For 12 years, Dallas Cowboys fans had the pleasure of watching Michael Irvin tear it up on the football field. Since Irvin retired in 1999, he's still been a big name in the NFL world thanks to his broadcasting gigs and outgoing personality.
It's hard not to notice Irvin whenever he's making an appearance somewhere and he always seems upbeat and positive.
During an exclusive interview with FanSided, Irvin was asked what the key has been to his post-playing career happiness. His answer just screams Michael Irvin.
"Man, the key to my happiness is having the opportunity to be around the game still... I'm a football player. I am a pure football player," Irvin said. "... Either playing it and then doing broadcasting in the NFL for forever. And then the last few years, especially being on the sideline with the young men at the University of Miami. You hear players get up in my age and talk about we'll never be able to do it again. And we won't. We won't ever be able to do it again.
But to be in that atmosphere, to be around that atmosphere, have young men in college come up to me and say, 'Oh, every time I come out there at the tournament, I see you, I get hyped.' Dude, dude, ain't nothing better for an old man like me that could never play the game again. There is nothing better."
How Dallas Cowboys great Michael Irvin built a life he loves after football
Irvin has been very noticeable over the past year due to the National Championship run the Miami Hurricanes (his alma mater) had.
Irvin was always hanging out on the sideline, helping fire those young players up. Cowboys fans weren't the least bit surprised to see him bring that energy because he did the same thing when he was catching passes in Dallas.
It was also cool to hear Irvin mention how young college students approach him and tell him how motivating he is. That's classic Michael Irvin for you, as he had a lasting impact on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who recently credited his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame to his former wide receiver.
“I have a gold jacket,” Jones told TMZ. “I wouldn’t have the gold jackets, in a manner of speaking. To be involved and be around the winning mentality or that winning physicality -- when Michael says it, I listen."
Because Irvin was such a rockstar on the football field, it gets lost that he was influential in the Cowboys' personnel strategy under Jimmy Johnson, who coached him at Miami.
It's hard for football players once they retire and try to build a new career for themselves, but clearly, Irvin has found his niche, and it's been a lot of fun to witness. Hopefully, the Cowboys take a page out of Miami's playbook and give their Hall of Fame receiver something to cheer about in the near future.
Note: Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin spoke on behalf of Hard Rock Bet.