Hall of Fame Window Closed, Sharpe Picked for Hall of Very Good

The Hall of Very Good seeks to honor outstanding players and coaches who are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Former Green Bay Packers receiver Sterling Sharpe has been selected to the Hall of Very Good.

Created by the Pro Football Researchers Association in 2002, the Hall of Very Good seeks to honor outstanding players and coaches who are not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sharpe’s initial Hall of Fame window has closed, with his 20 years of eligibility as a modern-era candidate having expired.

Sharpe was a dominant force until a neck injury prematurely ended his career in 1994. In 1992, he set the NFL record with 108 receptions. Then, in 1993, he broke it with 112 receptions. In 1994, his final season, he caught 18 touchdown passes.

In his seven seasons, he was selected to five Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro. Sharpe led the NFL in receptions three times, including in 1992, when he won the receiving “triple crown” with league-leading numbers in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns. As noted by Clark Judge of SI.com’s Talk of Fame Network, Sharpe became only the sixth player in NFL history to accomplish that feat.

“I think what made him so special,” former Packers general manager Ron Wolf told Judge, “was he was really tough and really dedicated to the game in his way. He was not intimidated by anything … or anybody … or any situation. He’s a perfect football player. I don’t know what else to add to that.

“He could do everything you would want a receiver to do. He would go anywhere to catch a ball. He would go in and catch it. He would go out and catch it. He would run hooks, run outs, run ups. He was just an exceptional football player.”

Sharpe’s candidacy now falls to the Coach/Seniors Committee, where he’s probably an extreme long shot. As noted by Judge, there are 59 all-decade performers not in the Hall of Fame. One of those is former Packers star Lavvie Dilweg, who is one of only two members of the all-1920s team not enshrined in Canton.

Sharpe is one of 15 former Packers in the HOVG. Among them are defensive back Bobby Dillon, defensive end Dave Robinson and guard Jerry Kramer, who were selected to the HOVG before finally earning induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as seniors candidates. In January, Dillon was part of a special “centennial slate” of enshrinees consisting of 10 seniors (players who last played more than 25 years ago), three contributors (an individual other than a player or coach) and two coaches who were elected by a special blue-ribbon panel.

Sharpe was inducted in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2002.