusion in a log cabin by Lake Hemet (outside Los Angeles) with his Bluetick Coonhound "Tet" (named after the 1968 communist Tet Offensive), where he serenaded eagles on his priceless Stradivarius cello. Mike had a remarkable collection of rare paintings, which his grandfather collected for his grandmother.

In 1982, Mike served as a test pilot for Airwolf during its development program. As he was one of several pilots to fly Airwolf, the Firm recruited him to recover Airwolf after its designer, Doctor Charles Henry Moffet, absconded with it and took it to Libya. With the assistance of Dominic Santini, Mike recovered Airwolf. Upon returning to the United States, the Firm failed to provide Mike with new information regarding St. John. In retaliation, Mike and Santini hid Airwolf, vowing not to return it until St. John was found. In return for protection from the government, Mike piloted Airwolf on national security missions for the Firm. Mike was gravely wounded by an explosion, but was carried from the hospital by his recently returned brother, St. John.