'Football Michael' was filled with gratitude. Strahan dished out wisdom, delivered thank-yous in rapid-fire bunches, and shared just a few little secrets from his playing days.
CANTON, Ohio — He’s the center of attention on television every morning, turning on his megawatt smile and oozing charisma and making crowds laugh with every quip to co-host Kelly Ripa.
But on Saturday night, Michael Strahan wanted to be different. On a breezy night in Canton, the Giants’ all-time leader in sacks was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the final happy ending to a 15-year football career that he called “improbable.” And a night like this couldn’t have a script.
“My life right now is like all teleprompters and scripts and all that,” he started. “This is from the heart. This is not TV Michael. This is football Michael.”
Football Michael was filled with gratitude. For the next 34 minutes — the final part of an enshrinement ceremony that saw seven players inducted into the Hall of Fame — Strahan dished out wisdom, delivered thank-yous in rapid-fire bunches, and shared just a few little secrets from his playing days. He was equal parts charismatic TV host and retired gridder who couldn’t stop talking about a magical career.
“I am eternally grateful to this game,” he said. “It’s all so improbable.”
COREY SIPKIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWSGiants great Michael Strahan is all gap-toothed smile as he poses next to his bust which will be placed in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
It was improbable from the start. There were his days as a “husky” boy, he said, when his brothers and sisters teased him by calling him “Bob,” short for “Booty on Back.” A 13-year-old Strahan responded by working out to Jane Fonda videos, then “graduating” to Herschel Walker’s workout books.
Things were still “improbable,” Strahan said, when he was drafted by the Giants. He spoke effusively of the late Wellington Mara, then told everyone a dirty little secret to describe his relationship with Bob Tisch.
Remember his foot injury “while making a sack” as a rookie?
“It was during the sack dance,” he admitted.
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