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Former NFL offensive tackle Luis Sharpe, a three-time Pro Bowler, died on Friday, his former team confirmed. He was 65.
Sharpe played in the league for 13 seasons, all with the Arizona Cardinals franchise. He was a first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.
While Sharpe only played for the Cardinals, he played in three different cities. He spent the first six seasons of his career in St. Louis, and the next six seasons in Phoenix when the team moved to Arizona.
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File – Luis Sharpe, #67 of the Phoenix Cardinals, looks on during an NFL football game circa 1992 at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Sharpe played for the Cardinals from 1982 to 1985 and 1986 to 1994. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
The final season of Sharpe’s career was the first one the Cardinals franchise rebranded to become the Arizona Cardinals. Sharpe started all 189 games he played in his career.
“Throughout his lengthy and accomplished career with the Cardinals, Luis Sharpe exhibited an uncommon type of strength and toughness that made him so successful as a player,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement.
“Admirably, he would later demonstrate those same traits in dealing with the personal challenges he faced when his career was over. We send our deepest condolences to all of those who loved Luis, in particular his family and former teammates.”
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St. Louis Cardinals offensive tackle Luis Sharpe (67) in action against Atlanta Falcons defensive end Greg Brown (98) at Fulton County Stadium during the 1987 season on November 29, 1987, in Atlanta, Georgia. (RVR Photos-USA Today Sports)
Following his NFL career, Sharpe battled a drug addiction and spent time in jail, but he turned his life around and got sober. In 2015, Sharpe moved back to his home state of Michigan to get out of Arizona.
“I feel a sense of purpose now,” Sharpe told The Athletic in 2020. “I feel more significant than I ever did when I was playing professional football. My life is better today. I tell people all the time, ‘What I thought was my greatest curse has turned into my greatest blessing.'”
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Luis Sharpe, #67 of the Phoenix Cardinals, warms up during pregame warm-ups prior to the start of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on October 23, 1994, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. (Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
In the final years of his life, Sharpe spent time counseling patients in Detroit at a sobriety clinic. The three-time Pro Bowler also worked with the NFL to help former players with their health in their post-playing days.
“I recognize today I have the life I have because I’ve overcome so many obstacles and so many challenges,” Sharpe said. “God wanted me to go out and do exactly what I’m doing, to share my life with others, to tell them my fall from grace and say, ‘If I can stand before you today as a productive member of society, so can you.'”
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