Born on 3 October 1960 in Tasmania, Michael Parsons played some football as a child but chose to continue with a very promising basketball career.  He was originally chosen in the Australian squad for the 1984 Olympic Games but was cut a year out from the Games.  The disappointment of missing out on selection lead him to discuss a return to football with some mates and this conversation was overheard by North Adelaide senior coach, Michael Nunan.  Nunan immediately approached Parsons to entice him to try out with North and was successful.  He was an immediate success, playing only one reserves game before being elevated to the league team.

 A giant of a man at 203 cm, Parsons partnered Michael Redden in ruck for North and the two formed a formidable combination.  They were a crucial part of North's revival through the mid-1980s, playing in three grand finals from 1985 to 1987.  Parsons’ effort in North Adelaide's glorious 1987 premiership where he played tough uncompromising football and kicked six goals was rewarded with the Jack Oatey medal for the best player on the ground.

 So dominant was he in that game that he was recruited by the Sydney Swans and played in the AFL in 1988, 1989 and part of 1990 before returning to North Adelaide part way through the 1990 season.  He teamed with Redden again in North's 1991 premiership team before retiring at the end of the 1992 season.  He played 158 games for North Adelaide and kicked 196 goals in his illustrious career.

Parsons originally trained as a teacher and taught for a few years before branching out to the business world.  For many years he was also part of the ABC television coverage of the SANFL primarily as the boundary rider, where his genial disposition enabled him to establish great rapport with players from all clubs.  However, his successful business career drew him to Sydney where he has lived and worked for the last few years.

 He returned to Adelaide in August 2007 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 1987 premiership with his teammates.  He was interviewed at the celebration dinner and it was very clear that he held vivid and fond memories of that triumph.  Equally clear was the enormous respect in which he was held by his teammates and the hundreds of members and supporters who gathered to honour the team that night.

Michael passed away at the much too young age of 48 having suffered a brain tumour, He is sadly missed by his many friends and colleagues at the North Adelaide Football Club.