Michael Strahan: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know

Michael Strahan Live! with Kelly Co-Host

Michael Strahan is the new co-host on Live! with Kelly (they’re probably going to have to change that name soon), replacing Regis Philbin. I never thought that Strahan would be able to share a resume item with Regis Philbin. I can’t picture those two hanging out. Regardless, it’s a fact now that it will be Strahan and Kelly beaming into your homes every morning. Let’s learn more about the new host.

1. Michael Strahan Holds the NFL Record for Most Sacks in a Single Season

In the 2001 NFL season Michael Strahan racked up 22.5 sacks. That marks the highest amount since sacks became an official stat in 1982. There is some controversy surrounding his last sack of that season. During a game against the Green Bay Packers, Strahan broke free of their offensive line and quarterback Brett Favre simply slid down, giving Strahan an easy sack. During the ensuing celebration many Giants defenders patted Favre on the helmet. Many believe that Favre took a dive purposely in order to give Strahan the record.

2. Strahan’s an Army Brat

Michael Strahan and his mom

Michael Strahan’s father, Gene Strahan, was an army major. When Michael was nine-years-old his father moved him to an army base in Mannheim, Germany. He played organized football while in Germany and came back to the U.S. to live with his uncle Art so he could play high school football his senior year. He then went back to Germany for the second semester that year so he could graduate from Mannheim Christian Academy.

3. He Supports Same Sex Marriage

In June 2011, Strahan filmed a commercial with his fiancee on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign supporting legalizing same sex marriage in New York. Steve Nash and Sean Avery are other prominent athlete who partook in the same campaign.

4. He Has Two Ex-Wives; One of Those Marriages Ended in an Ugly Divorce

Michael Strahan's Ex-Wife Jean Muggli

Strahan was married to his first wife, Wanda Hutchins, until 1996. They had two children together and had an amicable divorce. He pays them $2,500 a month in child support and bought them a house in the same Houston neighborhood as his parents.

His second divorce was much more of a struggle. He married Jean Muggli in 1999 and they split in 2006. They also had two children together. The split included a huge $15 million divorce settlement, which represented more than half his $22 million worth of assets. Muggli also won $18,000 monthly child support. Muggli claimed that Strahan beat her, cheated on her (with at least three different women, one of whom was nicknamed Cupcake), secretly videotaped her sister undress, and ignored their children.

He denied those claims and claimed that she withdrew $3.3 million from their bank accounts without telling him. He also complained that Muggli spent $22,500 on photoshoot, $27,000 on clothes, and $1,700 on sign language classes for their 20-month-old twin daughters, neither of which is hearing impaired.

5. He’s Currently Engaged to Eddie Murphy’s Ex-Wife, Nicole Murphy

Nicole Murphy is Michael Strahan's Fiancee

Strahan is engaged to Eddie Murphy’s ex, Nicole Murphy who was on reality TV show, Hollywood Exes. She considers her time on the show to be therapy for her and that she’s still very close with Eddie, who is the father of her children.

6. He’s One of 27 Members of the 100 Sacks Club (He Ranks 5th)

Only 27 NFL players have ever gotten over 100 sacks in their careers. Michael Strahan had 141.5, which puts him as the 5th most prolific sacker in NFL history. Only Bruce Smith (200 sacks), Reggie White (198 sacks), Kevin Greene (160 sacks), and Chris Doleman (150.5 sacks) have had more sacks than him. The closest active player is John Abraham who has 112 sacks, good for 16th on the list.

7. He Had a Terrible Sitcom on Fox Called “Brothers”

In 2009, Fox mistakenly gave Strahan his own sitcom called Brothers. It was terrible and everyone agreed to forget it ever existed. Let us never speak of this again.

8. He Has a Signature Gap in His Front Teeth

Michael Strahan Teeth Gap

No profile on Michael Strahan would be complete without mentioning the gap between his two front teeth. It is his most memorable trait.

9. He’s a Future Hall of Famer

Michael Strahan Hall of Fame

Michael Strahan becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2013. He’s a lock to make it in eventually, and will probably make it in on his first ballot. He’s a Super Bowl champion and a seven-time Pro-Bowler. He’s a four-time first-team All-Pro selection and a two-time second-team All-Pro selection. He was the 2001 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and he’s a two-time NFC Defensive Player of the Year. Plus, as previously mentioned, he has the single season sacks record and is in the 100 sacks club. That’s quite the resume.

In addition, he’s well respected in the football world. He’s known for being easy going and making sure everyone is having fun while also working tremendously hard. Jon Clayton of ESPN certainly sees him getting in on his first ballot.

10. He Won the “Live! with Kelly” Gig Over 58 Other Guest Hosts

Seth Meyers Live with Kelly Tryout

Live! with Kelly tested out 59 guest hosts over 10 months and Michael Strahan is the one who won the job. Some of the other people who tried out for the job are Seth Meyers, Anderson Cooper, Josh Groban, Jimmy Kimmel, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Samberg, Alec Baldwin, Lucy Liu, Jonah Hill, and many many more. The finalists were Groban, Meyers, and Strahan with Meyers being considered the favorite. In the end, of course, strahan won.