South Carolina Football’s GOAT Series: Top-15 Greatest Wide Receivers of All-Time
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 2 Wide Receiver of All-Time:
Sterling Sharpe
A fitting spot for Sterling Sharpe’s (1983-1987) now-retired #2 jersey, Sterling takes silver on this list. Simply put, Sterling Sharpe was the man. Unable to contribute during the ’83 and ’84 seasons due to injury, Sharpe burst onto the scene late in the year as a redshirt sophomore in 1985 with one of the most impressive kick returns in school history against Duke. He had his real coming out party in 1986, however, as he totaled 1200 scrimmage yards and 12 touchdowns in eleven games.
Sharpe’s dominance continued in the NFL where he was drafted in the first round by the Green Bay Packers. He set several NFL records catching passes from Brett Favre but had his playing days tragically cut short by neck injuries. His brother and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe refers to himself as the “second best football player in the family” as a tribute to Sterling’s greatness.