Shannon Sharpe life and biography

Shannon Sharpe born June 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois is a former American Football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. Sharpe is known for his creative commentary and trash talking. He was the NFL's all-time yardage leader among tight ends until Tony Gonzalez surpassed his record on October 5, 2008. Sharpe holds the distinction of being the first tight end ever to amass over 10,000 receiving yards.

Sharpe's Early life

Shannon, the younger brother of former NFL wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, grew up poor in Glennville, Georgia. He once joked, "We were so poor, a robber once broke into our house and we ended up robbing the robber."

Sharpe graduated with a degree in criminal justice from Savannah State College (since 1996 Savannah State University). He commented: "I was a terrible student. I didn't graduate magna cum laude, I graduated 'Thank you, Lawdy!'" At Savannah State he played football and basketball and competed in triple jump.

Sharpe was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1987 to 1989 and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987.[2] He was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American in 1989.[2] He led the Tigers' football team to their best records in the program's history: 7-3 in 1988 and 8-1 in 1989.[2] Shannon Sharpe was nicked named "The Shapeshifer" in his early years for his abilities to shape his body to any form to catch any ball. This was a comment used mostly in his college days for his great athletic abilities.

NFL career

Sharpe was drafted in the 7th round of the 1990 NFL Draft, 192nd overall, by the Denver Broncos. He had a mediocre rookie season as a wide receiver, until Broncos head coach Dan Reeves convinced him to convert to tight end. He remained with Denver until 1999, winning two championship rings in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the process. After the 1997 season championship, his first, he appeared on General Mills' Wheaties boxes with four other Broncos.[ After a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won another championship ring in Super Bowl XXXV, he returned to the Broncos. He played there until 2003. Then he retired to become an NFL broadcaster for CBS.[8][dead link] In 2009, Sharpe was named to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and the franchise's 50th Anniversary Team.

Career statistics

Ozzie Newsome, Hall-of-Fame tight end, Ravens' general manager, and the man responsible for signing Sharpe before the 2000 season had this to say about him, "I think he's a threat when he's on the field. He has to be double-teamed. He's a great route-runner. He's proven that he can make the big plays. That's what separates him. He's a threat." Sharpe was selected All-Pro 4 times, played in eight Pro Bowls(1992–1998, 2001) and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a postseason record with 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the Ravens 2000 AFC title game against the Raiders, he caught a short pass on 3rd down and 18 from his own four-yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown, assisting his team to a 16-3 win. He finished his 14 year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 204 games.

Post-playing career

Sharpe is a commentator for the CBS Sports pregame show The NFL Today, including the Sprint Halftime Report and the Subway Postgame Show, replacing Deion Sanders and co-hosting with James Brown (formerly with Fox NFL Sunday), former NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason as well as former coach Bill Cowher. In the 2004 NFL regular season, Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the pick 'em game of The NFL Today with a 53-21 record. His critics say that his broadcasting skills are hurt by his poor grammar and pronunciation of words (Sharpe has a very noticeable lisp and drawl).

Sharpe also appeared on SIRIUS NFL Radio's Opening Drive on Friday mornings, but is no longer affiliated with the channel. He also writes a column on NFL.com.

Sharpe now resides in Atlanta. On the National Football League Players' Association Players Inc. Web site, while he played in Denver, he cited his hobbies as fishing, basketball, weight lifting, and spending time with his girlfriend, Shelly and their Akita, Sampson. He also played in the 2005 World Series of Poker.

Sharpe was among the 17 finalists being considered for enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. However, he was passed over in his first year in a class that included Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Derrick Thomas and Rod Woodson. On October 23, 2009, the NCAA Division II Football Hall of Fame announced that Sharpe would be inducted in December of that year. In addition, Savannah State University also retired Sharpe's No. 2 jersey.

In September of 2010, a restraining order was filed by a woman who claimed that Sharpe made death threats to her on several occasions, stalked her, and forced her to have sex with him. Sharpe decided to take a leave of absence from the CBS Network in order to deal with the allegations.

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