Michael Strahan Gives up the Last Reminder of His NFL Greatness
When your future is as bright and Michael Strahan’s, there’s no need to look back on stuff you’ve already done. Maybe that’s behind the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee’s decision to surrender what many New York Giants fans assume would be one of his most cherished bits of NFL memorabilia.
Michael Strahan earned his place in the Hall of Fame
Michael Strahan has been retired from the NFL’s New York Giants since the end of the 2007 season and is already 48 years old. That means that there is a generation of young people that knows him only as a successful television personality.
But Strahan’s first paying gig was as an outstanding defensive end for the New York Giants for 15 seasons. He was fifth on the NFL’s career sacks list with 141.5 when he retired after capturing that elusive first Super Bowl ring.
Strahan arrived in the league in 1993 as the Giants’ second-round draft pick. He did not miss a game from 1996 to 2003, setting an NFL single-season record with 22.5 sacks in 2001.
Along the way, he earned first-team All-Pro recognition four times and made 854 tackles. It added up to induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
The All-Pro defensive end went out on a winning note
The final game of Michael Strahan’s NFL career was Super Bowl 42 following the 2007 season. The New England Patriots were seeking to complete a 19-0 season and entered as heavy betting favorites. The Giants pulled out a 17-14 victory with the help of David Tyree’s ball-to-the-helmet catch of an Eli Manning pass.
Strahan finished that game with three tackles and a sack. He would then head off for a second career in television that has been impressive thus far. After sliding directly into a job as a studio analyst on the Fox NFL Sunday pregame show alongside Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson, Strahan also started subbing for Regis Philbin on Live! With Regis and Kelly in October 2010. He took over a permanent seat alongside Kelly Ripa in September 2012.
Audiences liked Strahan, and he took on a weekday morning role on Good Morning America in 2016. His segments were spun off into a late-morning show with Sara Haines and Keke Palmer that lasted until early 2020. ABC pre-empted the show this spring to deliver more extensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Strahan has a job hosting The $100,000 Pyramid while ABC figures out a new talk-show role for him. He has also co-founded the SMAC Entertainment management company, which represents Erin Andrews, Curt Menefee, Deion Sanders, and Wiz Khalifa. The company also recently signed retired WWE wrestling twins Brie and Nikki Bella.
Michael Strahan is auctioning a reminder of his NFL greatness
Michael Strahan’s game-worn jersey from Super Bowl 42 against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots is being sold at auction this week, TMZ reported.
Goldin Auctions in Runnemede, New Jersey, is handling the sale of the white and red jersey, complete with grass stains from the turf that afternoon in Glendale, Arizona. The Auction Company says the authenticity is confirmed by matching the jersey against photos from the final game of Strahan’s career.
Bidding will conclude Aug. 22. The original price was set at $20,000 and climbed to $39,000 after seven bids, setting up the possibility that that sale price could approach six figures.
