For many sports fans, it is just as exciting to watch players play on the court or on the field as it is to watch experts and analysts talk about the game and the happenings around it, and as far as that responsibility goes, there are fewer names that deliver the level of insightful analysis and humorous commentary like Shannon Sharpe.
Shannon Sharpe, who is affectionately referred to as brother Shannon by his fans, is a Hall of Fame footballer and currently on his way to establishing his legend as a sports presenter, recording success in two professions where many have failed. In this article, we take a look at his life from professional footballer to star TV presenter and every other interesting information you need to know.
Shannon Sharpe Biography
Shannon Sharpe was born on 26th of June, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois and was raised in Glennville, Georgia by parents Mary Alice Dixon and Pete Sharpe. He was born into a poor family but his affinity for football was his escape from his family’s poor background, both psychologically and economically.
His journey to become a top talent in the sport began right from his high school days when he displayed enough skill and talent to attend Savannah State on a football scholarship. The decision to offer him a football scholarship turned out to be a smart one as Shannon Sharpe cruised to three times All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and added other personal awards to his name.
He eventually joined the NFL in 1990 and began playing for the Denver Broncos whom he remained with till 1999, winning two Super Bowls. His third Super Bowl came from his second team, Baltimore Ravens in 2001. He eventually retired in 2003, after another stint playing for the Denver Broncos.
Shannon Sharpe’s career and achievements in professional football eventually earned him a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, making it the second Hall of Fame recognition he would get over the course of his career in Football after getting inducted in Division II Football Hall of Fame for his college football exploits.
Following retirement, Shannon Sharpe began a career in broadcasting, starting with The NFL Today, a CBS Sports show where he worked as a commentator. He also appeared on other programs like Subway Postgame Show and Sprint Halftime Report and is a columnist for FitnessRX and a host of the NFL Radio show, Opening Drive. His biggest and most popular broadcasting role as however come through his work on Fox Sports for the show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. He works on the show alongside Skip Bayless and Jenny Taft.
His Net Worth & Salary
During his career as a professional footballer, which lasted for 13 years between 1990 and 2003 and saw him win the Super Bowl three times, Shannon Sharpe earned annual salaries as high as $900,000 and was able to record to total career earnings well over $12 million.
Since he retired, however, working as a presenter on television, his salary will undoubtedly have taken a significant reduction but specifics are unknown at this time.
The former tight end player is currently believed to be worth an estimated $8 million.
Shannon Sharpe’s Wife and Kids
Shannon Sharpe’s interesting insights into various sports news has made him one of the widely celebrated sports presenters on television and thus, has resulted in a lot of attention to his personal life. The broadcaster has had a storied relationship life that has seen him date Katy Kellner and other women whose names are at the moment, unknown.
His relationship with Katy Kellner looked set to be the one after they got engaged to each other but that turned out not to be the case and they eventually went their separate ways. While he has never been married, Shannon Sharpe has had three children from his previous relationships. The children are two daughters and a son named Kayla, Kaley, and Kiari respectively. The kids, who are believed to have been born to two separate mothers, live in Georgia and Florida with their respective mothers.
See Also: Who Is Josina Anderson Of ESPN? Her Husband, Age, Salary And Net Worth
Brother
As popular as Shannon Sharpe is, both as a former footballer and as a TV presenter, it is not a unique thing in his family, especially being the former. He has a brother, an older sibling named Sterling Sharpe who also played professional football at the highest level for the Green Bay Packers.
Sterling’s personal achievements include being a five-time all-pro receiver and like Shannon Sharpe, he is also retired.
