“It surprised me he did really well in football because he was doing really, really great in basketball,” Vaughn Danna, Mike Danna’s dad, earlier remarked. It showcased that Mike’s skills even impressed him. Undoubtedly, the 2020 fifth-round pick by the Kansas City Chiefs continues to depict his dominance on the field. During his 62 regular season games and 13 postseason games, he left an incredible impact on the league as a defensive end. Although in three games of this ongoing NFL season, he has earned 0.5 sacks and 8 solo tackles, due to his calf injury, he has to be sidelined from the upcoming season games against Los Angeles.

With his mom, Cynthia Danna, and dad Vaughn’s strong backing, Mike Danna is optimistically battling with the situation and aiming for his next Super Bowl trophy. His mom was the one who often encouraged his athletic aspirations. Even when he was at the peak of his basketball career at Grosse Pointe St. Paul, and wanted to quit basketball to play football, Cynthia delightfully welcomed his decision. It showcased her faith in him; however, there is very limited information available about her.

Mike’s relationship with his dad, Vaughn Danna was highlighted earlier. Reportedly, Vaughn developed an interest when he was playing during the Michigan Wolverines games. Prior to entering the NFL, when Mike enrolled in the University of Michigan, he credited his dad for his love for Michigan games. He used to watch these games with his father at a young age., expressing his joy over becoming part of Michigan.

“I’m 45 minutes from home, my parents love that. Being able to come to the University of Michigan, having it be my dream school, having my parents come out and watch me do what I do on the field is a blessing,” Mike Danna remarked on paving his way to the NFL instead of being a standout basketball player.

Mike Danna navigating career decisions with parents’ support

Vaughn Danna has previously explained Mike’s enthusiasm for football, as he was one of the prominent baseball and basketball players at Grosse Pointe St. Paul. Surprisingly, Mike Danna had not experienced playing football until his freshman year at La Salle. However, during his junior season of football, his mindset changed, and he chose to play professionally. As a result, he persuaded his parents to allow him to take up basketball to focus on football.

“We had kind of discussed it. We had to have a long talk about basketball and football, and he really wanted to play football, and I kind of wanted him to play basketball. We gave him the final say,” Vaughn Danna disclosed earlier. Seemingly, Mike has also shown his football skills by becoming the two-time Super Bowl champion – his successful on-field efforts are just because of his father’s great mantra. Vaughn earlier revealed that he wanted Mike to tackle Tom Brady, former legendry NFL QB, saying, “I would tell Mike before every game ‘Let’s get a quarterback today.’ I would say to Mike, ‘Get Tom Brady’.”

It is no wonder that with his parents’ support and dad’s powerful advice, he continues to dominate in the field. What’s your take on Mike Danna’s NFL trajectory? Share below.