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Michael Irvin

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Michael Irvin
Career history
Dallas Cowboys
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida) is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys and former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown. He is regarded as one of the most successful wide receivers in the history of the National Football League.

Irvin, nicknamed "The Pipemaker" due to his penchant for smoking crack. On February 3, 2007, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the highest honor afforded a former NFL player.

Irvin is also known as one of The Triplets along with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. The Triplets highlighted the Dallas Cowboys' offense in the 1990s that won three Super Bowls.

University of Miami career

One of 17 children, Irvin was a football star at St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale) and was heavily recruited by the University of Miami, one of the top collegiate football programs in the nation. With the University of Miami, under coach Jimmy Johnson, Irvin set school records for career receptions (143), receiving yards (2,423) and touchdown receptions (26). He was part of Miami's 1987 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 from Steve Walsh that provided the margin of victory in Miami's triumph over archrival Florida State.

Even at the time, Irvin was known for his exuberance, best displayed by his routine practice of pointing to the sky with both hands after scoring touchdowns. Critics referred to the move as hot-dogging, though Irvin responded that the gesture was a tribute to his late father. Irvin retired the celebration after forgoing his final year of eligibility to declare for the 1988 NFL Draft.

Since leaving UM, Irvin has remained a staunch supporter of the Hurricanes' football program, often seen on the Miami sideline during big games and giving tutorials to receivers. He also has acted as a mentor off the field to younger Hurricane players over the years.

NFL career

Irvin was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the 11th selection in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He was the last first-round draft pick made by the Cowboys under the leadership of long-time general manager Tex Schramm, player personnel director Gil Brandt, and coach Tom Landry. Irvin became the first rookie receiver in Cowboys' history to start a game in 20 years, in which he caught his first touchdown the same game. Also as a rookie, Irvin caught 3 touchdown passes in the Cowboys' win over Washington, one of only 3 wins that season and the final win of Tom Landry's career.

Irvin is the only player to play for each of the first four Cowboys coaches (Landry, Johnson, Switzer and Gailey). Irvin officially announced his retirement after Dave Campo became the 5th Cowboys coach, but Irvin never played on the field for Campo.

Winning Super Bowls in the 1990s

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 consecutive Pro Bowl season, but that year the Cowboys lost to the San 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 two touchdowns.

One of his greatest performances was in Super Bowl XXVII, where he caught 6 passes for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 2 touchdowns catches were both 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 Ricky Sanders in Super Bowl XXII.

In 1995, Irvin set an NFL record by recording 11 straight 100-yard games receiving. He broke his own team records with career highs in receptions (111) and receiving yards (1,700). Dallas steamrolled through the playoffs and, that year, Irvin was a Super Bowl champion for the third time.

Sex, drugs and injuries

1996 arrest

In March of 1996, Irvin was arrested on charges of cocaine possession at a hotel party celebrating his 30th birthday. After numerous court appearances amid a national media circus, which featured Irvin showing up to court in a full-length mink coat, he pled no contest to the charges and was sentenced to community service, ordered to pay a $10,000 fine, and put on 4-years probation. When drug-tested for illicit drugs, he tested negative. But the NFL suspended Irvin for the first five games of the 1996 season.

Irvin was also known as a regular at the "White House", a private pleasure palace near the team's training facility, where he and some Dallas teammates, like lineman Nate Newton, allegedly enjoyed a variety of wanton activities, including drugs and illicit sex.

In Irvin's 1996 absence, the Cowboys struggled out of the gate and never recovered. Upon his return from suspension, Irvin tallied 962 receiving yards in only 11 games.

False sexual assault allegation

Irvin sustained further damage to his reputation in 1996 when controversy reared its head again as the Cowboys prepared to play the Carolina Panthers for their NFC Divisional Playoff game. Media reports stated that Irvin and teammate Erik Williams had sexually assaulted a Dallas woman, Nina Shahravan, and, with a gun to her head, videotaped the interaction.

Despite Williams' and Irvin's denials of the allegations, the story 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 prison and a fine.

In the first quarter of the playoff game with Carolina, with Shahravan's allegations under active investigation by Dallas police, Irvin suffered a broken collarbone, ending his 1996 season.

Career-ending injury in Philadelphia

Recovered from his collar bone inury, Irvin returned to have very solid years in 1997 and 1998. During the fifth game of the 1999 season, however, Irvin was tackled hard at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Tim Hauck, and went head-first into The Vet's infamous concrete surface. As Irvin lay motionless on the Veterans Stadium field, he was infamously greeted by cheers from hostile fans of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, who had grown to despise Irvin and the entire Cowboys' organization.

Irvin was carted off the Philadelphia field on a stretcher, and the play in Philadelphia proved to be his last. The Dallas wide receiver sustained a non-life-threatening cervical spinal cord injury and was subsequently diagnosed with a narrow spinal column, which forced him into early retirement. The response from the Eagles' fans to Irvin's serious injuries, which was widely criticized, further intensified the already intense rivalry between the Eagles and Cowboys.

Irvin was the last former Tom Landry-coached player to retire from the NFL. Tom Landry died in the months between Irvin's last game and his official retirement announcement.

Records and Honors

Irvin finished his career with 750 receptions (10th all-time in the NFL) for 11,904 yards (9th all-time in the NFL) and 65 touchdowns. His 47 , remains the third most in NFL history, behind Jerry Rice (65) and Hall of Famer Don Maynard (50). He was selected to five Pro Bowls (2 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 8 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 he also excelled in postseason play where his six career 100-yard receiving days are just two shy of the NFL mark held by Jerry Rice (8). His 87 postseason receptions place him second in NFL playoff history, again behind Rice (151), and his 1,315 postseason receiving yards ranks second only to Rice (2,245), a Hall of Fame inductie.

At 6'4" and 224 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.

For Dallas, Irvin was a vocal, emotional leader, who set every significant career receiving mark in team history, such as catches and receiving yards. At the time of his retirement, he owned or was tied for 20 Cowboys receiving records. Despite his "playmaker" style on the field and flashy personality that was evident in his animated, brash commentary as a top NFL analyst for ESPN, Irvin is most remembered by his fellow Cowboys as a consummate teammate. As Fox's Daryl Johnston told a national conference call: "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." This day though Mr. Irvin has high regard for players who are from as he likes to call the University of Miami "the U" as in Frank Gore and Edgerrin James.[1]

Along with his former Cowboy teammates Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, Irvin was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor on September 19, 2005.

Irvin became eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was not selected, however, in 2005 or 2006, his first two years of eligibility. On February 3, 2007, his third year of eligibility, Irvin was finally elected as one of the class of 2007 enshrinees, alongside Thurman Thomas, Bruce Matthews, Roger Wehrli, Charlie Sanders, and Gene Hickerson. Irvin will formally be inducted into the Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies on August 4, 2007 in Canton, Ohio.

Further controversies

A year following his retirement from the NFL, Irvin again was arrested on drug possession charges.[2] In this case, Irvin was in a Dallas apartment with an unrelated woman. Neither answered the door when police drug task force agents arrived with a search warrant. Police entered the apartment forcibly, finding drugs. Irvin and the female were placed under arrest, though charges against Irvin were later dropped.

The promises of a new lifestyle in broadcasting appeared to be short-lived, with Irvin again arrested on drug charges a mere two years later following his self-professed born again Christianity. In this case, Irvin was with his wife when he was pulled over in Plano, Texas for speeding on November 25, 2005. With probable cause, police searched his vehicle and found drug paraphernalia, including plastic bags with marijuana residue. Irvin was arrested for a Class C misdemeanor. He was later released on bond, with ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz saying only that: "We are reviewing the facts of the situation and have no comment at this time."

File:Irvinmug.jpg
Irvin's mug shot photo during his November 2005 arrest.

Two days after his arrest, Irvin appeared on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown", as scheduled, on November 27, 2005. In his on-the-air comments that evening, he stated that he had taken the drug paraphernalia away from a longtime friend who was battling a drug addiction. Irvin told the Associated Press he was trying to help someone close to him get off drugs and cares more about that than his chances of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The next day Irvin said the pipe was in fact his brother's and he (Irvin) was going to throw it out but had forgotten to do so.

On December 1, 2005, however, ESPN suspended Irvin for the Sunday and Monday Night Countdown shows on December 4 and December 5, 2005.[3] He returned to both shows with no mention or consequence of the past incident.

Controversy continued to follow Irvin when during a November 2006 radio interview on the Dan Patrick show, Irvin joked that Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's athletic ability may have been due to African-American heritage, and made references to Romo's maternal relatives being involved with "slave brothers". [4] Irvin later apologized. He explained himself saying, "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". [5]

On February 17, 2007, during its late edition of SportsCenter, ESPN announced that Irvin was no longer with the network. ESPN Communications Vice President Josh Krulewitz said of Irvin, "We thank Michael for his contributions to ESPN and wish him well." The reasons behind Irvin's dismissal have not been confirmed.

Personal

Michael Irvin married Sandy Harrell in June, 1990; they have four children. He also has a daughter, Myesha Beyonca, by former girlfriend, Felicia Walker.

Irvin's niece, Sandora Irvin, was a standout basketball player at Texas Christian University. On April 16, 2005, Sandora was selected by the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA in their annual draft.

Irvin's cousin, Sedrick Irvin, was an outstanding running back at Michigan State University. Sedrick is Michigan State's 4th all-time career leading rusher with 3,504 rushing yards and was selected in the 4th round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

Irvin was a co-star in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He also was one of the "Pros" on an episode of Pros vs Joes, which puts former pro athletes against average people.


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