Sterling Sharpe is finally a Pro Football Hall of Famer

After an agonizing wait, Sharpe is going to Canton

By Justis Mosqueda Feb 6, 2025, 9:42pm CST 6 Comments / 8 New

The Green Bay Packers have their 29th Pro Football Hall of Famer. After a long wait, former three-time first-team All-Pro receiver Sterling Shape has finally made it to the Hall of Fame as a senior candidate. He will join his brother, Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, in football history.

Sharpe was originally drafted by the Packers in 1988 out of the University of South Carolina. In his seven seasons in the NFL, Sharpe recorded 595 receptions for 8,134 yards and 65 touchdowns. In his final year in the league, he recorded 18 touchdown receptions, which at the time was the second most in any season in NFL history.

Unfortunately, a neck injury — which required him to wear modified chin straps that attached the back of his helmet to his shoulder pads — led to Sharpe retiring before his age 30 season.

Below is Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy’s statement on Sharpe’s election to the Hall of Fame:

“On behalf of the entire Green Bay Packers organization, I want to congratulate Sterling on his long overdue election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He left an indelible mark as one of the greatest players of his generation, while also directly contributing to the revival of the Packers during the 1990s. We are extremely happy for Sterling and his family and are forever grateful for all that he gave and accomplished with the Packers.”

Only four players will be enshrined into Canton this summer, which makes this the smallest class for the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2005. The other inductees are cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen and tight end Antonio Gates. Allen played for three teams and Allen played for four squads during their NFL careers, so there’s a good chance that the Packers, Sharpe’s only team, will be facing off against the Chargers, Gates’ only team, in the Hall of Fame game.

Sharpe beat out linebacker Maxie Baughan and tackle Jim Tyrer for the senior nomination. Former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike Holmgren, the sole coach category finalist, was not elected by the committee. With Bill Belichick becoming Hall of Fame eligible next year, Holmgren will likely have to wait until at least the 2027 class to be enshrined.