Mike Townsend  Mike Townsend (born March 19, 1952) is a former American football defensive back who played one season in the World Football League with the Jacksonville Sharks and Memphis Southmen. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 1974 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame. Townsend was a captain on the Notre Dame 1973 national championship team. He led the nation with ten interceptions as a junior. He was a Consensus All-American in 1973.