Shannon Sharpe’s wait is over.
After being a finalist the last two years, Sharpe was selected as one of the seven inductees to this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
Sharpe is the fourth player selected based upon his accomplishments with the Broncos. All four have been selected since 2004, beginning with John Elway. Sharpe is also the third Bronco in the last four classes to earn enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, joining Gary Zimmerman (2008) and Floyd Little (2010).
The induction is a worthy commemoration for a career that saw him retire as the all-time leading receiver at his position with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns. Each of those three standards has since been surpassed by Tony Gonzalez of the Chiefs and Falcons.
Sharpe was inducted in his third try. Only one of the other seven tight ends in the Hall of Fame had a shorter wait time: San Diego’s Kellen Winslow. Winslow, Sharpe and Ozzie Newsome are the only tight ends in the Hall of Fame who did not have to wait for at least a decade after becoming eligible for induction.
“I am thrilled for Shannon Sharpe on his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Broncos executive vice president John Elway said in a statement. “It’s great to see another Bronco in the Hall of Fame and part of the club. It’s a well-deserved honor, and I’m proud of him.
“This caps off a tremendous football career by a guy who truly was self-made and worked his tail off to become one of the best players in the history of the NFL.”
Elway and Sharpe were teammates for eight seasons, from 1990-98. Broncos owner Pat Bowlen ran the team for Sharpe’s entire Denver career, which also included the 1999, 2002 and 2003 seasons.
“Shannon was a key leader on our back-to-back Super Bowl teams who set the bar for which all tight ends are measured after his record-setting career,” Bowlen said in a statement. “He had such a presence in our locker room, and his work ethic was unmatched. I really enjoyed my personal relationship with him when he played here. Shannon is a winner in every sense of the word and was a big part of some of the best years in Broncos history. He belongs with football’s elite in the Hall of Fame.”
Sharpe will be part of a seven-man class to be inducted in August that includes defensive end Richard Dent, linebackers Chris Hanburger and Les Richter, cornerback Deion Sanders, running back Marshall Faulk and NFL Films founder Ed Sabol.
Well deserved honor. Should have been a first ballot hall of famer, but at least he is now getting the recognition he deserves. I still cannot believe the group of receivers that keep being left out of the hall of fame, I was worried Shannon would not get in until Carter, Brown, and Reed did. Thankfully that wasn’t the case.
It’s going to get dicey for Carter, Brown and Reed when guys like Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt are added to the mix, because they had team accomplishments (both won a Super Bowl) that the others did not.