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Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe was in league with Jerry Rice before a block ended his career
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- Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe was in league with Jerry Rice before a block ended his career
One could cite two examples of how NFL appearances were deceiving in 1994.
In Cleveland, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban built the best defense to be found on a stats sheet. Who knew the Browns would crumble in 1995 and bolt to Baltimore in 1996?
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In Green Bay , down the stretch of the '94 season, Brett Favre-to-Sterling Sharpe looked like a connection for the ages. Sharpe caught 13 passes for touchdowns in the last six games.
Who knew he would never play another game?
Sharpe didn't look like he was playing through an injury in the 1994 regular-season finale — he made three touchdown catches from Favre at Tampa Bay.
A week earlier, his head snapped back while he blocked Falcons safety Brad Edwards on a run play. He was down for several minutes but walked off on his own. He then lit up the Buccaneers , but it was a mirage. He didn't suit up for a playoff game against Detroit , or ever again.
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Prior to that, he had appeared in all 114 of a possible 114 games, including two in the 1993 postseason, his only taste of the playoffs.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe (84) scores a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 24, 1993, in Tampa, Florida.
He came to grips with a complicated neck injury and retired, after seven seasons, at age 29.
The brevity of Sharpe's career kept him out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame until now.
Sterling Sharpe, a member of The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 speaks during an event at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. May 24, 2025
Mike Holmgren, Sharpe's head coach through his last three years in Green Bay, thinks it's about time.
Holmgren went to bat for Sharpe in an interview with Clark Judge, a Hall of Fame voter who operates Talk of Fame Network.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 multi-case "Class of 2025" exhibit with artifacts from their careers at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2025, in Canton.
"He was the star, one of the few bright spots in Green Bay when I went in there," Holmgren said. "I had the privilege of being around and coaching Jerry Rice, who is acknowledged to be the best receiver ever … and Sterling would be No. 2. He's right up there had a neck injury not ended his career early.
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"We were still finding our way, and he caught 100 balls with a young quarterback. He could do anything he wanted, and I'm surprised he hasn't gone in sooner."
Sterling Sharpe, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, unveils his case in the “Class of 2025” exhibit with artifacts from his career during an event at the Pro Football Hall of Fame on May 24, 2025, in Canton.
Sterling Sharpe, who turned 60 in April, and Shannon Sharpe, who turned 57 in June, are the only brothers elected to the Hall of Fame. Shannon was an undersized tight end, playing at 6-foot-2 and 228 pounds. Sterling was a 6-foot, 205-pound wide receiver.
Sterling was elected in 2011. Before his brother joined him, he said, "I'm the only pro football player that's in the Hall of Fame who is the second-best player in my own family."
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Plenty of families have sent multiple members into productive NFL careers.
One with three members compiling or coming close to Hall of Fame credentials is the Matthews family. Bruce Matthews is in the Hall as an offensive lineman. His brother Clay Matthews Jr., a longtime Browns linebacker, has been a finalist. Clay's son Clay Matthews III was a standout pass rusher for the Packers .
Defensive back Ronde Barber got to the Hall of Fame in 2023. His brother Tiki Barber is discussed every year.
Quarterback Peyton Manning was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His brother Eli was a 2025 finalist.
Meanwhile, the Sharpe brothers will always be first, now that Sterling is in.
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The Sharpes grew up on a farm in southeast Georgia. Sterling credits his grandparents for instilling a perfectionist work ethic no matter what the job. He took that through life, telling himself to apply the principle to football, friendship, fatherhood and everything else.
Sterling played college football at South Carolina. The team was just 3-6-2 in his best statistical season, but scouts saw he could play.
South Carolina receiver Sterling Sharpe during the Gator Bowl against LSU on Dec. 31, 1987, in Jacksonville, Florida.
The 1988 draft was a gold mine for wide receivers, producing Notre Dame's Tim Brown (No. 6 overall, Raiders), Sharpe (No. 7, Packers), and Miami 's Michael Irvin (No. 11, Cowboys).
Irvin, who played 12 NFL seasons with the Cowboys, got in the Hall of Fame in 2007. Brown, who spent 16 years with the Raiders, entered in 2015.
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Sharpe, who is roughly the same age as both of them, made it through only seven seasons with the Packers.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe catches a game-winning 40-yard touchdown pass against the Detroit Lions on Jan. 8, 1994, in Detroit, Michigan.
Sharpe's first NFL head coach, Lindy Infante, had been offensive coordinator in Cleveland when Bernie Kosar broke through as a star.
In Sharpe's rookie year of 1988, Green Bay's quarterbacks were Don Majkowski and Randy Wright. It was Majkowski's show in 1989 when he led the NFL with 4,318 passing yards and acquired the nickname "Magic," with a huge assist from Sharpe, who had 90 catches for 1,423 yards.
The team's record fell from 10-6 in 1989 to 6-10 in 1990. Sharpe's numbers declined while Majkowski, Anthony Dilweg and Blair Kiel played quarterback.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe (84) pulls away from Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson for a 76-yard touchdown Sept. 27, 1992, in in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The 1991 Packers went 4-12 with Majkowski, Mike Tomczak and Kiel at QB. After Infante was fired and replaced by Holmgren, a trade brought in a new quarterback, Favre . Sharpe caught 108 passes for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns.
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Sharpe added 112 catches and 1,274 yards in 1993, followed by 94 catches for 1,119 yards in 1994.
But that was it.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe walks up the steps to the locker room at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis on Dec. 27, 1992.
His two postseason games, both in January 1994, were good ones, as he topped 100 yards both in a win over Detroit and a loss to Dallas .
He was hard to pin down as a player. As a joke, he didn't talk to reporters as a rookie, but he found it amusing, and generally maintained a no-interviews posture the rest of the way.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe tries to elude Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Spielman after catching his 109th pass of the season to set an NFL record Jan. 1, 1994, in Detroit, Michigan.
In May, Sharpe came to a Hall of Fame event with two other Class of 2025 members and seemed to have a good time. At one point, he laughed with some Hall of Fame visitors and, to simulate a touchdown celebration, spiked his sport coat. The other two new Hall of Famers stuck around for media interviews. Sharpe didn't.
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Sports Illustrated caught up with him after he was elected to the Class of 2025.
Sharpe said he was humbled by Cleveland great Jim Brown saying he could have been a great receiver in any era.
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inductee Sterling Sharpe speaks at a news conference after NFL Honors Feb. 6, 2025, at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.
He said he hardly ever watches football and loves playing golf, an estimated 200 rounds a year, often as a guest in charity events.
As to getting in the Hall of Fame …
"It's not something I wished for," he told Sports Illustrated. "It's not something I was looking for. And to have it fall in your lap … I definitely understand what the honor is and what it means but, for me, I did what I wanted to do and that was play.
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe eludes Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Roger Jones to score a 30-yard touchdown Oct. 24, 1993.
"That's all I wanted to do."
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Sharpe enters the Hall of Fame with 8,134 receiving yards, 109th all-time. Webster Slaughter, who was a big favorite among Browns fans, is 110th at 8,111.
Shannon Sharpe is 56th with 10,060 yards, giving the brothers 18,194 yards combined.
In a way, the Sharpes illustrate why Jerry Rice is considered the greatest receiver of all time. He is No. 1 with 22,895 yards.
Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Sterling Sharpe's place in greatest all-time NFL receiver talk
