Good Morning America's Michael Strahan has forged a very successful career both on the football field and off and is a celebrated athlete and TV personality.
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But his path to success was far from easy and Michael recently opened up about some agonizing moments from his past.
The star spilled his feelings for ESPN's More Than an Athlete and shared a clip from his emotional interview on social media.
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In the footage, Michael documented how difficult and lonely high school was for him and said: "High school to me was surviving every day. I never felt like I had a handle on everything. I was just surving."
Michael moved from Houston, Texas to Germany when he was nine years old so that his father could take an army post there.
He returned to his birth town in his senior year when he went to live with his uncle and only began playing football then.
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"My social life right there," he said making a tiny gesture with his hand. "Or as the kids say, 'loser'. Nothing happened in my social life. My life was school and I played football which was the real reason I was there.
Michael talks about his painful high school years
"And Westbury wasn't exactly a powerhouse school. I was not necessarily an over-powerful dominant player."
Michael said he remembers playing against students who were in the newspapers for getting scholarships but he was never that guy. "I always felt like I was playing catch up," he said. "Catch up to those guys."
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Remarkably, Michael played just one season of football before he landed himself a scholarship from Texas Southern University, and the rest is history!
Michael is forever thankful for his parent's support
While the former Giants player may have doubted himself, his parents did not. Michael previously spoke about how the support of Gene and Louise helped make him a star both as an NFL player and a TV presenter.
He opened up to People magazine and said his biggest cheerleaders were his mother and father.
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"I never knew I could accomplish so much, but my parents never act surprised," he said while his dad was still alive. "They look at me as if there’s no limit. That helped me feel like there’s no limit."
He is a proud parent to four childrenWhen his father passed away, Michael's pain was clear. In a statement on social media, he wrote. "The biggest goal in everything I’ve ever done was to make him proud.
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"Knowing that I did that gives me peace but also pushes me to continue because I know he’s watching from above."
"Without him, I’m not sure where I’d be but I know I wouldn’t have anything close to the life I have now. Love you Dad and I’m honored to be your son!!"
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