ECU Athletics Mourns Loss of Hall of Fame Member
March 23, 2005 | General
Tom Michel, a Pirate football letterman from 1960 to 1963 and a 1978 inductee into the East Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, passed away Monday, March 21.
Considered one of the greatest backs to ever play football at East Carolina, Michel is also credited with being the first player to score a touchdown in Ficklen Stadium.
A four-year fullback under Jack Boone and Clarence Stasavich, Michel averaged 5.7 yards per carry and was the first East Carolina fullback to play in the National Football League, serving four clubs from 1964-68.
In 1963, Michel led the team in rushing, scoring and total offense which earned him all-state honors and a nomination for the Little All-America team. Late in the 1963 campaign, he helped the Pirates to a 27-6 win over Northeastern in the Eastern Bowl in Allentown, Pa., earning outstanding back honors in for his performance in the contest.
Michel was also a member of the track and field team from 1960-62. In 1962, he won five medals at the NAIA National Championships.
He was inducted into the ECU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978 along with Jim Johnson and Jim Mallory.
OBITUARY
The Greenville Daily Reflector, Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Mr. William Thomas Michel, 64, died Monday, March 21, 2005. A private family service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the East Carolina University Educational Foundation, 304 Ward Sports Medicine Building, Greenville, NC 27858; or the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 1131, Fairfax, VA 22038-1131. Arrangements by Wilkerson Funeral Home & Crematory, Greenville.
