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Throwback Thursday - Michael Irvin
Salutations to Michael Irvin, who celebrated his 21st birthday this week. Well, maybe it just seems like Irvin is 21. Seriously, the dude looks like he could run routes right now. Well, I guess anybody could run routes. Let's just say he looks like he could dominate the NFL. Or maybe he could have 48 receptions for 667 yards and six touchdowns. Which is still pretty damn good.
So in honor of his birthday week (which should totally be a thing), Throwback Thursday takes a look back at his career.
Irvin was the 11th overall selection in the 1988 NFL Draft. I remember being at Anaheim Stadium that day. I was happy he didn't go to the Raiders (who ended up with Tim Brown), but bummed he didn't last a few more spots to go to the hometown Los Angeles Rams. That would have been cool because Irvin wore No. 47 in college like his kin, Leroy Irvin. But it's cool, the Rams got Gaston Green in that draft.
Irvin was one of those players you either loved or hated: There was no middle ground. You might say the reason people hated him was because of his celebrations. But he was only celebrating because he was good enough to beat you.
Nobody collects football cards anymore, but goodness gracious, these Pro Line cards from the 1990s were epic. In fact, I think I put this card in the spokes of my bike tires when I was a little kid. But seriously, we need to bring these cards back, right?
Among Irvin's many accolades, he was the MVP of the 1991 Pro Bowl. Seriously. I once asked him why he would do such a thing. But Irvin was in the middle of a contract negotiation and he wanted to prove his worth. In the Pro Bowl. Yes, this really happened. And this is why I absolutely love the guy.
There were some lean years for Irvin when he came into the NFL. He went from one of the most successful college programs to one of the worst teams in the NFL during that time. But after languishing for a few years, the Cowboys reached the top of the NFL as they won Super Bowl XXVII.
After the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in the 1990s, Irvin started to achieve a bit of celebrity status. Can anything beat rubbing elbows on the beach with Deion Sanders and Downtown Julie Brown? GTS and try to find something better.
Irvin received football's highest honor when he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. But Irvin once famously told everybody he would trade the gold jacket for a perfect season. Because, as he screamed in the middle of the NFL Media newsroom, nothing beats perfection. Seriously, dude gave an epic filibuster on the subject so convincing, I grabbed my fish and walked out of the newsroom with him.
Two Miami legends hamming it up. Seriously, did I not tell you he could still play in the NFL today? Look at him. Happy birthday, Michael. And many, many more.
