[2] Other highlights include being named the youngest general manager ever to win a CFL championship when the Toronto Argonauts captured the Grey Cup in 1991; pulling off one of the largest trades in the history of professional football when he orchestrated a deal with the Edmonton Eskimos, which saw 16 players switch teams.
He has given public football seminars, "Everything You Wanted To Know About Football But Were Afraid To Ask;" has been featured in various sports media, including stories by, Stephen Brunt of The Globe and Mail, a 2003 story by Perry Lefko of The Toronto Sun where Lefko wrote about McCarthy's plans to participate in the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona Spain, and Sports Illustrated's story about the Chicago Blitz's tryout with Illinois prison inmate Mike Sifford in 1982.
McCarthy is listed in the 1997 edition of Who's Who in Canada and is co-editor of Cuts and Keeps, an annual registry of rookie and first-year pro football players.
At Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas Mike was an all-star linebacker and led the Moundbuilders in tackles in each of his four seasons with the team.
After graduating Southwestern College with a bachelor's degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Mike had a free-agent tryout with the Dallas Cowboys.
He worked for the Seattle Seahawks during the spring of 1982, and spent three seasons with the San Diego Chargers as a college and pro scout (2003 to 2005).
McCarthy's CFL (Canadian Football League) career began in 1985 when he joined the Hamiton Tiger-Cats as director of Player Personnel, and later taking on the additional role of assistant general manager in 1988.
In 1995, he returned to Hamilton as Player Personnel Consultant and played an instrumental role in signing quarterback Matt Dunigan to the Tiger-Cats before moving on to become president and CEO of the B.C.
In 1997, McCarthy returned to the Tiger-Cats, and would remain with the organization for the next 11 seasons under varying Football Operations capacities, the latter part of his tenure in 2006–2007 as the senior advisor of football operations, responsible for day-to-day scouting activities and advising then Ticats General Manager Marcel Desjardins on player personnel matters.
In 1991, he acquired top ranked Notre Dame star Raghib "Rocket" Ismail, awarding him the largest contract in CFL history.
In 1993, he brought Tracy Ham to Toronto when he orchestrated the largest trades in the history of professional football with the Edmonton Eskimos, which saw 16 players switch teams, 8 from each side.
While in Toronto, McCarthy was also the team's alternate governor was on numerous league committees, and was the club's acting president.