Shannon Sharpe: Difference between revisions

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* [[Denver Broncos#50th Anniversary Team|Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team]]

'''Shannon Sharpe''' (born June 26, 1968) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] [[tight end]] who played 14 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL), primarily with the [[Denver Broncos]]. Regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, he ranks third in tight end [[reception (gridiron football)|receptions]], receiving yards, and receiving [[touchdown]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=J.P. |title=25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History |url=https://athlonsports.com/nfl/25-greatest-tight-ends-nfl-history |website=Athlon Sports |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220024/https://athlonsports.com/nfl/25-greatest-tight-ends-nfl-history |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |date=June 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fragoza |first1=James |title=13 greatest tight ends of all time from Tony Gonzalez to Jackie Smith |url=https://www.profootballnetwork.com/ranking-top-tight-ends-in-nfl-history/ |website=Pro Football Network |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220404/https://www.profootballnetwork.com/ranking-top-tight-ends-in-nfl-history/ |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |date=October 24, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brandt |first1=Gil |title=Gil Brandt's 14 greatest NFL tight ends of all time |url=https://www.nfl.com/photos/gil-brandt-s-14-greatest-nfl-tight-ends-of-all-time-0ap3000000816049 |website=NFL.com |access-date=9 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809220320/https://www.nfl.com/photos/gil-brandt-s-14-greatest-nfl-tight-ends-of-all-time-0ap3000000816049 |archive-date=August 9, 2022}}</ref> He was also the first NFL tight end to amass over 10,000 receiving yards. He was inducted to the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2011.<ref name="profootballhof">{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PlayerId=279|title=Hall of Famers » SHANNON SHARPE|publisher=profootballhof.com|access-date=September 13, 2014}}</ref>

Sharpe played [[college football]] for the [[Savannah State Tigers football|Savannah State Tigers]] and was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the [[1990 NFL Draftdraft]]. During his 12 non-consecutive seasons with Denver, he was selected to seven consecutive [[Pro Bowl]]s and four first-team [[All-Pro]]s, and won two consecutive [[Super Bowl]] titles. In between his Broncos tenures, Sharpe was a member of [[Baltimore Ravens]] for two seasons, with whom he received an eighth Pro Bowl selection and won a third Super Bowl title. Sharpe retired as the NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Following his retirement, Sharpe appeared as an analyst for ''[[The NFL Today]]'' on [[CBS Sports]] and co-hosted ''[[Skip and Shannon: Undisputed]]'' on [[Fox Sports 1]] with [[Skip Bayless]] from 2016 to 2023.

Sharpe was a three-time All-[[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] selection from 1987 to 1989 and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. He was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American in 1989. He led the Tigers' football team to their best records in the program's history: 7–3 in 1988 and 8–1 in 1989. As a senior, Sharpe caught 61 passes for 1,312 yards and 18 touchdowns, including three games with more than 200 yards. Sharpe finished his college career with 192 receptions for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns.<ref name="ProHOF">{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballhof.com/news/college-days-shannon-sharpe/ | title=College Days: Shannon Sharpe | date=November 6, 2013 | publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame}}</ref> He was inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2009, Savannah State's athletic Hall of Fame in 2010,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ssuathletics.com/honors/hall-of-fame/shannon-sharpe/39 | title=Hall of Fame: Shannon Sharpe | publisher=Savannah State University Athletics}}</ref> and the [[Black College Football Hall of Fame]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=All Inductees|website=BlackCollegeFootballHOF.org|url=https://www.blackcollegefootballhof.org/inductees/alphabetical|access-date=February 25, 2021|archive-date=February 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202222806/https://www.blackcollegefootballhof.org/inductees/alphabetical|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Despite his stellar college career, Sharpe was not considered a highly rated prospect in the [[1990 NFL Draftdraft]]. In addition to playing Division II college football, Sharpe's size (6'2", 230 pounds) was considered too large for a receiver and too small for a tight end. He was eventually selected in the seventh round with the 192nd pick by the [[Denver Broncos]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=1990 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1990/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> After two mediocre seasons as a receiver in which he caught just 29 passes, Denver converted him to a tight end. This quickly paid off, as Sharpe caught 53 passes in his third season.<ref name="ProHOF" /> He remained with Denver until 1999,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1991-2000#1999|title=NFL History by Decade|work=nfl.com}}</ref> winning two championship rings at [[Super Bowl XXXII]] and [[Super Bowl XXXIII]] in the process. After the 1997 season<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1991-2000#19971999|title=NFL History by Decade|work=nfl.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412212552/http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1991-2000|archive-date=April 12, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 at [[Super Bowl XXXV]], he returned to the Broncos. He played there until 2003.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/2001-#2003|title=NFL History by Decade|work=nfl.com}}</ref> From there, he retired to become an NFL analyst for CBS.

Sharpe was a [[sports commentator|commentator]] for the [[CBS Sports]] pregame show ''[[The NFL Today]]'', including the ''[[Sprint Nextel|Sprint]] Halftime Report'' and the ''[[Subway (restaurant)|Subway]] Postgame Show'', replacing [[Deion Sanders]] and co-hosting with [[James Brown (sportscaster)|James Brown]] (formerly with ''[[Fox NFL Sunday]]''), former NFL [[quarterback]]s [[Dan Marino]] and [[Boomer Esiason]], as well as former coach [[Bill Cowher]].<ref>[{{Cite web|url=http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/nfltoday NFL Today - CBSSports.com] {{webarchive|urlarchiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050616080220/http://cbs.sportsline.com/cbssports/nfltoday|dateurl-status=dead|title=NFL Today - CBSSports.com|archivedate=June 16, 2005}}</ref> In the 2004 NFL regular season,<ref>{{cite web |title=NFL History by Decade |url=http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/2001-#2004 |website=www.nfl.com}}</ref> Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the [[Gambling#Sports betting|pick 'em game]] of ''The NFL Today'' with a 53–21 record. On February 18, 2014, it was announced that Sharpe, along with Dan Marino, were being relieved of their duties as on-air commentators on ''The NFL Today'' and were being replaced by [[Tony Gonzalez]] and [[Bart Scott]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Nate Davis |date=February 18, 2014 |title=CBS hires Tony Gonzalez, parts with two Hall-of-Fame analysts |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/02/18/cbs-tony-gonzalez-shannon-sharpe-dan-marino/5580021/ |access-date=February 18, 2014 |publisher=usatoday.com}}</ref>

After his retirement, Sharpe has been a social media staple, going viral for his antics and sports commentary. He is also notably a huge supporter of [[NBA]] player [[LeBron James]], referring to him as the greatest basketball player in NBA history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jim_trotter/02/05/HOF.insider/index.html?cnn=yes&hpt=T2|title=Bleacher Report|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208232638/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/jim_trotter/02/05/HOF.insider/index.html?cnn=yes&hpt=T2|archive-date=February 8, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tmz.com/2023/01/20/shannon-sharpe-altercation-ja-morant-dad-lakers-game/|title=Shannon Sharpe Altercation With JA Morant's Dad At Laker Game|date=January 20, 2023|website=TMZ.com|access-date=January 21, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2023/01/21/lebron-james-backs-shannon-sharpe-after-spat-with-ja-morants-father/|title=LeBron James backs Shannon Sharpe after spat with Ja Morant's father during game|last=Joyce|first=Greg|date=January 21, 2023|website=[[New York Post]]|access-date=January 21, 2023}}</ref> He also appeared on the ''[[American Dad!]]'' episode "[[The Scarlett Getter]]", portraying himself.

Sharpe also has amultiple podcast calledpodcasts: ''[[Club Shay Shay]]'' (which he hosts) and ''[[Nightcap (podcast)|Nightcap]]'' (which he hosts with [[Chad Johnson|Chad Ochocinco Johnson]] and [[Gilbert Arenas]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/fs1/shannon-sharpe-club-shay-shay-youtube-subscribe|title=Club Shay Shay Reaches Major Milestone|work=[[Fox Sports]]|date=November 30, 2020|accessdate=December 3, 2021}}</ref> The episode of ''Club Shay Shay'' featuring [[Bubba Wallace]] was selected by the Apple Podcasts editorial team on their "Apple Podcasts Best of 2021" list.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/11/apple-podcasts-presents-the-best-of-2021/|title=Apple Podcasts presents the Best of 2021|publisher=[[Apple Inc.|Apple]]|date=November 30, 2021|accessdate=December 3, 2021}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILU6HTyBy1w&ab_channel=ClubShayShay | title=Shannon Sharpe explains why he never got married &#124; CLUB SHAY SHAY | website=[[YouTube]] | date=February 3, 2023 }}</ref> Both podcasts have been nominated for and won multiple awards for online media.

On May 31, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe would soon leave ''Undisputed'' after reaching a [[buyout]] agreement with Fox Sports.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Rasmussen|first=Karl|url=https://www.si.com/media/2023/06/01/shannon-sharpe-leaving-fox-sports-undisputed-skip-bayless|title=Shannon Sharpe Leaving Fox Sports's 'Undisputed,' per Report|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=May 31, 2023|accessdate=June 1, 2023}}</ref> On June 13, Sharpe co-hosted his last episode of ''Undisputed''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shannon Sharpe tears up in emotional goodbye to 'Undisputed,' Skip Bayless |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/media/2023/06/13/shannon-sharpe-tears-up-final-undisputed-show-skip-bayless/70317685007/ |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref> He later confirmed that he and Bayless had a falling out following an argument where Bayless compared Sharpe's NFL career to Tom Brady's.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Erin |title=Shannon Sharpe Says Skip Bayless' 'Disrespect' Caused 'Undisputed' Exit |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10090494-shannon-sharpe-says-skip-bayless-disrespect-caused-undisputed-exit |access-date=2024-06-05 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>

On August 23, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe and his ''Club Shay Shay'' podcast would join [[The Volume]], a digital podcast network founded by [[Colin Cowherd]] under a multi-year deal.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huston |first=Caitlin |date=2023-08-23 |title=Shannon Sharpe to Bring Podcast 'Club Shay Shay' to The Volume in New Deal (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/shannon-sharpe-podcast-club-shay-shay-volume-1235572886/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}</ref> The following day, Sharpe was announced to join ''[[First Take (talk show)|First Take]]'' as a recurring panelist, beginning on September 4, 2023. He appeared every Monday and Tuesday during the 2023 NFL season.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Skarka |first=Michael |date=2023-08-24 |title=Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe Joins First Take's Signature Fall Football Guest Lineup |url=https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2023/08/pro-football-hall-of-famer-shannon-sharpe-joins-first-takes-signature-fall-football-guest-lineup/ |access-date=2023-08-24 |website=ESPN Press Room U.S. |language=en-US}}</ref> On February 16, 2024, it was officially announced that Sharpe signed a contract extension to remain on the show.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/shannon-sharpe-signs-contract-extension-first-take.html#:~:text=Friday+morning,+ESPN+announced+Sharpe,remainder+of+the+NBA+season.&text=%E2%80%9CBeing+a+part+of+this,relationship+with+ESPN,+Stephen+A.|title=Shannon Sharpe signs contract extension with ESPN and First Take|first=Brandon|last=Contes|date=February 16, 2024}}</ref> In June 2024, Sharpe had officially signed a new multi-year contract extension with [[ESPN]] which will also allow him to expand his role on ''First Take''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5556189/2024/06/11/shannon-sharpe-espn-multiyear-contract/|title=ESPN signs Shannon Sharpe to multiyear deal to expand role on 'First Take'|first=Lauren|last=Merola|work=The New York Times |via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

| title = Shannon Sharpe

[[Category:American sports podcasters]]