Michael Strahan
A former New York Giants defensive end, Strahan announced his retirement in 2008. He's since become an unlikely television star.
Despite having a former pro football player as a father, Strahan was slow to start his football career, seeing as he spent his formative years on an army base in Germany. Far and away the best player on his team in Mannheim, Germany, Strahan lived with his uncle for a year so that he could attend Westbury High School in Houston, giving him access to a Friday Night Lights-esque football program. Despite playing for only one year, he got an offer from Texas Southern University and was so dominant that by junior year he had become an NFL prospect. He was drafted in 1993 by the New York Giants and spent the entirety of his career with the Big Blue. His time in New York got off to a slow start, but by 1997 he was possibly the most dominant defensive end in the game, breaking records for sacks and being named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. In 2005 he was plagued with injuries, and when he missed the entire training camp and preseason in 2006, many thought he had simply given up. However, he opted to finish out the year and had one of the best seasons of his career, breaking the franchise record for sacks and winning the Super Bowl in a surprise upset over the New England Patriots. However, Strahan wasn't absent from television screens for long: he has become one of the most popular NFL commentators on Fox, starred in the short-lived Fox sitcom Brothers, and, in a shocking move, was tapped as the co-host for Live! with Kelly Ripa in 2012 following Regis' retirement. [Image via Getty]