Michael Vernon Tordsen was born on December 18, 1968, in Springfield, MN to Vernon and Mary (Hornick) Tordsen. He grew up in Willmar for a time and then the family moved to New London-Spicer where Mike was an avid basketball player and graduated from High School in 1987. He began college at Southwest State University in Marshall, MN and continued his schooling for hotel and restaurant management at Alexandria Technical and Community College.