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Shannon Sharpe
Savannah State
A native of Glenville, Ga., Sharpe was a standout receiver at Savannah
State College (now Savannah State University) from 1986-89. He graduated
from Savannah State with a degree in criminal justice. Sharpe led the
1988 and 1989 Savannah State Tigers to a combined 15-4 record that
included an 8-1 finish in 1989. Sharpe was the 1989 Co-Southern
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year and a
first-team All-SIAC pick as a flanker. He was also selected to the Kodak
Small College All-America team. He was the first Savannah State football
player to play in the Blue-Gray Classic (1990) and the East-
West Shrine Game (1990). He was also named College Player of the Year in
the state of Georgia.
A three-time All-SIAC
selection in 1987, 1988 and 1989, Sharpe owns SSU single season
receiving records for yardage (1,312), touchdowns (18) and yards per
catch (21.5), all set as a senior. For his career at SSC, Sharpe caught
192 passes for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns. Sharpe was selected in the
7th round of the 1990 National Football League Draft, 192nd overall, by
the Denver Broncos, and spent the next 14 seasons in the NFL. After
spending his rookie season at wide receiver, head coach Dan Reeves
convinced him to convert to tight end where he became one of the
greatest performers at his position in the history of the game. He ranks
second in the NFL in career receptions by a tight end (815), behind only
Tony Gonzalez. Sharpe remained with Denver until 1999, winning two
championship rings in Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the
process. After a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens (2000-01),
where he won another championship ring in Super Bowl XXXV, he returned
to the Broncos where he played until 2003.
Sharpe was selected
All-Pro four times, played in eight Pro Bowls (1992-1998, 2001),
including seven in a row, and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in
three different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles
Raiders, Sharpe tied an NFL 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 third 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.
He then retired to become a broadcaster and is an analyst on the NFL
Today on CBS.
On Sept. 20 of this year he was inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of
Fame, and on October 17 his jersey number (2) was retired by his alma
mater.
CAREER COLLEGIATE STATS AT SAVANNAH STATE
1986 - 14 receptions for 323 yards, 23.1 yards per catch
1987 - 60 receptions for 1078 yards, 18.0 yards per catch, 10 touchdowns
1988 - 57 receptions for 1031 yards, 18.1 yards per catch, 12 touchdowns
1989 - 61 receptions for 1312 yards, 21.5 yards per catch, 18 touchdowns
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