Strahan’s gift of gab made the transition to television easy
in the early 1960s. He developed into a smallcollege All-American by his senior season in 1992, but, contrary to his public persona today, he was hardly the life of the Third Ward.
“I wasn’t the guy walking around waving a flag saying ‘I’m here,’ ” Strahan said. “I sat back and observed. Here is where I learned how to talk to people and deal with people of different backgrounds and religions and races. It wasn’t all of a sudden I went to New York and it happened. At TSU, I took a different path.”
He was drafted by the Giants in his final semester at TSU and played 15 years as a seven-time All-Pro, setting the team record for career sacks as a defensive lineman and anchoring the defense for the Giants team that won Super Bowl XLII.
His gift of gab — and his gap-toothed smile — made him a natural fit in the long list of New York professional athletes, dating back to Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall and Kyle Rote, to move into television. He joined Fox Sports’ “Fox NFL Sunday” in 2008 and last September succeeded Regis Philbin alongside Kelly Ripa on Disney’s “Live” morning show.
“You have goals and you have what you want to do and what you expect to do, but sometimes things don’t always go your way,” he said. “But, for me, things have always worked out.” Fear of failure
His transition to “Live” is the best example of that fact. He appeared on a show as a guest in 2008 after the Giants won the Super Bowl and, when Philbin asked him about his post-football plans, Strahan replied, “Live With Michael and Kelly.”
“He said it as a joke,” said Michael Gelman, longtime producer of “Live.” “He didn’t even remember having said it. We were going through tapes and one of our producers found it and said ‘You will not believe this.’ Pretty remarkable.”
Gelman said the 6-foot-5 Strahan’s appeal is based in part by the contrast between appearance and reality.
“He’s a big, imposing football player who used to scare people for a living, but when he opens Gelman compared it successful.” his mouth and smiles, he Strahan’s comments about Gelman said Strahan becomes a big teddy bear,” on-air fear as a motivat“has a huge amount of Gelman said. “He has that ing factor to an athlete’s confidence that allows him something special that attitude of being “in the to take chances and risks. Watt thoughts is hard to measure. As a zone” during a productive He can dress up as Oprah Dressing up in matchproducer, I know it when game. and wear rip-away pants ing exercise outfits with I see it. “It’s an excitement that with the guys from ‘Magic Kelly Ripa is all well
“But on our show, it’s certain people can channel Mike’ and make it work.” and good, but there’s a not just having a great into productive ways,” he In that sense, he resubstantial demographic personality. It’s the chemsaid. “Working in a live sembles Shaquille O’Neal, in Houston that cares istry with Kelly that has environment, twisting and the former NBA star who less about what Michael worked out. They have fun turning, making quick grew up in a military famStrahan does on morntogether, they like each decisions, that stress, that ily in San Antonio and has ing TV and more about other. One of the keys to fear, make you perform mixed sports and enterwhat he thinks of current our show is not to be fakbetter. When you’re on tainment assignments in NFL defensive linemen ing a good time but having live TV, things slow down. the wake of his playing — specifically, J.J. Watt of a good time, and the audiSomeone will say you days. the Texans, the reigning ence can feel it.” have 30 seconds to explain “A lot of Army brats Defensive Player of the Year.Strahan’sgood-time something, and the host Iknowhavethatqualattitude, however, is motisays ‘No problem. That’s a ity,” Gelman said. “They Watt last year had 20.5 vated by fear. lot of time.’ ”
“Fear of failure and fear Strahan got the job of disappointment is more over top candidates that of a motivator for me,” he included Seth Meyers, said. “If I don’t do someAnderson Cooper and thing right, what is going Josh Groban because he to happen? What is the fits the template dating alternative? That is what back to the original “Live” keeps you going. syndicated concept in the
“Every day I’m nervous. late 1980s with Philbin I don’t walk around and and Kathie Lee Gifford, think this is a cakewalk. but Gelman said he has It may look like it, but adapted the show to fit it’s not. You have to have Strahan’s strengths. a great support system, “It seems I’m doing which I did with my fammore physical stuff now ily. When you know their than when I was hitting expectations on top of quarterbacks,” Strahan your expectations, you do said. “We’re changing the whatever you can to make show but you have to keep it happen.” the core of what has made moved around so much they can move into any situation and make it feel natural. (Strahan) was a sports star and a kid in Germany and went to college in Texas, and he had a lot of life experiences that have added up for him.”
But while he has visualized success since his TSU days, nothing prepared Strahan for the experience of being Dr. Strahan.
“I could see the other (goals). I never thought I would see this one,” he said. “It could be the biggest surprise of all. It ranks up with the biggest things that have happened to me. This is as big as getting a Super Bowl ring or a player of the year award.” sacks, 2.5 short of tying Strahan’s NFL record set in 2001, and Strahan believes the record could fall soon.
“He’s phenomenal. He’s one of my favorite players to watch,” Strahan said. “I wish he had broken that record so they would leave me alone about it. He’s going to get it.”
Twice divorced, Strahan has four children and is engaged to Nicole Murphy, the former wife of comedian Eddie Murphy. He will return this fall for his sixth season on “Fox NFL Sunday” and said he is up to the task of commuting from New York, home base for “Live With Kelly and Michael,” to Los Angeles for the Sunday morning Fox show.
“I love it, and it’s worth it,” he said. “I love what I do. If I didn’t love doing Fox with those guys, I would get out of it, and if I didn’t love doing morning TV with Kelly I would get out of it.
“I’m fortunate to have two of the best jobs in television. Besides, if I told my dad that I have to fly so much, he would take me out for saying that.”
david.barron@chron.com