Michael Irvin is one of the most famous former Miami Hurricanes’ players out there. From his 1984-87 college career at “The U” to his 1988-99 NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys to his subsequent media career with ESPN, NFL Network, and now Fox Sports, it’s hard to imagine many involved in football not recognizing Irvin. But the ESPN on ABC broadcast of the Pop-Tarts Bowl between Miami and Iowa State Saturday identified him as “Michael Irving” on a graphic:
Miami legend “Michael Irving” is in the house for the Pop-Tarts Bowl. pic.twitter.com/srQ4UX4YLf
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 28, 2024
Yeah, that’s an embarrassing gaffe. Graphic mistakes and misidentifications happen, but this is a particularly brutal one given Irvin’s prominence both at Miami and afterwards (including even with time working at ESPN). And while it may well have stemmed just from a typo rather than an actual misidentification, it wasn’t great that this made it to air.
Following his NFL career, Irvin spent significant time at ESPN, including working on Sunday NFL Countdown from 2003-06 and hosting a radio show in Dallas from 2008-10. He also worked at NFL Network from 2009 until earlier this year, when he had his contract not renewed around a series of cost-cutting moves.
Lately, Irvin has been contributing to Fox Sports (a role he started in 2023 ahead of his NFLN exit). And he’s recently drawn attention there for his seeming lobbying for and orchestrating of a Deion Sanders to the Cowboys move). So he’s certainly still on the media radar. But maybe not so much for whoever did the “Michael Irving” graphic.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.