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Michael Irvin

Retires

Irvin suffered a serious neck injury early in the 1999 season and was advised by doctors that returning to the field could be risky. After playing just four games in 1999, Irvin announced his retirement. Over the course of his twelve-year career in a Dallas Cowboys' uniform, Irvin was the city's biggest hero and its biggest villain. When asked whether he thinks he will make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according the Knight Ridder Newspapers, Irvin reflected, "I don't know. The things I experienced off the field could be held against me. But the things I accomplished on the field cannot be taken away. Say whatever, but when you fix your mouth to talk about me as a football player, you will say, 'He played football.'"

Career Statistics

Receiving
Yr Team GP REC YDS AVG TD
DAL: Dallas Cowboys
1988 DAL 14 32 654 20.4 5
1989 DAL 6 26 378 14.5 2
1990 DAL 12 20 413 20.7 5
1991 DAL 16 93 1523 16.4 8
1992 DAL 16 78 1396 17.9 7
1993 DAL 16 88 1330 15.1 7
1994 DAL 16 79 1241 15.7 6
1995 DAL 16 111 1603 14.4 10
1996 DAL 11 64 962 15.0 2
1997 DAL 16 75 1180 15.7 9
1998 DAL 16 74 1057 14.3 1
1999 DAL 4 10 167 16.7 3
TOTAL 159 750 11904 15.9 65

Where Is He Now?

Following retirement, Irvin was working on a deal with Fox Sports as a pre-game analyst; however, in August of 2000, he was found with a woman in a North Dallas apartment raided by police, who discovered marijuana. Although Irvin insisted that he hadn't touched drugs since 1996, Fox Sports terminated the talks. Then in early 2001, with his wife by his side, Irvin went to a church and underwent a religious conversion experience. Taking to Jesus with the same compulsive enthusiasm that he took to the football field, Irvin has professed to be a new man, spending a good deal of his time in his church and in prayer.

Although Irvin continues to have detractors who doubt his sincerity, his spiritual rebirth has redeemed his image sufficiently for Fox Sports to find him a spot in front of the camera. After appearing as a regular panelist on Fox Sports' "Best Damn Sports Show," in June 2002 Irvin was given a permanent spot on the network's studio show, "The NFL Show."

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Famous Sports StarsFootballMichael Irvin Biography - Always Hungry, The Playmaker, Falls From Grace, Chronology, Awards And Accomplishments, Retires - CONTACT INFORMATION