SBN Wisconsin Hall of Fame Nomination #8 - Sterling Sharpe

Maybe he would be better remembered if his career was longer

and/or if he had been part of a Super Bowl winner.

Just sayin’, since you are looking for reasons why

there just doesn’t seem to be enough momentum from the [PFHoF] voters.

AKA
leading the entire NFL in receptions, TDs, and yards for a season

I remember that he actually set the single season reception record and held it for a couple years. And there’s no question that, for a stretch of about 5 years or so, he was flat-out dominant. Unfortunately for his HoF case…

1) Like you said, lots of people put up gaudy stats at that time. (and still are, btw. It’s getting very tough for modern receivers to get in the HoF because there’s such a back-up of quality guys being considered)
2) His career was cut short.
3) The statistics went absolutely through the roof right after his career ended. I mean, at the time, he was one of the few receivers who had ever caught more than 100 passes in a season. As I recall, he set the record at 104 and broke his own record the next year with 108. But, now… What’s Marvin Harrison’s record? 141 or something like that? Good land!

All these things point to his career being properly understood as merely one of a bunch of WRs who took advantage of rules changes that happened at that time. He was a force to be reckoned with, don’t get me wrong, and he belongs in the Packer hall of fame, but, as far as the league is concerned, I’d say he belongs in the hall of pretty good or perhaps the hall of great. Not the hall of fame.

Which is not to take anything away from him. Personally, I’ll remember him most as the Sundance Kid to Majik’s Butch Cassidy. Sharpe was a big help to Brett’s initial success as well. Sharpe was always open, and Could. Not. be tackled. …just a tremendous athlete.

he probably was heading to the HOF if not for the injury