Michael Irvin: Career retrospective | Yardbarker

Michael Irvin grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He has 16 siblings. He played football at St. Thomas Aquinas High School and became a star in the sun-soaked city. After his high school career, Irvin committed to the nearby University of Miami to play college football for the Hurricanes. 

Irvin immediately made a positive contribution to the Hurricanes football program. The Hurricanes were the best team in college football during the late ’80s, and Irvin was a reliable pass-catcher for them. He holds many receiving records at Miami. 

Fun fact: Hall of Fame coach Jimmy Johnson was Irvin’s head coach in college and when he played for the Dallas Cowboys. 

The 1987 Miami Hurricanes wrote their name into college football history. They went 12-0 and beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to win their third national championship in school history. Irvin was a big reason the Hurricanes won it all. He caught the game-winning touchdown against bitter rival Florida State, which propelled them to the national championship. Irvin entered the NFL Draft after his junior year when the championship celebration ended. 

When Draft Day rolled around, Irvin offered a championship resume to NFL teams. He was viewed as a top prospect from the get-go. The Dallas Cowboys drafted Irvin with their first-round pick. Irvin left his hometown state of Florida for the bright lights of Dallas. 

It became apparent early on that Irvin wasn’t your average football player. He earned the starting receiver job as a rookie and caught his first touchdown pass in the season opener. In the penultimate game of the Cowboy’s season, Irvin caught three touchdown passes against Washington. It was his best performance of the year. While Irvin was showing promise as a young wide receiver, the Cowboys went 3-13.

The Dallas Cowboys were sold to Jerry Jones in 1989. His first order of business was cleaning house. He fired Cowboys legend Tom Landry and hired Jimmy Johnson as his replacement (who was Irvin’s college coach). The 1989 season was a time of rebuilding and transition for the Cowboys. They went 1-15, the worst record in franchise history. Irvin tore his ACL six games into the season and missed the rest of the ’89 campaign. 

The 1989 Cowboys were one of the worst teams in NFL history. Rookie head coach Jimmy Johnson knew he needed to make a move to jumpstart the franchise. Four games into the season, Johnson had an idea. He traded Herschel Walker, the best player on the team, to the Minnesota Vikings. The blockbuster trade involved 18 players and draft picks. 

The aftermath of the trade was that the Vikings got the star player they wanted while the Cowboys used the draft capital they acquired to draft Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Darren Woodson, Clayton Holmes, and Kevin Smith. This crew of Cowboys helped the team win three Super Bowls in four years. 

Everyone in the Cowboys organization knew Irvin was a special player. He was a hard worker and gave his all in practice. The only problem was he couldn’t stay on the field. After tearing his ACL four games into the 1989 season, Irvin didn’t see action again until Week 4 of the 1990 season. He struggled mightily that year, finishing with just 20 catches and 413 yards.

Irvin overcame adversity and had his breakout year in 1991. The star receiver hauled in 93 catches for a league-leading 1,523 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. This was good enough for his first Pro Bowl nod. Irvin was also named First-Team All-Pro. When it comes to the team, the Cowboys were back to their winning ways, going 11-5 and earning their first playoff appearance in five years. 

Irvin went to five Pro Bowls in a row from 1991-95. He was one of the premier receivers in the league during the 1990s. As the best receiver on the best team in the league, Irvin was named to the 1990s NFL All-Decade Team in 1999. In his prime, no one could stop Irvin. 

The Cowboys showed the football world what they were made of in 1992. They went 13-3 and crushed the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers to earn their first Super Bowl appearance in 14 years. The new-look Cowboys convincingly beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII by a score of 52-17. Irvin hauled in six receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the Super Bowl. 

The Cowboys were locked and loaded for another title. Almost the entire team returned for the 1993 season. They went 12-4 and marched their way to Super Bowl XXVIII for a rematch with the Buffalo Bills. The Cowboys ended up blowing them out by a score of 30-13. Irvin logged five catches for 66 yards as the Cowboys went back-to-back. 

One of Irvin’s best performances was in a loss. The Cowboys continued their winning ways in 1994 and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Irvin blew up for 12 catches, 192 yards, and two touchdowns in the heartbreaking loss. 

Irvin had a career year in 1995, nabbing 111 catches for 1,603 yards and 10 touchdowns. Hungry to go on a revenge tour after losing in the playoffs last year, the Cowboys brought in Deion Sanders to help them climb the mountain. 

In the playoffs, Irvin had a great outing (7/100/2) against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, leading the Boys to victory. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. It was the Cowboys’ third Super Bowl win in four years. It was official, the ’90s Cowboys were a dynasty. 

You might be asking, “Who helped the Cowboys become a dynasty in the ’90s?” It was the Cowboys Triplets: Irvin, quarterback Troy Aikman, and running back Emmitt Smith. They were must-watch football in the ’90s. It’s easy to see why. They were the best players on the best team in the league, and they played in so many big games over the years. 

Even the best rodeos have to come to an end. This was no different for the ’90s Cowboys. They burnt out after the Super Bowl years and didn’t get close for the rest of Irvin’s career. However, Irvin kept up his dominant play and remained the team’s leading receiver.

In the fifth game of the 1999 season, Irvin suffered a career-ending spine injury against the Philadelphia Eagles at Veterans Stadium. Irvin was carted off the field and later diagnosed with cervical spinal stenosis. The injury was so bad that Irvin retired after the season. It was his last game in the NFL. It can be argued that the Cowboys dynasty ended after Irvin’s injury. 

Irvin was more than just a flashy playmaker. He was the emotional leader of the Cowboys. The passionate wide receiver established a winning culture in Big D. He retired as the Cowboys’ all-time receiving leader and has been surpassed by Jason Witten. 

Irvin was clutch when it mattered most. He is tied with Julian Edelman for second all-time in career 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs with six, per Statmuse. 

Since retiring from football, Irvin built a second career as a football analyst on NFL Network and ESPN. He’s also starred in the Adam Sandler movies The Longest Yard and Jack and Jill.

Irvin has a history of off-field issues. In 2001, he was arrested for possession of cocaine and was accused of sexual assault three times (1996, 2007, ’17), but the charges were either dropped or were never brought to court in each case. 

In August 2007, Irvin was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He gave a passionate speech from the heart at his enshrinement ceremony. Irvin is one of the best winners in the sport’s history. He will always be remembered as a beloved Dallas athlete.