Rarified Air: Players with the Most Pro Bowl Appearances
Michael Strahan (7 Pro Bowls), Harry Carson (9 Pro Bowls) and Lawrence Taylor (10 Pro Bowls).
Everyone knows how great Strahan was, a second-round pick out of Texas Southern in 1993. He played 216 games in his career, all for the Giants and is famous for his candor and the way he reinvented himself body-wise halfway through his career. The defensive end is the Giants’ all-time leader in sacks with 141.5 and still holds the NFL single-season record for sacks (22.5 in 2001). Strahan’s final game was the Giants’ improbable 17-14 victory over the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXII, a fitting end to a brilliant career. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Carson may be the most underrated linebacker and defensive player of his era. He was a nine-time Pro Bowler who endured some sorry Giants football and was rewarded for his perseverance when the Giants became Super Bowl champs in 1986. On the field, you would not want to be running Harry’s way, but off the field, you will not find a finer gentleman. Although Carson retired in 1988, he was not enshrined in Canton until 2006, which in many’s eyes was a travesty. He may not have been as famous as Willie Lanier, Mike Singletary or Jack Lambert, but he was every bit as good as them, if not better.
Taylor needs no introduction. His backstory, frontstory and sidestories have been well-documented. There was no one like him before he entered the NFL in 1981 and there hasn’t been anyone like him since he left in 1993. Many believe he may be the greatest player in the history of the sport, although some will stick with Jim Brown. LT was simply a force of nature, who prompted opponents to alter their game plans around him so that he wouldn’t disable their quarterbacks. Many times they failed. He invented the role of rush linebacker or EDGE rusher, but few have been able to replicate his success.