Michael Jerome Irvin was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and is the 15th of 17 siblings. He attended Piper High School and became a football celebrity when he played at St. Aquinas High School.
He was recruited by the University of Miami which offered one of the top collegiate football programs in the country. Under coach Jimmy Johnson, he set several school records for career receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He made a legendary performance in Miami’s 1987 National Championship Team which propelled them into the National Championship Game. After leaving the university, he remains a supporter of the football program, giving tutorials to receivers and acting as a mentor off the field for younger players. He was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Pro-Football
Michael was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1988. He became the first rookie receiver in Cowboys’ history to start a game in 20 years. He is also the only player to play for each of the first four Cowboys coaches since the team was owned by Jerry Jones. He officially announced his retirement after Dave Campo became the fifth Cowboys coach.
Due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his college and pro career, he is nicknamed “The Playmaker”. He is also knows as one of “The Triplets” along with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, who highlighted the Dallas Cowboys offense that won three Super Bowls. He was the last player coached by Tom Landry to retire from the NFL.
Along with his former Cowboy teammates, Aikman and Smith, he was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor on September 19, 2005. On August 4, 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On October 14, 2007, he accepted his Hall of Fame ring at the Texas Stadium during halftime of the Dallas Cowboys vs. New England Patriots game. In his acceptance speech, he proposed that all drafted rookies should have a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame to have a better appreciation of their football history.
Film, TV and Radio
Michael joined the NFL Network broadcast team in 2009 and he can be seen on NFL Sundays and NFL GameDay Morning. He has also been featured in various commercials for the NFL Network.
He was a co-star in the 2005 remake of the The Longest Yard starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He also starred in Jack & Jill in 2011. On TV, he played one of the “Pros” in an episode of Pros vs Joes.
Michael also hosted 4th and Long, a football-themed reality series on Spike TV. He appeared in an episode of Burn Notice in 2009 titled “Hot Spot”. He also hosted a radio show on Miami’s WQAM with Kevin Kiley which aired until 2012.
Family and Fatherhood
Michael married Sandy Harrell in June 1990 and he has four children.
When not working, Michael usually spends his days making fun memories with his family. He is enjoying fatherhood and has been gaining new insights about life and living in general, just from interacting with his kids and family.
Being an exuberant personality, he is always eager to share the lessons he has learned from his experiences and the values that helped him succeed in his career and his life in general. The drive to help his team win in his professional footballs days has not left him and he is still as enthusiastic to help out in any way he can.
Giving Back
With so many things that he wants to share about success and life in general, he has chosen to focus on sharing his insights about fatherhood. He is also giving back to the community by creating and participating in activities that give a portion of their proceeds to important charities and help support their cause.
Michael is also educating and inspiring people to change themselves for the better and live their life to the fullest through his training camps and speaking engagements.
For more news about Michael’s initiatives, activities and speaking events, or just stuff about what he’s been up to, you can also check out his blog where he shares what he’s been up to and where he’s been regularly.