Mickey was born in Scottsbluff, Nebraska and went on to graduate from Adams City High School in 1962. He completed his senior season as the first state champion for the Eagles and with a career 54-7 record, which also included a pair of district titles and a runner-up finish. It was on to the University of Colorado where he would compile a 48-12-2 record. He was an NCAA tournament qualifier (1964-65-66) while wrestling for the Buffs. With CU, he placed second in the Big Eight in 1966 and third in 1964 and 1965. He was a successful AAU wrestler winning in several tournaments, including being named as the AAU Regional Champion Outstanding Wrestler in 1963. He participated in the Pan American Trials in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1963, Olympic Trials in Long Beach, California and New York City in 1964. He got into coaching working as an assistant at CU (1967-1968). He then moved on as an assistant and head coach at Westminster High School (1968-1970), was the head coach at Longmont (1970-1978), and also coached the school's tennis team. He was the head coach at Skyline (1978-2001) and finished his coaching career as an assistant at Skyline (2001-2011). During his tenure, his teams compiled a 337-262-2 record. He coached 82 state qualifiers, which would eventually include state champions Randy Sandoval and Shawn Johnson, who would combine for five titles. He also coached in the All-State Games, coached in the Penn Classic and was an official when the Japanese team wrestled in Colorado. Through his high school career with the schools, he taught English, Drivers Education and Physical Education. He was honored by the Colorado High School Activities Association in 2008 for completing 40 years of service to his schools and sports. He is currently a member of the Knights of Columbus.