STERLING SHARPE

Sterling Sharpe: Injury, Career, Family &Net Worth

Sterling Sharpe is a well-loved and respected figure in the NFL. He is a former football player for the Green Bay Packers from 1988 to 1994.

He remained with the same team for six years in his professional career.

Sterling had to stop playing due to a neck injury and now works as an executive officer at Pro Bowl Motors.

Even after retiring from NFL, he is very successful in the new field.

Sterling Sharpe’s brother Shannon is also part of the NFL.

Shannon is a three-time Superbowl winning tight end.

Sterling Sharpe
Sterling Sharpe in Green Bay Packers Jersey.

Despite Sterling’s short-lived career, his gameplay was very impressive.

His name isn’t a part of the Hall of Fame, but he remains an inspiration to many young players.

This article will give you every necessary detail of this former football player turn analyst.

Quick Facts

Listed below are some unknown and interesting facts on Sterling Sharpe.

Full name Sterling Sharpe
Date of birth April 6th, 1965
Age 55 years old
Birthplace Chicago, Illinois, USA
Religion Christian
Nationality American
Ethnicity African-American
Education Glenville High School
University of South Carolina
Father’s name Pete Sharpe
Mother’s name Mary Alice Dixon
Zodiac sign Aries
Height 5 feet 11 inches
Weight 94 kg
Spouse None
Children One daughter
Body Measurement Unknown
Hair status Bald
Eye color Black
Net Worth 12 million US$
Profession NFL analyst, Retired Football Player, and Executive officer at Pro Bowl Motors.
Current Status Retired
Retired age 29
Position Wide Reciever
 Team Green Bay Packers
Siblings Libby Sharpe and Shannon Sharpe
Salary  $75,637 US
Social Media Twitter
Debut year 1988 
Merch Autographed Trading Card, Used Dual Jersey
Last Update March 2024

Sterling Sharpe: Early Life

Family

Sterling Sharpe was born on April 6th of, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois.

His parents’ names are Pete Sharpe and Mary Alice Dixon. His parent’s occupation is unknown.

Sterling Sharpe has two siblings, both brothers.

Sterling is the eldest, and his brothers’ names are Shannon Sharpe and Libby Sharpe.

Shannon also became a football player, while Libby is not interested in being a sportsperson. His profession is unknown.

Childhood

Sterling had a very rough childhood. His parents had an unstable marriage and fought about everyday issues.

His parents got divorced when he was three and a half years old.

Sterling grew up in Glenville, Georgia, and his grandmother raised him and his brother.

They grew up with financial crises and poverty.

The situation was so bad that the brother had to work on farms as a  minor to fulfill their basic needs.

Sterling and Shannon knew they wanted to chase their dreams of being a professional football player.

Sterling attended Glenville High School and joined the football team there.

He played as the linebacker, quarterback, and running back.

Also, he was a member of the track team and basketball.

As a result of being such an outstanding player, he got accepted into the University of South Carolina for further studies.

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Sterling Sharpe: Personal Life

Daughter

Sterling likes to keep his personal life a secret. It is unknown to the public who he is dating or if he has had any past affairs.

He does not answer these questions when asked by the media.

However, he does have a daughter named Sommer Sharpe.

She was born in November of 1993 and has already graduated from college.

Sterling with his Daughter
Sterling with his Daughter

She has a degree in Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications.

Sterling keeps his personal life out of media reach, so there isn’t much information about his daughter.

Brother Shannon Sharpe

Sterling and Shannon have been inseparable brothers as they share a passion for football, and both have suffered from injuries in their careers.

Shannon and Sterling have endured their terrible childhood together and worked for their dreams together in adulthood.

Sterling was over the moon when his college enlisted Shannon’s name in the Hall of Fame.

But in his acceptance speech for the Hall of Fame, Shannon said that he is the second-best player in his family, and Sterling would always remain above him.

Also, he thanked his grandmother and big brother Sterling for making him the man he is.

Sterling
Sterling Sharpe is pictured alongside his brother Shannon Sharpe.

When Shannon won the Superbowl back to back with the Denver Broncos and then another one with Baltimore Ravens, he gave his brother Sterling one of his three Superbowl rings as Sterling could not perform in the 1996 season.

Furthermore, Shannon has even gone to the Hall of Fame committee to check his brother’s scores and stats to request that his name be qualified enough to be on the Hall of Fame.

Shannon has followed his brother’s footsteps and even become a sports broadcaster on NFL Network.

Sterling Sharpe: Career

College Career

At the university, Sterling set up some school records.

He had 169 career receptions, 2497 yards, and 17 career touchdowns in college.

He also set up the record of 11 touchdowns in a single season in his sophomore year, which Sidney Rice broke in 2005.

Sterling wore a number two (#2) jersey in college, which was retired in 1987 while still part of the team.

It is an honor for the exceptional players to show that no one can replace them.

Sterling was very close with his college coach and mentor, William “Tank” Black.

William Black left the Gamecocks at the Univerisity of South Carolina to become the office manager of Sterling.

He remained the manager of Sterling throughout his professional career.

In the year 1988, Sterling graduated from college.

Later his name was listed in the College Hall of Fame in 2014.

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Professional Career

Fresh out of college, Sterling got drafted into the Green Bay Packers.

He was the overall seventh draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 1988.

In his first season, he played sixteen games in which he caught 55 passes and led the team with 90 receptions.

He successfully broke Don Hutson’s record from 1945.

https://www.instagram.com/p/wSVEsDNM86/

His career was taking off as he performed better than any beginner. It seemed like he was made to do this.

In 1992 he formed a duo with his teammate Brett Favre; the pair had 107 receptions in the last game of 1992, making an NFL record since 1984.

The same year Sharpe got the title of ‘Triple Crown’ at the receiver position leading the league in receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions.

He is only seven of the NFL player ever to win the title at the receiver position.

Don Hutson, Elroy Hirsch, Pete Pihos, Raymond Berry, Jerry Rice, and Steve Smith are other players to accomplish.

The consecutive year he broke his record with 112 receptions.

He became the first player to have more than 100 receptions in two successive years.

However, the 1994 season was a bad year for Sterling as he suffered from a career-ending neck injury.

He was named pro five times in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1994.

Sharpe became the player with the most number of catches in the Green Bay Packers history and had the second-highest record for touchdowns with eighteen touchdowns.

Career Statistics

For a short career, Sterling sure has great NFL career stats. 

Likewise, some of his career stats are:

  • Receptions: 595
  • Receiving yards: 8134
  • Touchdowns: 65

Analyst Career

After Sterling retired as a professional football player, he joined the team of NFL analysts.

He has been with the NFL team since 2004, while he occasionally does some commentating work for ESPN.

In 2006 he joined NBC’s news NFL programming serving as an analyst alongside Bob Costas, Cris Collinsworth, Peter King, and Jerome Betts.

He was replaced in 2007 by Tiki Barber. He continues to work as an NFL analyst for the NFL playbook.

Sterling Sharpe: Injury

Turf Toe Injury

Sterling has also had his fair share of injuries and struggles like all athletes.

He had a toe injury in 1994. It is one of the most common injuries for athletes.

Sterling had something called Turf Toe, a condition in which there is a sprain in the big toe.

The injury kept him from practicing for more than half a season.

Despite the injury, he did not give up and performed that season.

We cannot even begin to understand how much painful that might have been, yet Sterling made it seem easy.

In an interview with the New York Magazine, he expressed his sorrow and grief for not practicing and performing his absolute best in the 1994 season.

He wore a size ten shoe even though he is a size nine because of his left toe’s hyperextension.

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Neck Injury

Sterling had another injury the same year, and unfortunately, it would end his career.

After overcoming his toe injury and eventually playing in the league, he has a neck injury.

The injury affected the top two bones in his vertebral column in the 16th week of his league.

Sterling was in a game against the Atlanta Falcons when his neck snapped while trying to block a player.

The pain was so excruciating that Sterling fell on the spot, could not get up, and was rushed to the hospital.

The doctors explained that his injury was severe and needed surgery.

He has abnormal loosening in the first and second cervical vertebral columns.

After the surgery, he took eight months to recover. And sadly, the NFL had lost one of the best football players.

Sterling retired at the early age of 29, which was the prime of his career.

He always wished to recover and return to the field but could never do so.

He was already on the path to setting records and would have made much more if not for the injuries he suffered from.

Sterling Sharpe: Social Media

It is compulsory to be active on social media for a player or celebrity.

But Sterling is a very private person and only active on Twitter.

He has over 10k followers on Twitter, and his bio says: Practice as you’ve never won, perform as you’ve never lost.

Sterling Sharpe: Net Worth

No matter how short-lived his NFL career was, he still made a name for himself and made a fortune.

Sterling is the co-owner and executive officer at Pro Bowl Motors.

Sterling is also working under NFL Network and is known to pay their employees well. Sharpe works as an NFL sportscaster and analyst for them.

He makes around $75,637 as an annual salary from the NFL network.

Sterling’s net worth is estimated to be around $12 million.

He had signed a $15.5 million contract with Green Bay Packers and used to earn $2.5 million in his player days.

Also, it is known that Sterling had a career earning of $8.5 million.

Sterling continues to live a comfortable life with his earnings.

The former NFL player has a decent house in Columbia, South Carolina. 

Sterling Sharpe: FAQs

Has Sterling Sharp enlisted in the Hall of Fame?

No, Sterling is not a part of the Hall of Fame, but he has been enlisted in his college Hall of Fame.

Is Sterling Sharpe married?

No, Sterling is not married and is single.

Where can we buy a Sterling Sharpe rookie card?

You can buy a Sterling Sharpe rookie card on Amazon and eBay.

Furthermore, the card is valued from $0.28 to $ 51.99.

Sharpe’s signed jersey is on sale on eBay for $100 to $500.

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