On Thursday night, it was revealed that former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe had finally been voted for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Sharpe, who played for the Packers from 1988-1994, helped turn Green Bay from a perennial losing team into one of the most exciting organizations in the NFL.
During his brief NFL career, Sharpe made five Pro Bowls and was named First Team All-Pro three times. His 8,134 receiving yards still ranks third in franchise history, behind Donald Driver and James Lofton. Sharpe’s 595 receptions also rank third behind Driver and Davante Adams. Finally, his 61 receiving touchdowns rank fourth behind Don Hutson, Adams, and Jordy Nelson.
Green Bay Packers Fans and Former Players Have Been Calling for Sterling Sharpe to Be Inducted into the Hall of Fame for Years
In a 2023 radio interview, Packers Hall of Famer Gilbert Brown, who was a teammate of Sharpe’s, went off on Hall of Fame voters for not inducting Sharpe then:
“It’s so many just politics, man. Why does it take so long for Jerry Kramer to get in? Why does it take so long for LeRoy Butler to get in? I mean, 75 [NFL anniversary team], all that stuff that he was one. But the thing that is most disappointing thing I talk to everybody about is I am so p—ed off that Sterling Sharpe has not been inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame.
“He’s in the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, that’s good. But to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame, why is that? His numbers: beautiful. His tenacity on the field: beautiful. I don’t know what he did to p— somebody off, but I am shocked, ashamed that he is not in the NFL Hall of Fame.”
Brett Favre, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and kickstarted his legendary career in Green Bay by throwing passes to Sharpe, advocated for his induction a month ago. “He was not the fastest,” Favre said, “he was not the tallest, but he was by far the smartest — maybe the smartest football player I ever played with. And that’s saying a lot.”
But perhaps his biggest advocate has been his little brother, Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, who spent his own legendary career with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
When he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame himself, he made sure he argued his brother’s case in his induction speech. “I’m the only Pro Football Player in the Hall of Fame that’s the second best player in my family,” he said during his 2011 address.
Green Bay Packers Legend Sterling Sharpe Gets Welcomed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame by His Brother, Shannon Sharpe
These comments over a decade ago made the elder Sharpe making it into Canton all the more sweet, as one can tell from the emotional “door knock” video the NFL filmed, as they do for all new inducteees:
Shannon Sharpe delivering the news to his brother, Sterling, that he will be a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025: pic.twitter.com/GyC37Jo9WG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2025
As one can see from the video, Shannon calls the moment he got to tell his older brother that he was joining him in the Hall of Fame the proudest moment of his professional career.
To make it all the more special, the Sharpe’s are the first brothers to both be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
More Green Bay Packers News from Wisconsin Sports Heroics
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- Aaron Rodgers Drops His Bold Prediction for Super Bowl 59 (Report)
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