Shannon Sharpe, a retired NFL tight end, earned eight Pro Bowl selections during his 13 seasons in the league. He achieved three Super Bowl victories, two with the Denver Broncos and one with the Baltimore Ravens.
Early Life & College
Shannon Sharpe was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1968. He grew up in Glennville, Georgia with his brother Sterling, who also became a professional NFL player, and his sister. His parents, Pete and Mary, separated when he was only three months old, leading to his grandmother raising him and his siblings.
Sharpe enrolled in Savannah State University and participated in basketball, football, and track and field. He earned the title of three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1987 to 1989 and was also chosen as a Kodak Division II All-American in 1989.
During his final year as a college student, Sharpe achieved a record of 61 catches, 1,312 receiving yards, and 18 touchdowns. Overall, he completed his time in college with a total of 192 catches, 3,744 receiving yards, and 40 touchdowns. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice upon his graduation in 1989.
Shannon Sharpe’s NFL Career
Despite his exceptional performance in college football, Shannon Sharpe was not seen as a top prospect for the NFL Draft of 1990. His size seemed to make him unsuitable for either a receiver or a tight-end position. Nevertheless, Sharpe was chosen in the seventh round as the 192nd overall pick by the Denver Broncos.
After a less-than-impressive start as a receiver, he was moved to the position of tight end by the Broncos. This change led to significant improvement in his playing abilities.
In his third season as a tight end, he caught 53 passes and went on to win two back-to-back Super Bowl championships at Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII. He stayed with the Broncos until 1999 before joining the Baltimore Ravens for two more years.
During his first season with the Ravens, Sharpe achieved another victory and received a championship ring during Super Bowl XXXV against the New York Giants. He then rejoined the Broncos and remained with them until 2003. Sharpe eventually retired and transitioned into a role as an NFL analyst for CBS.
Throughout his time in the NFL, Shannon Sharpe was chosen four times for the All-Pro Team, participated in eight Pro Bowls from 1992 to 2001, and accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards in three separate seasons.
During a 1993 playoff match, he equaled the postseason record by making 13 catches for 156 yards and scoring a touchdown.
His professional career spanned 203 games and he amassed 815 receptions, 10,060 yards, and 62 touchdowns – all of which were NFL records for a tight end at the time. Subsequently, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten surpassed these records.
After retiring, Shannon Sharpe joined “The NFL Today” as a commentator on CBS Sports. He took over for Deion Sanders and worked alongside James Brown, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason, and Dan Marino as a cohost on the pregame show.
Sharpe’s abilities as a broadcaster were heavily criticized by numerous experts, with a particular focus on his subpar grammar and speaking style. In February 2014, an official statement was released stating that Sharpe and Dan Marino would no longer be serving as on-air commentators, and would be replaced by Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott.
In 2010, Shannon Sharpe was among 25 individuals, including Jerome Bettis, Deion Sanders, and Art Modell, who were nominated as semi-finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In February of the following year, his nomination was accepted and he was officially inducted.
Personal Life
In 2017, Shannon Sharpe was in a romantic relationship with fashion model Nicole Murphy. Later that year, he proposed to fitness instructor Katy Kellner, but their relationship ended shortly after.
Sharpe had previously been connected to Michele Bundy, who accused him of sexual assault in 2010, and Erika Evans, who filed battery charges against him in 2004. Throughout his different partners, Sharpe has three children: a son named Kiari and two daughters named Kayla and Kaley.
Net Worth
After a successful 14-year career, Shannon Sharpe retired from playing professional football as a tight end for both the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. His estimated net worth is $14 million, and he is recognized as one of the best tight ends in NFL history, having won three Super Bowls and being the first to achieve over 10,000 receiving yards.
