My Favorite Cigar
Michael Strahan • Sports Icon • Montecristo No. 2
Despite facing the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII in 2008, Michael Strahan and the New York Giants weren’t intimidated. “I’ll be honest with you—we were eerily confident,” says the Hall of Fame defender. “We weren’t afraid of them. No one was nervous, there was such a calmness, everyone knew their role.” Strahan and the Giants pulled off one of the bigger upsets in football history, taking down Tom Brady and the Patriots 17-14, spoiling the team’s bid for a perfect season. After that, Strahan retired from football and started a career in broadcasting that has only added to his fame. Nowadays, he splits his time between “Good Morning America” and “Fox NFL Sunday.” The man is tireless.
When he’s not working, the 51-year-old plays a lot of golf, and that means it’s time to light up. “When I’m golfing I probably smoke the most cigars.” He also smokes in his man cave in New Jersey. “That is one of my relaxation deals—I smoke a cigar, sit back and enjoy it.”
Strahan smokes a wide variety of cigars, calling the Montecristo No. 2 his favorite. “Anything from Cuba I’m really a fan of. I’m also a really big fan of Padróns,” he explains. His biggest problem right now is inventory. “I have so many cigars. I have three cigar refrigerators, and about four humidors—I don’t even know what I really have anymore.”