Michael D. Attardi, Sr.

Michael D. Attardi, Sr.

Advisory Council

Michael Attardi was born and raised in Long Branch, New Jersey where he became a scholar-athlete. His mentor was NFL scout Jim Garrett, of the Dallas Cowboys (Father of Jason Garrett, Head Football Coach for the Dallas Cowboys.). He also excelled in musical theatre under his mentor, Vincent Borrelli.

But, his enormous talents are not limited to only writing books or playing in the NFL. He is a multi-award-winning film-maker and musical composer. Michael won 96 film industry awards, which include: the Telly’s, the Accolade’s, the Aurora’s and Pixy Awards. He also walked the “Red Carpet” as first Runner-up at the Festival de Cannes in France. His off-Broadway show, “Twin Treasures” won three Perry Awards. Michael's new book, children's books and his musical soundtracks are on Amazon.com.

Another area of Michael's talents is in sports. He was an All-Shore and All-State Football player. During that time, he broke many high-school and college football records. He received a full Athletic/Academic scholarship to Kutztown University of Pennsylvania where he made the Dean’s academic list. He also received the LBJ Scholarship Award from the U.S. Congress for high academic and worked on Capitol Hill for two college semesters.

Michael was named to the All-PCAC and All-NJAC College football team honors. Michael's football playing continued after college. In 1991, he signed a contract with the National Football League. He played two seasons with the Los Angeles Raiders on their developmental team. Then he had tryouts with the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets. Michael is currently a member of the NFL Players Association. He is also the former President of the NFL Alumni Central Florida Chapter. Michael was inducted into the Long Branch High School Athletic Hall of Fame and was named the NFL Community leader of the year by the NFL Players Association in 2005.

Michael has always done charitable good deeds. In 2016, he won the President’s Volunteer Silver Service Award by President Obama. Then in 2017, Michael was presented the President’s Volunteer Gold Service Award by President Trump. He is the only former NFL player to receive such an honor by two U.S. President’s.

Michael is a cancer survivor. He dedicates most his time to raise money for Women and Children’s Charities and the U.S. Armed Forces. He and his wife Colleen have been married for nineteen years. They share three wonderful sons, Michael Jr., Nathaniel, and Matthew. He currently lives with his family in Windermere, Florida.