Sterling Sharpe: Former Packers WR hoping for Hall of Fame
GREEN BAY, Wis. (BVM) – When it comes to pro football careers that ended too soon, Sterling Sharpe certainly comes to mind. A star wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers as they entered a successful era led by head coach Mike Holmgren and quarterback Brett Favre, Sharpe’s career ended after suffering a serious neck injury in 1994.
While it couldn’t have always been easy to cope with the situation or stay close to football after missing out on so much, Sharpe has still made the most of his post-playing career.
Sterling Sharpe’s early life, college career
Sharpe grew up in Glenville, Georgia, and played multiple positions on Glenville High School’s football team including quarterback, running back and linebacker. He also played basketball and competed in track throughout his high school years.
Following his high school career, Sharpe went on to play wide receiver at the University of South Carolina. He would make his first impact for the Gamecocks in 1985 as he caught 32 passes for 471 yards and two touchdowns. However, he would take a big leap forward in 1986, going for over 1,100 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns on 74 receptions.
Finishing his South Carolina career up with a 64-catch, five-touchdown campaign in 1987, Sharpe entered the NFL draft as one of the top wide receiver prospects. He finished as the program-record holder in career receptions (169), receiving yards (2,497) and receiving touchdowns (17) at the time he left South Carolina, and also had his jersey number retired as he concluded his college career.
Sterling Sharpe’s NFL career
Sharpe was selected No. 7 overall by the Green Bay Packers in the 1988 NFL Draft.
Today in 1988: With the seventh overall pick of the 1988 NFL Draft, the Packers snag South Carolina WR Sterling Sharpe. Sharpe earned Pro Bowl accolades five times and was a two-time first team All-Pro in seven seasons before neck injuries prematurely ended his career. pic.twitter.com/59WWvoNg7q
— Packers History (@HistoricPackers) April 24, 2019
While the Packers had suffered through two decades of losing football since their glory years of the 1960s, Sharpe became part of the turnaround that put Green Bay back on the map.
After catching 55 balls for 791 yards as a rookie, Sharpe took a sophomore leap, leading the league in receptions in 1989 with 90 – becoming the first Packers player to do so since Don Hutson in 1945. The South Carolina product also had 1,423 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns that season.
Despite not seeing high-level quarterback play over the next two years, Sharpe would still produce with a combined 10 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards in 1990 and 1991.
But in 1992, as Favre took over as the starting quarterback for the Packers, Sharpe broke out, leading the league in receptions (108), receiving yards (1,461) and receiving touchdowns (13). Averaging 91.3 receiving yards per game, Sharpe finished fourth in league MVP voting as he formed an instant connection with the future Hall of Famer from Southern Mississippi.
Sharpe’s 108 receptions in 1992 were a single-season NFL record, which he broke with 112 catches in 1993. With 1,274 yards and 11 touchdowns, Sharpe remained highly productive as the Packers made the playoffs for the first time since 1982. In the team’s Wild Card game against the Detroit Lions, Sharpe shined bright on the biggest stage with 101 yards and three touchdowns.
Brett Favre’s first ever playoff game
(@ the Detroit Lions)Delivers a 40 yard bomb to Sterling
Sharpe to take the lead with a minute
left on the clock. Legendary throw. pic.twitter.com/MePrje5lWZ— IKE Packers Podcast (@IKE_Packers) October 12, 2019
The 1994 season would again see Sharpe be one of the NFL’s best receivers. While his catch and yardage totals decreased slightly, the receiver caught a career and league-high 18 touchdowns as the Packers again went 9-7 while earning a playoff berth.
However, during the Packers’ Week 16 game against the Falcons that season, Sharpe would suffer a neck injury on a block.
While he was able to walk off the field and play the following week in a game where he had 132 yards and three touchdowns, the injury was severe enough that he was forced to retire, ending a promising career at just 29 years old.
Still, across the seven seasons Sharpe did play as a pro, he amassed totals of 595 receptions, 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns as a three-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection. He played and started in every one of the Packers’ regular-season games through those seven years.
Sterling Sharpe was headed for the Hall of Fame if he stayed healthy.
Happy birthday to one of the greatest receivers of all time 🙌🎂@packers pic.twitter.com/EiNsjriX5l
— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) April 6, 2019
Sterling Sharpe’s post-playing career, net worth and personal life
Had Sharpe been able to continue playing, he very well may have become one of the greatest receivers of all time. Favre went on to win three consecutive MVP awards following Sharpe’s retirement, and the Packers earned a win in Super Bowl XXXI to conclude the 1996 season. Not only could Sharpe have proven his elite status, but it’s possible the Packers – who only won one Super Bowl in the Favre era – win a couple more championships in the late ‘90s.
Despite not being able to play the game he loved anymore, Sharpe did return to football as an NFL analyst, initially with ESPN before moving to NFL Network. He also worked for a brief time at NBC, but continued working on NFL Network for several years.
Ironically, Sharpe rarely talked with the media during his playing days, but ended up with a media role. So too did his younger brother, Shannon, who was previously part of CBS Sports’ “The NFL Today” and currently works for Fox Sports as a co-host of “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed” which airs weekdays on FS1.
Sterling has since left his post at NFL Network and doesn’t pay much attention to the NFL anymore. Rather, he is enjoying retirement through a new sport: golf. Playing hundreds of rounds a year, the former wide receiver has become a fantastic golfer, even attempting to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open in 2017.
https://twitter.com/Thro284/status/1491493834588626944
Meanwhile, Sterling has also given back through the Sterling Sharpe Pediatric Center – a children’s clinic in South Carolina.
Residing in Columbia, South Carolina, Sterling is not married, but has one daughter, Sommer, who was born in 1993. Sterling is believed to have an estimated net worth of $10 million after making just over $8.5 million during his NFL career.
Sterling Sharpe’s Hall of Fame case
In 2002, Sterling was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame. Over a decade later in 2014, the wide receiver became the second South Carolina player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
However, the Packers great is still awaiting his induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As he watched Shannon be enshrined in 2011, he was also part of a memorable moment where his younger brother pleaded that he also be in the Hall of Fame.
"I'm the only pro football player that's in the Hall of Fame, and I'm the second best player in my own family." – @ShannonSharpe
Probably the best HOF speech ever conducted.
Sterling Sharpe: 5x Pro Bowl, 3x 1st-team All-Pro, in just 7 seasons. What could've been. #Packers pic.twitter.com/NZdCe6NCL4
— Joe (day 1 dontayvion wicks fan) (@joepkipp) June 16, 2018
With his 20 years of eligibility as a modern-era candidate over with, Sterling is now a senior candidate. While previously more difficult to get in through the senior pool, the Hall of Fame has expanded to three finalists from the group, giving Sterling a better chance.
In July, the former Packers receiver got some encouraging news, as he was named as a semifinalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023 along with his former coach Holmgren.
Former #Packers All-Pro WR Sterling Sharpe & Super Bowl-winning Head Coach Mike Holmgren are semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 in the senior & coach/contributor categories. 📰#GoPackGo https://t.co/X6Eff66BmO
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) July 7, 2022
Packer fans will hope to see Sterling’s name as a finalist in 2023, just as they did in 2022 with another deserving former player who endured a long wait in LeRoy Butler. While his career will always be labeled with “what if,” there is no doubt Sterling made an incredible impact on both Green Bay and the NFL as a whole.
