Walter Irvin, father of Michael Irvin, worked two jobs. On the weekdays, he was a roofer, trying to earn a living to support his family of 17 children. On weekends, he was the pastor giving sermons at their church. As a result, he could never go watch his son play football. But the one thing they shared was a love for the Dallas Cowboys, and they’d always watch those games together. Walter wore a fedora like coach Tom Landry, and hero-worshipped the legendary wide receiver, Drew Pearson. The admiration was so high that he’d tell Michael, “Son, one day I’m gonna make enough money. We’re gonna go see the Cowboys play.”

Walter called Pearson “The Clutch,” and cheered his heart out every time Pearson made a big play. But when he passed away battling cancer in 1983, Michael was alone in his quest for football supremacy and in need of a way to connect with his father. That quest led Michael to the iconic No. 88 – the same number that Drew Pearson donned on his back for 11 seasons, all the way to 1983. On the Ring Champs podcast, that’s the story The Playmaker went back to.

“I’m having dreams I’m playing tight end, defensive end,” Irvin said. “And his favorite player, which was wild to me, was Drew Pearson. So all we would do is watch, and when Drew made a play, he would go crazy. ‘Boy, that’s Clutch… Look, that’s how you got to make a play.’ Now, remember, I’m a tight end and defensive end. I’m like, ‘I ain’t going to never be out there like that.

“And then when he passed, I get moved to wide receiver, and then I get drafted to Dallas, and I’m wearing the 88.”

When the hosts asked Irvin if that was a bittersweet moment, wishing Walter could see his son wear Pearson’s number, Irvin agreed.

“That’s how I thought about it,” Irvin said. “The only way I can have moments with my father on the football field was when I caught a touchdown in the Super Bowl, I would imagine him celebrating from one of the Drew Pearson moments.

“I went and visited him the night before he died, I promised I would take care of my mom. So even in college, every time I scored a touchdown, I will point up to tell him, I remember by promise. I’m going to remember my promise.”

The iconic image of Irvin putting up two fingers to the sky when he scored is branded into the memory of everyone who followed his legend with the Miami Hurricanes. Then, in 1988, when the Cowboys drafted him 11th overall, it felt like a full-circle moment. From No. 47 pointing up at the sky in college, he became No. 88, making the same promise again, this time wearing The Star on his helmet and Pearson’s number on his back. Michael had found the connection he was looking for.

After Michael Irvin hung up his cleats in 1999, his number took a detour when it passed to tight end Jackie Harris. But it found its way to the back of a receiver in 2002 when Antonio Bryant took it up. Tight end Brett Pierce was another detour in 2005, and it wasn’t until 2010 that WR Dez Bryant made that number his own. In 2017, the last year Bryant wore that number for Dallas, Irvin had revealed why he’d never want that number retired.

“People tell me, ‘Michael, why don’t they retire your jersey?’” Irvin told The Ringer. “Why would I want my jersey retired? When they retire it, the only time they talk about it is when I leave time and go to eternity, and they take that camera off the field and say, ‘Hey, we lost Michael Irvin today. Back to the game.

“Why should I wait for my death for my flowers? With Dez Bryant wearing [88], every Sunday when he makes a play, they say, ‘Boy, that reminds you of Michael Irvin!’ If he drops a ball, they say, ‘Michael Irvin wouldn’t have dropped that!”

That legacy and comparison carried on when CeeDee Lamb took that number up again in 2020. Lamb’s been wearing that number ever since, and those conversations about The Playmaker Irvin wanted to go on? They will keep going every time Lamb makes a spectacular play or misses a catch.

Walter Irvin never got to see his son play football in school or college. He never got to see the legend of “The Clutch” turn into the legacy of The Playmaker. But the legacy of No. 88 still comes alive under the lights with the team they both loved. Perhaps Walter is still smiling down from heaven, watching the everlasting tribute his son has left for him on the football field.