Dallas Cowboys: How Michael Irvin is molding future playmakers

Former Dallas Cowboys legend and Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin is molding future playmakers though his annual academy.

Selected in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys, Miami wide receiver Michael Irvin was the first key piece in what later became one of the league’s all-time greatest dynasties.

With Irving averaging nearly 1,000 receiving yards per season, the Cowboys returned to prominence in the early nineties, winning three Super Bowls in four years. Not only does Michael have three rings, but he’s also a five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro, and a member of both the Cowboys Ring of Honor and the NFL Hall of Fame.

Although it’s been over 17 years since Irvin has played the game, the man known as “The Playmaker” is now molding the next generation of playmakers. But the lessons he teaches at his annual academy stretch far beyond the football field.

"“Playmakers Academy is using the game of football to teach the greatest values in life to impart to the kids,” Irvin said about last year’s event. “To make sure they know what it takes, not just to be successful on the football field, but to be successful in life. That’s why we are leaving the ram of ‘camp’ and going to ‘academy’. It’s going to be like no other football camp you have ever seen before.”"

The Michael Irvin Playmakers Academy is open to both experienced football players as well as those just starting out between the ages of 7-18. The annual event will be held at the University of North Texas in Denton on July 15th-18th later this year. For more information, checkout the academy’s full brochure here.

Although the camp can not guarantee how many former and/or current members of the Dallas Cowboys will attend the event, players like Dak Prescott, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Jason Witten, Sean Lee and even head coach Jason Garrett have all taught at the academy before.

Combine that football knowledge with Irvin, the ultra-talented and emotional leader of those early nineties Cowboy teams who was known for his extraordinary work ethic, and it’s easy to imagine what a powerful force of inspiration this event could be for children both on and off-the-field. It appears to be an unique opportunity and an experience of a lifetime for all involved.

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For more information about the Michael Irvin Playmakers Academy, go to www.footballcamps.com. And if you are interesting in attending the camp yourself or sponsoring a child to do so, you can contact Neil DeLuca at neil@footballcamps.com via e-mail or by phone at (301) 575-9400.