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Shannon Sharpe's older brother, Sterling Sharpe, had already established himself with the Green Bay Packers before Shannon Sharpe rose to prominence as one of the greatest tight ends ever to appear in the NFL.
Sterling's seven-year stint included five 1,000-yard campaigns. During that time, he won the fabled "Triple Crown," granted to wideouts who simultaneously lead their league in catches, touchdowns and receiving yards.
However, Sterling's NFL career was cut short when he sustained a major neck injury, forcing him to call it quits prematurely at only 29 years old.
The Green Bay Packers selected Sterling Sharpe in the first round, seventh overall, and he instantly impacted the squad. He started every contest in his debut season and hauled in 55 receptions. He had 90 catches in his second season, which was the most for a team member since Don Hutson in 1945.
Sharpe also surpassed Hutson's season highs for catches and receiving yards. Sharpe had a reputation for being an arduous catcher with good hands who was ready to cross the center to make challenging receptions in congested areas.
Sharpe finished second in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns throughout his seven NFL campaigns. He ranks second all-time in franchise history for career catches and TDs and owns the single-season catch and touchdown marks with the Packers.
Was Sterling Sharpe better than Shannon Sharpe?
Although Shannon Sharpe had a successful career in his own right, if his brother's career had continued just a little bit longer, it might have broken even more records.
Shannon Sharpe is a member of the Hall of Fame. Only five players in that position have amassed in excess of 10,000 receiving yards in their careers.
Shannon played in the NFL for 12 years, whereas Sterling only played for seven. Sterling played in Green Bay with a variety of starting quarterbacks throughout the course of those seven years.
Despite Shannon's Hall of Fame career, it's reasonable to claim that Sterling Sharpe was the superior player. Sterling recorded more touchdown receptions despite playing five years less. Sterling had a 1,162-yard per season receiving average. He would have accrued 13,944 yards at that rate if he had played 12 seasons like his brother did while maintaining his average.
