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.
Michael Irvin has been a part of the NFL Network broadcast team since 2009.