High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN`s NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his college career. He played college football at the University of Miami. In 2007, he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.