“They Take Seventh Rounders in the Hall Of Fame?”: Shannon Sharpe Looks Back at 1990 NFL Draft to Get Honest About NFL’s Greatest Honor

After recording more than 10,000 receiving yards, eight Pro Bowl nominations, four All-Pro honors, and three Super Bowls throughout a 14-year NFL career, Shannon Sharpe was immortalized in bronze in Canton, Ohio.

For all of the personal accolades that he’s achieved throughout his life, it has been abundantly clear that the former Denver Bronco cherishes his gold jacket more than anything else in his trophy case. 

However, Sharpe wasn’t inherently aware of the fact that he was putting together a Hall of Fame-worthy career during his playing days. In fact, it wasn’t until the seventh year of his career that someone would point it out to him. 

Coming from humble beginnings, Sharpe seemed to suggest that the Hall of Fame never crossed his mind simply because he never viewed himself as being worthy enough to join the ranks of his idols.

“Mark Kessler told me in ’96 ‘If you could put together a couple more years, you could go to the Hall of Fame.’ I was like, what? They take seventh-rounders in the Hall of Fame? …That was really the first time that I even gave it a thought.”

Even after he began to produce historic numbers, the fact that he never once considered himself as being an all-time player is rather jarring. According to Sharpe, people like him were never supposed to reach such illustrious honors. 

“Man, I’m from Glennville. I’m from Savannah State. Hall of fame? Man, Joe Green is in the Hall of Fame. Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, the greats of the greats are in the Hall of Fame.”

Sharpe’s induction speech at the 2011 ceremony proved to be one of the most heartfelt talks in the history of the event. Rather than focusing on himself, he dedicated much of his time to thanking various members of his family, particularly his grandmother and his older brother. 

The most notable moment of the speech came when Sharpe shared the realization that even though he himself made it to the Hall of Fame, he was nowhere close to being the best football player in his family. According to the former tight end, that honor is reserved for his older sibling and former Green Bay Packer, Sterling Sharpe. 

“I’m the only player out of 267 men that’s walked through this building to my left that can honestly say this, I’m the only pro football player that’s in the Hall of Fame, and I’m the second best player in my own family.”

To this day, the Sharpes are the only brotherly duo to grace the NFL Hall of Fame with their presence, signifying their exceptional standing as both players and siblings. Given how rare it is for two brothers to both make it to the NFL, let alone the Hall of Fame, it’s fair to say that their unique status is set to remain for the foreseeable future. 

In hindsight, perhaps it’s worth seeing what exactly is in the water at Glennville High School.