​
The only problem?
They couldn't find him. Unbeknownst to the Eagles, Michael had been drafted into the military for World War 2 and was at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Years went by with neither party knowing anything about the situation from the other party's point of view.
55 years later, after Donovan McNabb was also drafted out of Syracuse by the Eagles, Michael happened to be reading his newspaper. There was a column dedicated to all the Syracuse players drafted into the NFL, and finally he saw that he had been drafted to play for the Eagles back in 1944.
"That was the first I heard of it," Michael told NFL.com.
"My son sent them a letter after we found out," Michael said. "I think he wanted to see if the Eagles owed me a signing bonus. Think of the interest I could have had. Fifty-seven years' worth."