Shannon Sharpe Bio: Early Life, College, NFL & Controversies

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Shannon Sharpe is an American former tight end who played in the NFL for 14 seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. 

Sharpe grew up with his famous NFL star brother, Sterling Sharpe, in Glennville, Georgia, and was an all-state player in three sports at Glennville High School.

The Denver Broncos eventually selected him in the seventh round with the 192nd pick. He won another championship ring at Super Bowl XXXV in a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, and then he returned to the Broncos.

Shannon played there until 2003, then he retired to become and worked as an NFL analyst for CBS. 

He played with Denver Broncos for 12 years and Baltimore Ravens for 2 years. For those who don’t know. Shannon Sharpe is a former American Football tight end. Three times Super Bowl championship and 8 times Pro Bowl championship, he is at the heart of all Americans.

Jermaine Gresham (Source: Fox Sports)
Jermaine Gresham (Source: Fox Sports)

This 14 years journey in football came to an end when he was accused of sexual harassment.

However, in today’s reality, Shannon is seen as a commenter and host at sports talk shows Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. Moreover has his own podcast too.

An episode of Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay’s podcast was featured on the“Apple Podcasts Best of 2021.”

Likewise, Sharpe, in his 2023 episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast, featured Internet personality and comedian Druski.

Ok! this’s just a short introduction to Shannon Sharpe. Go through the article to get more on this NFL player. Keep Reading

Quick Facts

Full Name Shannon Sharpe
Birth Date June 26, 1968
Birth Place Chicago, Illinois, United States
Nickname Unknown
Religion Unknown
Nationality American
Ethnicity African-American
Education Savannah State College
Horoscope Cancer
Father’s Name Pete Sharpe
Mother’s Name  Mary Alice Dixon
Siblings 2
Age 35 Years Old
Height 6’2″/1.88 m/188 cm
Weight 228 lb/103 kg
Hair Color Black
Eye color Black
Profession Professional NFL Player
Post-Profession Tv Commentor, Host For TVs shows
Position Tight end
Games Played 204
Jersey Number 81,82,84
Marital Status Unmarried
Children 3
Net Worth  $14 Million
Social Media  Instagram, Twitter, Facebook
Merch Jersey, Trading Cards
Last Update March, 2024

Early Life, Family & Education

Shannon was born on June 26, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. The younger of Pete and Mary Alice Sharpe’s three children, Shannon, grew up poor in Glennville, Georgia, under the care of his grandmother Mary Porter.

Sharpe’s parents separated when he was just 3 months old. Unfortunately, his father died of lung cancer in 8th grade. Due to the family’s poor condition, he worked on a farm and tobacco field to meet his daily meals.

So, all these factors are responsible for Shannon’s rough childhood. The academic record show he attended Glennville High School.

After a successful high school degree, he moved to Savannah State College and graduated with a degree in criminal justice.

Age, Height & Physical Appearance

As of now, the former NFL star is 35 years. He gains a weight of 228 lb with a height of 1.88 m. His hair and eye color are black.

Furthermore, he belongs to American nationality with African-Americans ethnicity. With a muscular body, he looks quite attractive when standing in front of a crowd.

At 52, he has the best body shape; he works out daily and loves to be in shape.

Moreover, Shannon shares his daily workout plans, diet, and nutrition plan and why he works so hard in the gym. You can get all these tips and techniques from his social media accounts.

Career

Early Career

Shannon started his early career after joining Savannah State College. In the beginning, he started playing Basketball, Football.

He also started participating in track and field and recorded the best long jump of 6.73 m and 14.73 m in the triple jump.

From 1987 to 1989, he became associated with Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Shannon was honored as SIAC player of the year in 1987. In 1989 he was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American.

In 1988 and 1989 football, he led his college with a 7-3 run and 8-1 run, respectively. At the end of his college, his total score was 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns.

With these achievements, he got selected for the Division II football Hall of Fame in 2009 and Savannah State’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.

NFL Career

Sharpe could not show off his best in the match during the NFL’s beginning. The main reason behind it was his body size weighing 230 pounds. This size is too large for playing as a wide receiver and too small for the tight end.

Luckily in the 1990 NFL draft, Denver Broncos selected him in the 7th round with a 192 overall pick. He continued playing as a receiver for two seasons, and after that, Denver converted him to tight end.

Sharpe Shannon (Source: Steve Berumen)
Sharpe Shannon (Source: Steve Berumen)

Until 1999 Sharpe achieved two Super Bowl championships (XXXII, XXXIII). He was in the limelight when General Mills featured him in their Wheaties boxes with four other Broncos.

In Super Bowl Championship XXXV, Shannon, with his team, Baltimore Ravens, made it to the winning point. He returned to the Denver Broncos team and played until 2003.

After that, he retired to become an NFL analyst for CBS.

Sharpe became a part of the All-Pro Team for four years and made 8 Pro Bowls to winning points. In 1993, Shannon tied a postseason record with 156 yards and a touchdown.

However, this 14 years journey was one of the turning points of life for Shannon, with 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 203 games.

Life After Football

After resigning from football in 2004, Shannon served as a commentator for the CBS Sports show ‘The NFL Show’ with James Brown as co-host until 2014.

In 2013, Sharpe became a writer and spokesperson for FitnessRX For Men magazine and was featured on their cover. The former NFL star is known as a Tv presenter with Skip Bayless in a sports talk show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.

Recently in Undisputed 2021, Shannon called Julio Jones on air. Well, it just served as a method that revealed Julio Jones’s trade without him knowing he was on national TV. 

It did spur intense talks about Jones’ trade; however, the result was positive later. 

With FOX, Shannon earned a $6 million salary set to expire after July 2021.

Sharpe also has a podcast called Club Shay Shay, and its episode featuring Bubba Wallace was featured on the“Apple Podcasts Best of 2021” list by the Apple Podcasts editorial team. 

On Jan 16, 2023, Sharpe, in his Club Shay Shay podcast, featured Internet personality and comedian Druski. They talked about Druski’s rise to fame, and collaborations with other celebrities, all while sharing a few laughs along the way!

Is Shannon Sharpe On The Controversies List?

Shannon Sharpe’s most controversial moments include being accused of sexual assault.

An unrecognized woman claiming to be Shannon’s girlfriend filed a case against him in an Atlanta court on September 9, 2010.

The woman is identified as Michele Bundy, who claims that she was forced to have sexual relations with Shannon.

Also, Bundy declares that Sharpe is threatening her and calls to say he is watching her. However, Sharpe has not been arrested and charged any fine for this case.

Later on, the court dismissed the case after knowing that Bundy was claiming false evidence.

Dispute With His Co-host On Undisputed

Sharpe was explaining his absence from the show on Jan 3, 2023, and got into an argument with his co-host, Skip Bayless, after being interrupted.

Shannon proceeded by saying, “There’s been a lot of speculation of why I wasn’t on here yesterday, and I won’t get into speculation or conjecture or innuendos, but I will say this: Watching that game on Monday night, what happened to Damar Hamlin struck me a little different.”

After the above argument, Shannon became visibly flustered and said, “Skip, let me finish. You know what, go ahead.”

Likewise, Skip’s tweet was also criticized by many people online, including Terrell Owens, who considered it insensitive.

Personal life | Wife & Kids

Shannon has always been in the spotlight with his professional career.

Sharpe was in a relationship with fitness instructor Katy Kellner. Additionally, these couples were often seen together around Los Angeles, and the relationship lasted quite a long time.

Finally, they engaged with each other in the year 2016. Sharpe shared this news with his fans through his social media accounts.

Sadly by 2018, their relationship was no longer working when Katy Kellner confirmed her pregnancy with a fitness instructor named Marlon Byrd.

Despite being single, the co-host of “Undisputed” does have three children. Daughters: Kayle and Kaley, Son: Kiari.

All three kids are from his previous relationship and live with their mother in Georgia and Florida with their respective mothers. Likewise, he often shares pictures with these children on social media.

Celebrity Crush

Rumors said Shannon also has a celebrity crush on Eddie Murphy’s wife, Nicole Murphy. He has often taken his Twitter to state his opinion on her. 

In 2017, he first met Nicole, and Shannon even posted a picture of them on Instagram. The post captioned, “Those that know won’t tell. Those that tell won’t know.” 

Who Is Sterling Sharpe? 

Sterling Sharpe is the brother of Shannon Sharpe. Born on April 6, 1965, he is a former American football wide receiver. 

He started his career at the collegiate level with records of 169 catches, 2,497 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns.

In 1988 he played for Green Bay Packers and set the record with 90 receptions. Moreover, Sterling became one of the seven players in NFL history to earn ‘Triple Crown’ at the receiver position.

Sadly during the 1994 season, he suffered a neck injury, which was also one reason he ended his career. Because of this injury, Sterling could not play in Super Bowl XXXI.

His brother Shannon dedicated him 3 of his Super Bowls ring mentioning Sterling as a major influence in his life by saying

The two people who influenced me the most, good or bad, are Sterling and my grandmother. Everything I know about being a man, about football, everything I know about sports, pretty much in life, is because of those two people.

After moving on from football, Sterling established himself as a commenter on ESPN, the NFL network. He also joined N.B.C.’s new NFL analyst.

Awards & Achievements

  1. Super Bowl Championship (XXXII, XXXIII, XXXV)
  2. All-Pro first-team(1993, 1996,1997,1998)
  3. All-Pro Second team (1995)
  4. Pro Bowls (1992-1998,2001)

As A LeGOAT James

The recent NBA games between LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers, and Steph Curry are among the most astounding moments ever.

Sharpe With Goat Mask (Source: Pinterest)
Sharpe With Goat Mask (Source: Pinterest)

James took the floor to shoot most of the clutches and awe-inspiring shots during the match. 

Later for the undisputed, Shannon hilariously dressed up as James with a goat mask on. 

Net Worth & Salary

Soccer (football) is one of the world’s most rewarding games. Likewise, the player can gain a considerable number of dollars in compensation consistently.

From many surveys, it’s predicted that Shannon’s net worth is around $14 million. However, the number may vary regarding his current stats.

Being an American tight-end player, most of his income source is different from football tournaments. Besides that, he is also seen in many TVs program and shows as a host.

Social Media Presence

Shannon is currently active on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. He shares his life’s most important events and career highlights through these platforms.

  • Instagram – 1.6million followers
  • Twitter – 1.2million followers
  • Facebook – 722,550 followers

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Shannon Sharpe (@shannonsharpe84)

Shannon invites several athletes on his podcast and, for this week, has invited Druski, and they talked about a lot of things, including Kevin Hart’s advice to Druski “Don’t be a b*tch”

The Search Graph

The search graph of Shannon depicts a good amount of search as he is still active as a host on online platforms.

Shannon Sharpe, The Search Graph (Source: Google Trend)
Shannon Sharpe, The Search Graph (Source: Google Trend)

Many people search for him, including the ones from his football playing years.

FAQs

How long has Shannon Sharpe played for Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens?

Denver Broncos - 1990-1999, 2002-2003 Baltimore Ravens - 2000-2001

What was Shannon Sharpe Jersey's number?

Shannon Sharpe is featured in jersey number 82 for the Baltimore Ravens. Likewise, he wore jersey numbers 84 and 81 for the Denver Broncos.

When did Shannon Sharpe retire? What is his favorite team?

Shannon Sharpe retired in 2003, and as per Sharpe, his favorite team is the Cowboys.

Where is Shannon Sharpe's childhood home located?

Shannon Sharpe's childhood home is located in Glennville, Georgia, U.S. 

Barsha Paudel
Barsha Paudelhttps://playersbio.com/

Barsha Paudel

Barsha Paudel is a versatile writer whose literary prowess extends into the realm of sports journalism. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she crafts compelling narratives that transport readers into the heart of the action, offering a nuanced perspective on the world of athletics.

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With a background in journalism and a genuine love for sports, Barsha brings a wealth of expertise to her writing. Her ability to capture the essence of sporting moments and convey them with eloquence and depth has earned her recognition as a rising talent in the field of sports journalism.

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