Michael Strahan’s path to “Good Morning America” is a long one and involves a lot of football. Let’s take a look back at his two decade journey to his split with Kelly Ripa.
As a college football All-American at the historically black Texas Southern University, Michael Strahan was a dominant force on the defensive line. He was named black college football defensive player of the year for the 1992 season.
Strahan was selected in the second round of the 1993 NFL draft by the New York Giants, the team he would play on for the entirety of his 15-year career.
In 2001, Strahan broke the NFL record for sacks in a single season with 22.5. The final sack was made against Brett Favre, whom some pundits believed gave himself up to get Strahan the record. Strahan received the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that season.
In Strahan’s final season in 2007, the Giants won the Super Bowl against the previously undefeated New England Patriots. Many thought he would retire before the season, as he missed training camp and the preseason, but he stuck around for one last go.
Strahan announced his retirement in June 2008. He finished his career with 141.5 sacks, 854 tackles, 24 force fumbles, 4 interceptions and 3 touchdowns.
Immediately after his retirement, Strahan signed on for a home improvement show called “Backyard Stadiums” on the DIY Network, in which he and co-host Amy Winn Pastor would help build lavish sports facilities in families’ yards. The show ran for five episodes.
Strahan made appearances in a number of ad campaigns, including a web series for Snickers, and commercials for Vaseline and Subway.
In 2009, Strahan headlined the Fox sitcom “Brothers,” playing, aptly, a retired NFL player. The series also starred Daryl Mitchell, CCH Pounder and Carl Weathers but lasted only one season.
Strahan’s first appearance on “Live!” came as a fill-in for co-host Regis Philbin in October 2010.
When Philbin retired in 2011, Strahan was tapped to replace him, and “Live! With Regis and Kelly” was renamed to “Live! With Kelly and Michael.” Strahan co-hosted the show until 2016.
In 2014, Strahan was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
Strahan did some more acting in recent years, with guest appearances on the TV shows “Entourage” and “Black-ish” and a supporting role as a stripper in 2015’s “Magic Mike XXL.” He also voices a character in the 2016 animated film “Ice Age: Collision Course.”
On April 19, 2016, Strahan announced he was leaving “Live! With Michael and Kelly” for a full-time spot on “Good Morning America.
