Michael Patrick McGill is the first of two sons born to Anne McGill and the late Gerald F. McGill, Jr. His brother Patrick was born in 1976. Mike grew up in the Fox River Valley and graduated from Appleton East High School in 1991. He attended The University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point from 1991 to 1993, when he took a break from his studies and enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve. He attended Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and A.I.T. at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He transferred to The University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh upon his return, where he graduated in 1995 with a degree in Radio/TV/Film.

Mike belonged to the 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion in Green Bay, Wisconsin. His Army Reserve Unit was one of the first to be activated for Operation Joint Endeavor after the Dayton Peace Accord was signed. He spent January through July 1996 stationed overseas in Durdevik, Bosnia-Herzegovina.