Hall of Famer Michael Irvin helped the Dallas Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the 1990s. Yet Irvin remembers a missed opportunity during a game against another Cowboys legend, Deion Sanders, as a moment he still can't forget.

During an episode of Champion Mindset with Daniel Cormier podcast on July 14, the former Cowboys wide receiver admitted that the 1995 NFC Championship game (38-28) against Sanders, when the former cornerback was with the San Francisco 49ers, has haunted him for years.

"The one play - there's not a day that goes by I don't think about it - was that play down the sideline where I had Deion [Deion Sanders], and I could have gone up and caught that ball," Irvin said on the Champion Mindset with Daniel Cormier podcast. "I think I should have gone up and reached at his highest peak to make a play."

Irvin revealed that the pivotal moment came when the Cowboys were trailing by 11 points and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw a deep pass to Irvin, who was covered by Sanders.

"And I did, and Deion caught my hand - I thought it was a PI [pass interference] and they didn't call it," Irvin said during the Champion Mindset with Daniel Cormier podcast (YouTube @championmindsetwithdanielcormier). "And that one play right there, no matter what, I think about every day of my life - like, maybe I should have done this, or should have done that."

Sanders allegedly arm-barred against Irvin, preventing him from catching the ball, according to Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

But the game ended without a flag for pass interference, and Irvin admitted that the play has stayed with him since then.

The Cowboys won the Super Bowl XXVII (1992 season) and XXVIII (1993 season). Winning the 1994 season would have made them reach a three-peat feat, which no NFL team has reached.

Although Irvin later won another Super Bowl with the Cowboys in the 1995 season, he admitted that the missed chance against the Niners is something that he still replays in his mind.

Irvin reveals the championship mindset that built the Cowboys dynasty

Irvin said during the same episode of Champion Mindset with Daniel Cormier podcast that the team should come together with a strong motive of winning and encouraging each other to land the Super Bowl title.

"... we got one thing we're doing here, and that's winning," Irvin said during the same podcast. "And if you can't be a part of this, literally, I don't need no friends, I just need wins. And the only way you can be my friend is if somewhere you can help me win - that's just the reality to it..."

Irvin further said the Cowboys' dynasty was built on relationships that extended beyond the field. He argues that championship teams are formed when players become a "football family."

The Cowboys legend believes that such a winning mindset and close-knit family in the locker room helped the team navigate the highs and lows of the competitive NFL landscape.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar