Michael “Mo” Charles after graduating from Lamar Fleming Jr. High School in 1976 he fulfilled a lifelong dream of attending Kashmere High School and play football, following the career of his brother Russel and cousin Randy Charles. Mike was one of a selected few players who made the varsity team as sophomore’s under the tutelage of Coach Johnny B. Felder. In 1978, he was named to First-Team All-District & All-City. He also led the Houston Independent School District in scoring as a junior. Mike was selected as a Blue-chipper by the legendary Dave Campbell of Texas Football Magazine. He was selected as one of the Top 100 High School Football Players in the country by 247Sports. In 1979, he repeated as a First-Team All-District & All-City student-athlete. His senior season was capped off by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHS/ACA) naming him to their 1978 Prep All-American Football Squad. His senior classmates selected him “Most Popular” and “Most Athletic” Male in 1979.
Michael received numerous scholarship offers but decided to attend Southern Methodist University where he joined former Rams; Anthony Smith, Lee Spivey, Harvey Armstrong, Eric Ferguson, Stanley Godine, Gary Smith, and Donald Pettaway (deceased). Michael was part of a recruiting class that was ranked 2nd in the country behind USC. He was a member of the famed “Pony Express” that included Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson. He participated in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, 1983 Cotton Bowl, 1983 Sun Bowl, and the Mirage Bowl which was played in Japan. He briefly held the Mirage Bowl record for the longest run from scrimmage against the University of Houston. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from SMU in 1983. Retiring from the McDonald’s Corporation in 2013 as a Business Consultant, he now works part-time as a teacher in the Spring Independent School District.
