Michael Graham began his Northern Territory playing career in 1973 amid an outstanding South Australian National Football League (SANFL) career which started two years earlier at age 18. 

In his first season, Graham won the 1973/74 Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) season’s highest individual player award, the Nichols Medal, along with the St Mary’s Football Club Best and Fairest, the Ludwig Medal. 

Premierships with St Mary’s in 1978/79, 1983/84 and 1985/86 added to two SANFL Premierships with Sturt Football Club in 1974 and 1976. Graham also played in two other NTFL grand finals in addition to the club's 1978/79 Reserves premiership.

His illustrious career in the SANFL saw him play 282 games plus 11 state representative matches, kicking 455 goals and earning Player Life Membership at Sturt, as well as membership to both the SANFL and National Indigenous Hall of Fame.

Other individual achievements include the 1978/79 Chaney Medal (NTFL Grand Final best on ground), three top-four placings in five years in the SANFL Magarey Medal (1971-75) in addition to multiple top three placings in Sturt’s Best & Fairest.

His NTFL achievements led to Graham being awarded Life Membership at St Mary’s Football Club and in 2016, the man dubbed ‘The Flash’, was selected in the 2016 AFLNT Team of the Century.

Adding to his outstanding playing career were Premier League coaching appointments at the Darwin Buffaloes and Waratah; and finally, as a footnote to an amazing career, at age 50 in 2003 - earned the Central Australian Football League (CAFL) Reserve Grade Leading Goalkicker competition award.