The man who both drafted and coached Michael Strahan in the earliest years of his storied football career has passed on to that great stadium in the sky, and Strahan was quick to take to social media and let his fans and the world, in general, know how he felt about the late Dan Reeves. Strahan lost someone who helped guide him and form him in his youth, and Strahan let us all know the crater-sized loss that was left in his life. Sadly, almost in the same breath, he also posted a tribute to John Madden who the world also recently lost. It’s been a sad season for football fans, that’s for certain.
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Dan Reeves, He Grieves
The duo had first met in 1993 when Reeves drafted Strahan for the New York Giants. A move that would forever change Strahan’s life and career. It was Reeves who decided it best to move Strahan from the right side of the defensive line to the left. It was a simple enough move, but Strahan credits it with changing his life and how he played football.
Generally, Strahan points out how he was a babe in the woods just kind of blindsided by everything back then and Reeves took the time to teach him and mentor him, which formed him into the success he is today.
John Madden, So Saddened
Then we have Strahan’s tribute to the truly iconic John Madden. Another football icon who sadly passed away recently. He was 85 years old, and the chance that you or someone you love owns a John Madden football video game hovers around 101%. Though Strahan had less hands-on time with Madden than Reeves, he still acknowledged the loss in a way we can all relate to.
Keep in mind, those 2 Instagram posts from Strahan were only three posts apart. That is a lot of loss to experience during a time of year when most people are very happy. But Strahan handled the losses with grace and resilience, and that is admirable to see from anyone going through something so difficult.
The big takeaway with a story like this is to make sure you let everyone in your life know what they mean to you. A loss around the holidays tends to really get people thinking and shows some of us we are luckier than we think.