 Irvin in 2023 | |||||||||
| No. 88 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1966-03-05)March 5, 1966 (age 59) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | St. Thomas Aquinas(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) | ||||||||
| College: | Miami (FL) (1984–1987) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1988: 1st round, 11th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professionalfootball player. He played his entire 12-year career as awide receiver for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame.
Irvin playedcollege football for theMiami Hurricanes and was selected in the first round of the1988 NFL draft by theDallas Cowboys. He spent his entire 12-year NFL career from 1988 to 1999 with the Cowboys before it ended abruptly from acervical fracture of his spine sustained in a game against thePhiladelphia Eagles atVeterans Stadium on October 10, 1999, in which Irvin was carted off the field and transported to aPhiladelphia hospital.
Irvin was nicknamed "the Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his college and pro careers, and he relished the nickname, even acquiring "PLY MKR" as hisTexasvanity license plate.[1] Along withTroy Aikman andEmmitt Smith, Irvin was one of three key Cowboys offensive players, known as "The Triplets", who led the Cowboys to threeSuper Bowl wins in1992,1993, and1995.[2]
Irvin is widely considered to be one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.[3][4][5]
Irvin is a former broadcaster forESPN'sSunday NFL Countdown and currently an analyst forNFL Network. In 2009, he competed inSeason 9 ofDancing with the Stars and was the season's ninth contestant to be eliminated.[6][7]
He is one of the co-hosts of theFS1 weekday debate showSpeak withPaul Pierce,Keyshawn Johnson, andJoy Taylor.
Irvin was born March 5, 1966, inFort Lauderdale, Florida. He is the 15th of 17 children in his family.[8] Irvin first attendedPiper High School inSunrise, Florida, and then went on to become a football star atSt. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale.
While at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Irvin was heavily recruited by theUniversity of Miami to play for theMiami Hurricanes, one of the top collegiate football programs in the nation.
At theUniversity of Miami under coachJimmy Johnson, Irvin set school records for theMiami Hurricanes for career receptions (143), receiving yards (2,423 and later broken bySantana Moss), and touchdown receptions (26). He was a member of the University of Miami's1987 national championship team and made one of the most legendary plays in school history that year, scoring on a 73-yard fourth-quarter touchdown pass fromSteve Walsh that provided the margin of victory in Miami's victory over archrivalFlorida State, which propelled them into the national championship game, the1988 Orange Bowl, against the top-rankedOklahoma Sooners.
Irvin was selected three times as anAll-American by theNewspaper Enterprise Association, earning second-team honors as a freshman, first-team as a sophomore, and second-team again as a junior.[9][10][11]
In 1988, following his junior year at the University of Miami, Irvin announced he was skipping his final year of college eligibility and declaring his eligibility for the1988 NFL draft.
Irvin was selected by theDallas Cowboys as the 11th pick in the first round of the1988 NFL draft.[13] He was the last first-round draft pick made by the Cowboys under the leadership of long-time general managerTex Schramm, player personnel directorGil Brandt, and head coachTom Landry. Schramm predicted that Irvin would accelerate the Cowboys' "return to the living".
As a rookie in the1988 season, Irvin became the first rookie receiver in Cowboys' history to start a season opener in 20 years. In the opening game of his rookie season against thePittsburgh Steelers atThree Rivers Stadium on September 3, 1988, Irvin caught his first NFL career touchdown. He also caught three touchdown passes in the Cowboys' win over theWashington Redskins on December 11, 1988, atRFK Stadium, which represented one of only three wins in the Cowboys' 3–13 1988 season, which was the final season of Landry's career. For the season, Irvin led theNFC in average yards per catch with a 20.4 yard average per catch.
In1989, the Cowboys hiredJimmy Johnson, Irvin's coach at theUniversity of Miami, to replace Landry. The Cowboys' misfortunes continued in 1989, and they finished the season with a 1–15 record, the worst season record in Cowboys franchise history. Injuries limited Irvin to only six games during the season. He had been on pace to gain over 1,000 receiving yards until tearing hisanterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a game against theSan Francisco 49ers on October 15, 1989, after which he was placed on theinjured reserve list for the rest of the 1989 season and the first three games of the1990 season.
In 1990, Irvin did not register his first reception until the seventh game and finished the season with just 20 receptions for 413 yards, but also averaged 20.7 yards per catch.
Before the injury, Irvin was nearlytraded to theLos Angeles Raiders to help bring talent to the Cowboys and potentially pair Irvin up withTim Brown, but Raiders ownerAl Davis essentially talked Johnson out of the trade by saying, "You sure you want to do that? Who is going to catch passes for you?" Johnson instead tradedHerschel Walker to theMinnesota Vikings in what would come to be known as theHerschel Walker trade. One factor in Irvin almost being traded was that then-offensive coordinatorDavid Shula thought Irvin was slow and not a team player. When the Cowboys fired Shula and replaced him withNorv Turner, the notion of trading Irvin became nonexistent in part because Turner believed Irvin would become a superstar in his system.
In1991, Irvin was a major factor in the Cowboys reaching the playoffs. He finished the season with 93 receptions (second in the NFL for the season), 1,523 receiving yards (first in the NFL for the season), eight receiving touchdowns, and set a Cowboys franchise record with seven 100-yard games. Irvin was named to the1991 Pro Bowl, the first of five consecutive seasons in which he was selected toPro Bowls.
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In 1992 and 1993, Irvin was a key player on the Cowboys' Super Bowl teams. In 1994, he enjoyed another stellar campaign with his fourth consecutivePro Bowl season, but that year the Cowboys lost to theSan Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. For his part, however, Irvin had one of the most productive games in NFL playoff history, with 12 catches for an NFC championship record 192 yards and twotouchdowns.
One of his greatest performances was inSuper Bowl XXVII (1993), where he caught six passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns. His two touchdowns were scored in the second quarter and occurred in a span of just 18 seconds, the fastest pair of touchdowns ever scored by one player in Super Bowl history. He also became only the second player ever to score 2 touchdowns in one quarter of a Super Bowl, after Washington Redskins wide receiverRicky Sanders inSuper Bowl XXII.
Irvin was a key contributor in the Cowboys' victories inSuper Bowl XXVIII in1993 over theBuffalo Bills andSuper Bowl XXX in1995 over thePittsburgh Steelers. In the 1993 Super Bowl against the Bills, Irvin recorded five receptions for 66 yards. In the 1995 Super Bowl against the Steelers, he had five receptions for 76 yards.
Irvin's best season with the Cowboys was 1995 during which he set franchise records for receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,603) while scoring 10 touchdowns and setting an NFL record with 11 games with over 100 receiving yards. Irvin had seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns against theGreen Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, which led the Cowboys toSuper Bowl XXX, the team's third Super Bowl win in a span of four seasons.
Irvin is the only player to play for each of the first four Cowboys coaches since the team has been owned byJerry Jones (Landry, Johnson,Barry Switzer, andChan Gailey). Irvin officially announced his retirement afterDave Campo became the fifth Cowboys coach, but never played on the field for Campo.
After recovering from his collar bone injury, Irvin returned to have solid years in1997 and1998.
During the fifth game of the1999 season, Irvin was tackled byPhiladelphia Eagles defensive backTim Hauck and was driven head-first into the turf atVeterans Stadium inPhiladelphia. He sustained a non-life-threateningcervical spine injury, but was carted off the field and transported to theThomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia. Irvin did not play again that season. Doctors subsequently discovered Irwin had been born withcervical spinal stenosis. Doctors told Irvin that this condition put him at higher risk for injury, including paralysis, if he suffered another blow to the neck or head. After being advised to stop playing football, Irvin announced his retirement in May 2000.[15][16]
Irvin was the lastTom Landry-coached player to retire from theNFL. Landry died on February 12, 2000, several months after Irvin's injury in Philadelphia but before Irvin had announced that he was retiring due to the severity of that injury.
In 2000, Irvin was inducted into theUniversity of Miami Sports Hall of Fame.
Irvin finished his career with 750 receptions (tied withCharlie Joiner for 30th all-time in the NFL) for 11,904 yards (21st all-time in the NFL) and 65 touchdowns. His 47 100-yard receiving games is eighth-most in NFL history, tied withTorry Holt. Irvin was selected to five Pro Bowls (two more than any other wide receiver in franchise history) and was named the MVP of the 1992 Pro Bowl (following the 1991 season) after catching eight passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in the NFC's 21–15 triumph. Irvin was a key playmaker for the Dallas Cowboys that won 6 division titles and three Super Bowls.
As part of Dallas' starting lineup on offense, Irvin was a consistent force to be reckoned with in the regular season but also excelled in the playoffs, where his six career 100-yard receiving games are just two shy of theNFL record held byJerry Rice, who had eight such games. Irvin's 87 postseason receptions place him second in NFL playoff history behind Rice, who had 151, and Irvin's 1,315 post-season receiving yards ranks second to Rice, who recorded 2,245 post-season yards.
From 1991 through 1998, Irvin recorded 1,000-yard seasons in all but one year, racking up an impressive 10,292 yards over an eight-year span. Along the way, the Cowboys made four straight appearances in theNFC Championship Game (1992–1995) and captured threeSuper Bowl championships with back-to-back wins over theBuffalo Bills inSuper Bowl XXVII andSuper Bowl XXVIII, and thePittsburgh Steelers inSuper Bowl XXX.
Along with his former teammatesTroy Aikman andEmmitt Smith, Irvin was inducted into theDallas Cowboys Ring of Honor on September 19, 2005.
Irvin was one of three former NFL players with Cowboys ties selected for induction into the 2007 class of theTexas Sports Hall of Fame, all of whom were inducted at a February 2008 ceremony inWaco, Texas.[17] The other two wereJim Ray Smith of theCleveland Browns, who finished his career with the Cowboys (1963–64), andRay Childress, a five-time Pro Bowl defensive end for the Houston Oilers who wrapped up his NFL career with the Cowboys in 1996.
In 2007, Irvin was named to theFlorida High School Athletic Association's All-Century Team that listed the Top 33 football players in the state of Florida's 100-year history of high school football.
Irvin became eligible for induction to thePro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was selected in his third year of eligibility, on February 3, 2007, alongsideGene Hickerson,Bruce Matthews,Thurman Thomas,Charlie Sanders, andRoger Wehrli. He was formally inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame's August 4, 2007, induction ceremony inCanton, Ohio.
On August 4, 2007, Irvin was inducted into thePro Football Hall of Fame, delivering a tearful acceptance speech in which he referenced both his life as a football player and the many mistakes he has made in his life. His speech has been praised by many NFL commentators as heartfelt, including those who had been inclined to dislike him.[18]
On October 14, 2007, Irvin accepted his Hall of Fame ring atTexas Stadium during halftime of the Cowboys–New England Patriots game. In his speech, he proposed to CommissionerRoger Goodell that all drafted rookies will have a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to better understand their football history.[19]
At 6'2" and 207 pounds, Irvin was a big, physical receiver who manhandled cornerbacks and often was able to make tough catches in defensive traffic. In part because of Irvin's ability to push off the defender with such ease, the NFL eventually changed its rules to adjust to wide receivers who emulated Irvin's physical style.
Irvin was a vocal, emotional leader who set every significant career receiving mark in Cowboys history, including catches and receiving yards. At the time of his retirement, he owned or was tied for 20 team receiving records. In November 2008, his Cowboys teammateDaryl Johnston said, "Michael was the hardest working guy on our team. He was a guy who made some wrong decisions, but he never took anything public, and he never spoke out against anyone on our team. He wasn't a problem. He was more of an inspiration."
Irvin has high regard for players from "The U," as he likes to call theUniversity of Miami, includingFrank Gore,Edgerrin James, and others.[20]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theSuper Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| NFL career statistics | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||||
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1988 | DAL | 14 | 10 | 32 | 654 | 20.4 | 61 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1989 | DAL | 6 | 6 | 26 | 378 | 14.5 | 65 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 |
| 1990 | DAL | 12 | 7 | 20 | 413 | 20.7 | 61 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | DAL | 16 | 16 | 93 | 1,523 | 16.4 | 66 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | DAL | 16 | 14 | 78 | 1,396 | 17.9 | 87 | 7 | 1 | -9 | -9.0 | -9 | 0 |
| 1993 | DAL | 16 | 16 | 88 | 1,330 | 15.1 | 61 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 9 | 0 |
| 1994 | DAL | 16 | 16 | 79 | 1,241 | 15.7 | 65 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | DAL | 16 | 16 | 111 | 1,603 | 14.4 | 50 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | DAL | 11 | 11 | 64 | 962 | 15.0 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | DAL | 16 | 16 | 75 | 1,180 | 15.7 | 55 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | DAL | 16 | 15 | 74 | 1,057 | 14.3 | 51 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1999 | DAL | 4 | 4 | 10 | 167 | 16.7 | 37 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 159 | 147 | 750 | 11,904 | 15.9 | 87 | 65 | 6 | 6 | 1.0 | 9 | 0 | |
Irvin has been married to Sandy Harrell since 1990. They have a daughter and two sons together. Irvin also has another daughter from a previous relationship.[21]
Irvin is aChristian. He has said, “I turned my life over to Christ in early 2001 with help from PastorT.D. Jakes and my friend and fellow believer,Deion Sanders. It took me forty years to really realize the hand that God had on me. I did almost every bad thing you could do, but it's through the power of God I can live this life.”[22]
In 1996, as the Cowboys prepared to play theCarolina Panthers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game, media reports stated that Irvin and teammateErik Williams, while under the influence of cocaine, had sexually assaulted a Dallas Cheerleader, Nina Shahravan, and, with a gun to her head, videotaped the interaction.
Despite Williams' and Irvin's denials of the allegations, the story largely overshadowed the game, which the Cowboys lost. The accuser was later proven to have fabricated the entire incident. She recanted her story, pled guilty to perjury and filing a false police report, and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and a fine.[23] In the game against Carolina, Irvin was injured in the opening minutes and did not return.
On July 29, 1998, Irvin allegedly assaulted fellow Cowboys offensive linemanEverett McIver. The initial dispute stemmed from Irvin demanding that McIver vacate a barber's chair so that Irvin would not have to wait for a haircut. McIver and Irvin soon began a brawl in the shop with fellow CowboyLeon Lett attempting to break it up.
During the course of the dispute, Irvin grabbed a pair of scissors and stabbed McIver in the neck, barely missing hiscarotid artery. Cowboys ownerJerry Jones reportedly brokered a six-figure settlement between Irvin and McIver in exchange for McIver's silence and to prevent McIver from pursuing criminal charges against Irvin.[24]
In June 2001, a year following his NFL retirement, Irvin was arrested for felony cocaine possession.[25] Irvin was in aDallas apartment with an unrelated woman, and neither answered the door when police drug task force agents arrived with a search warrant. Police then entered the apartment forcibly, finding drugs. Irvin and the woman were placed under arrest, though charges against Irvin were later dropped.
On November 25, 2005, Irvin was pulled over inPlano, Texas, for speeding. Irvin was arrested on an outstanding warrant for an unpaid speeding ticket inIrving, Texas, and was also cited for misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his car and found a pipe and plastic bags with marijuana residue.[26] Irvin was arrested for a Class C misdemeanor, and was later released on bond.
On December 1, 2005, in response to his arrest,ESPN suspended Irvin for the Sunday and Monday nightCountdown shows on December 4 and 5, 2005.[27] He returned to both shows with no mention or consequence of the past incident.
On July 4, 2007, Irvin was accused ofsexual assault while he was at theSeminole Hard Rock Casino inHollywood, Florida. Charges were never filed, but a civil suit was filed against him in 2010.[28] Irvin filed a $100 million defamation countersuit, which was dropped when the case was settled out of court in January 2011.[29]
On January 12, 2009, Irvin claimed he was a victim of a possible carjacking attempt while stopped at a light in Dallas. He filed a police report claiming that two men flashed a gun at him but eventually drove away after commenting that they were Cowboys fans.[30] Dallas police suspended their investigation two weeks later, stating that Irvin did not cooperate in the investigation and that they could not proceed without his cooperation.[31]
On March 22, 2017,Fort Lauderdale police investigated Irvin for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman inFlorida. Irvin denied the allegations.[32][33] On July 24, theBroward County State Attorney's Office announced they had closed the investigation and would not charge Irvin in the case.[34][35][36]
NFL Network removed Irvin from its coverage ofSuper Bowl LVII in February 2023 after allegations of sexual misconduct toward a woman at his hotel in the Phoenix area. Though surveillance video showed him interacting with the woman, Irvin told a Dallas-Fort Worth radio station that he had no recollection of any incident because he had been intoxicated. He also denied there was any wrongdoing.[37]
In a November 2006 radio interview onDan Patrick's radio show, Irvin joked that Dallas Cowboys quarterbackTony Romo's athletic ability may have been due to African-American heritage and jokingly remarked that Romo's maternal relatives might have been involved with "slave brothers".[38] Irvin later apologized and said, "this is how I joke around with Romo when we're playing basketball. There's a difference from me the player and me the broadcaster".[39]
On February 17, 2007, during the late edition ofSportsCenter,ESPN announced that Irvin was no longer with the network. ESPN Communications Vice President Josh Krulewitz said, "We thank Michael for his contributions to ESPN and wish him well." However, eleven months later, in January 2008, Irvin rejoined ESPN as a host onESPN Radioowned and operation stationKESN (103.3 FM) in Dallas, hostingThe Michael Irvin Show. This locally aired program ended on February 5, 2010, and Irvin was let go after his contract expired.[40] An ESPN spokesman cited declining ratings and that news of a lawsuit filed against Irvin for a 2007 incident "simply expedited the situation".[41]
On a February 2017 episode ofThe Rich Eisen Show, Irvin admitted to having snuck out of the locker room during halftime ofSuper Bowl XXVII to watchMichael Jackson perform.[42]
Irvin was a co-star in the 2005 remake ofThe Longest Yard, starringAdam Sandler andChris Rock. Irvin also guest starred in Sandler's filmJack & Jill, which was released on November 11, 2011. He was one of the "Pros" on an episode ofPros vs. Joes, which pitted formerprofessional athletes against average people. He was the host of4th and Long, a football-themed reality series which aired onSpike TV. The winner,Jesse Holley, earned a spot at the Dallas Cowboys' training camp.[43][44] Irvin had a supporting role in the 2017 basketball dramaSlamma Jamma as a sleazy sports agent.
In 2011, Irvin spoke toOut magazine about his homosexual older brother, who died of stomach cancer in 2006. He claimed his initial feelings ofhomophobia in relation to his brother led to womanizing during his playing days but eventual acceptance and feelings of love toward his older brother initiated his understanding for people with difficulty sharing their circumstances.[8]
In August 2011, officials from theElite Football League of India announced that Irvin would be among the primary investors and advisers for the league. Other prominent backers included formerChicago Bears head coachMike Ditka, formerPhiladelphia EaglesquarterbackRon Jaworski, and NFLlinebackerBrandon Chillar.[45][46]
In July 2023, management from Asset Entities announced that Irvin would be among the primary investors and advisers for the company. Other prominent backers included TRITON FUNDS.[47][48]
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| National | |
