Michael Strahan About To Get Live! Gig?
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By DERON SNYDER
Plenty of pro football players hang up their cleats and transition to coaching careers. Far fewer go from making plays as athletes to calling plays as broadcasters. Then there’s the select number who make the leap from sports to pop culture, becoming mainstream entertainers in film or TV.
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown retired at his peak in 1966 and went on to star in more than 40 movies. Around the same time, Fred Williamson went from being an NFL defensive back to one of the first “blaxploitation” stars. More recently, O.J. made a name in Hollywood before he was named in a murder case.
Successful moves to the small screen have been far less frequent, unless you count reality-TV shows that have featured the likes of Deion Sanders, Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. But it looks as if broadcaster Michael Strahan is about to set a new standard for former pro athletes gaining TV prominence that’s not sports-related.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, and since reported by multiple other outlets, the former Super Bowl champ with the New York Giants will replace Regis Philbin next month as co-host of Live! alongside Kelly Ripa. She’s expected to make the announcement during the Sept. 4 broadcast.
