Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mikulak graduated from Edison High School in 1930, where he was named to All-City teams in football, baseball, and basketball as a senior.

[2] (Stanford, however, received the bid to the 1934 Rose Bowl due to its victory over USC, the only team to beat the Ducks that year.

[2] Mikulak earned the nickname "Iron Mike" because he wore an aluminum chest protector to protect a protruding sternum.

[6] Following the 1936 season, Mikulak retired from professional football and returned to the University of Oregon to become the backfield coach on his old team, and to complete his degree.

[1] He was accepted into the newly created United States Air Force in 1947 and was assigned as a security officer in Omaha, Indianapolis, and Detroit.