2015 Pro Bowl: Michael Irvin Gets To Face Old Nemesis Jerry Rice
By Erik Lambert
Jan 25, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team Irvin alumni captain Michael Irvin and Team Irvin alumni co-captain Darren Woodson hold the Pro Bowl trophy after the 2015 Pro Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Money and bragging rights are typically up for grabs at the Pro Bowl but this one probably meant a little bit extra for team captain Michael Irvin. One of the stipulations of the new format is that the winning captains from two subsequent Pro Bowls get to go against each other the next year. This has special meaning for Irvin since it was Jerry Rice who emerged victorious last year.
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Cowboys and 49ers wars will never fade for those two
Aside from the fact that both are Hall of Fame receivers that went through the same era together in the late ’80s and early-to-mid ’90s, it was their fight over the Lombardi trophy that really drew out some of the bad blood. From 1992 to 1994, Irvin’s Dallas Cowboys faced Rice’s San Francisco 49ers three-straight times in the NFC championship game, each time with the winner going on to win the Super Bowl.
Irvin grew up in college idolizing Rice and wanted to show up big time when the two met on the biggest stage. The games were fierce and blood thirsty, featuring the best talent anywhere in the NFL. Rice had won two Super Bowls already in ’88 and ’89, but Irvin and the Cowboys sent the 49ers a strong message by knocking them out of the conference championship not once, but twice. However, Rice got the last laugh in 1994 when San Francisco beat Dallas in their third meeting, ending the Cowboys reign and robbing them of being the first team ever to win three-straight Super Bowls.
It’s a loss that still burns Michael Irvin to this day.
So while the Pro Bowl may be largely meaningless in the grand scheme, one can bet those two great receivers are going to add a little old school nastiness to it in 2016.