Born in Las Vegas, Nevada, Machurek was raised in San Diego, California.
[1][2] As a junior college transfer, Machurek then played for two seasons at Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello under new head coach Dave Kragthorpe.
[7][8] Machurek missed a road game at Montana in mid-October due to mononucleosis;[9][10][11][12] with backup Dirk Koetter at quarterback, the Bengals lost by three points on a late field goal.
[13] After a timely idle week, Machurek returned and led ISU to seven straight victories, as the team won the Division I-AA championship.
Machurek was a sixth round selection in the 1982 NFL draft; he was on the Lions' active roster for three seasons (1982–1984).