Topic: Sterling Sharpe

Sterling Sharpe (born April 6, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American football wide receiver and currently a NFL analyst for the NFL Network. He played from 1988 to 1994 with the Green Bay Packers.

Growing up, Sharpe lived in Glennville, Georgia with his grandmother and siblings, including his brother, NFL Pro-Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe. He attended Glennville High School playing running back, quarterback, and linebacker and was a member of the basketball and track teams. As a wide receiver at the University of South Carolina, Sharpe set school records with 169 career receptions and 2,497 receiving yards and a since-broken record of 17 career touchdowns. He also set the school record for single-season receiving touchdowns with 11, which was broken in 2005 by Sidney Rice. Sharpe's #2 jersey was retired by South Carolina at the end of the 1987 regular season, making him only the second Gamecock to be granted this honor while still playing. His college coach and mentor, William "Tank" Black, left the Gamecocks to become a player manager and represented Sharpe throughout his professional career.

Sharpe was the first round #7 overall draft pick by the Packers in 1988 and had an immediate impact on the team. In his rookie season he started all sixteen games and caught 55 passes. His sophomore season he led the league with 90 receptions and was the first of the Packers to do so since Don Hutson in 1945 and broke Hutson's record of receptions and receiving yards in a season.