|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shannon Sharpe (l) and SSU Athletic Director Bart Bellairs(r) unveil Sharpe’s SSU and Denver Bronco jerseys display during Shannon Sharpe Day at SSU.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shannon Sharpe addressing attendees at the President’s Brunch held in his honor on the campus of SSU.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coach William Hall (l) and Shannon Sharpe (r) share a personal moment on stage at the retirement of Shannon’s No. 2 SSU football jersey this past Saturday.
|
|
|
|
|
by Charles Barnard
“This day is long overdue,” stated Dr. Kenneth Jordan, the Vice Chair of the Faculty Senate of Savannah State University (SSU) as he greeted attendees at the invitation only President’s Brunch that kicked off the official celebrations, marking Saturday, October 17, 2009, as Shannon Sharpe Day at the university.
On this day, the university would formally retire Sharpe’s No. 2 football jersey and make great strides in mending the rift between the school’s greatest athlete and his college alma mater. Summing up his emotions, Shannon would tell those present, “It is an unbelievable feeling. It is hard to put into words what this day means to me.… To see that No. 2 officially retired, knowing that no one has worn that jersey since I left and no one ever will again, it’s a special feeling.”
Sharpe, a 1985 graduate of Glennville High School, smiled broadly as school, city, and county officials brought greetings and offered congratulations. The Mayor Pro-Tem of Savannah, Edna Jackson, was employed as a teacher at SSC when Shannon arrived on campus, carrying his belongings in two paper bags from Piggly Wiggly. She remembered him as “a young man from Glennville who surprised her with his social graces,” and referred to him as having been “brought up well.” Both she and Chatham County Commission Chairman Pete Liakakis presented Sharpe with ceremonial “keys” to the city and county, respectively.
Seated at a table with his son, Kiaria, his daughter, Kayla, and girlfriend, Katy, along with SSU President Dr. Earl G. Yarbrough, Sr., the former National Football League (NFL) all-star and three-time Super Bowl Champion beamed as several of his former college teammates reminisced about Shannon’s antics both on and off the field during his days as a Savannah State College (now university) Tiger. A former Tiger quarterback remembered how Shannon always considered himself to be the fastest player on the field. He told of the time during one particular game when Shannon came into the huddle and demanded that he throw the ball to him on the next play.
“Throw it as far downfield as you can and I’ll run back and catch it,” were the words he recited.
Later, at the unveiling of a framed display of Sharpe’s #2 SSU and #84 Denver Broncos jerseys to be displayed permanently in Tiger Arena, another former Tiger quarterback stated that he never had to look up to know where to throw the ball. He said he would listen for Shannon’s distinctive voice as he yelled, “I’m open!”
“All I had to do,” he said, “was throw the ball to the voice.”
One after another, the former Tigers shared their stories. Surprisingly, most of their memories were not of Sharpe’s athletic prowess on the field, but of his dedication, perseverance, and hard work in the classroom.
“I came to the campus of Savannah State with two goals in mind,” said Sharpe, “graduate and play in the NFL.” Recalling that he had to spend much of his time in the Developmental Studies building strengthening his academic skills during his first days on campus, Shannon was quick to praise his professors for being tough and not giving up on him.
“I didn’t party with the guys or get into trouble,” he said. “I would work out or go to my room and study, instead.”
He went on to mention that among the items he has held on to from his college days are report cards listing him among those on the Dean’s List and “A” Honor Roll.
Among those sharing the stage with Sharpe was his long-time friend, mentor, and high school coach, William Hall. Following SSU Athletic Director, Bart Bellairs’ introductory comments that, “Great people are mentored by great coaches,” Coach Hall took the podium and described the teenage Shannon as “dedicated, loyal, giving his very best, and making us all better.” He went on to say that he had the good fortune of coaching many talented athletes during his 50-year tenure, but that “Shannon may have been the best of all.”
Besides crediting Coach Hall for his guidance and assistance through the years, Sharpe would, as always, include his high school teacher, Elaine Keels, his sister and best friend, Libby, and his brother, Sterling, as his role models and life coaches. Of course, as he has often said, “I would not be the man I am today were it not for my grandmother, Mary Porter.” With shaking voice and measured cadence, he told his listeners, “I’ve always tried to live my life so my grandmother would be proud of me.”
The 41-year old is the first SSU football player to have his number retired. As a split end, he led Savannah State to its best records in 1988 and 1989. He was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection, the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987, and a Kodak NCAA Division II All-American in 1989. Taken in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, Sharpe played 14 years in the NFL. The eight-time Pro Bowl selectee won three Super Bowls - two with the Broncos and one with the Baltimore Ravens - before retiring in 2004. At retirement, he was the NFL’s all-time leader at tight end, with 62 touchdown catches, 10,060 receiving yards, and 815 receptions. Sharpe has been an analyst on CBS’s “The NFL Today” show since 2004.
Following the President’s Brunch and the Jersey Unveiling Ceremony, Shannon gave the 2009 SSU Tiger football team a locker room pep talk before their game with the visiting Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats. During a pre-game ceremony, President Yarbrough presented Shannon with another framed No. 2 jersey. This one would be Sharpe’s to keep. Then, after tossing the coin to determine which team would kick and which would receive, Shannon watched the first half of the game from the President’s box. He would have to leave at halftime to return to New York in preparation for his televised Sunday show.
Could the next stop for Sharpe be Canton, Ohio, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame? It will be if the folks in Savannah, Denver, Baltimore, and Glennville have any say in the matter.
Among those from Glennville who attended were Sherra Sharpe (Shannon’s sister); Billy Strickland, Dr. Randy King (Mayor Pro Tem); Mayor Jean Bridges and her husband, Roy; and Charles Barnard, Executive Director of the Glennville Chamber of Commerce.
“Congratulations, Shannon! We’re rootin’ for ya!”
|
|
|
|
|