Shannon Sharpe Elected to Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

Shannon Sharpe (SI.com)

Denver Broncos great tight end Shannon Sharpe will become the 22nd inductee into the team’s Ring of Fame on September 20, 2009, the club announced today. Sharpe, who played 12 seasons for Denver, was elected to seven Pro Bowls while helping the Broncos bring home two Super Bowl trophies. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end.

Congratulations, Shannon! Well deserved! Now to get you into Canton…

Press release after the jump.

SHANNON SHARPE ELECTED TO DENVER BRONCOS RING OF FAME

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Former tight end Shannon Sharpe, who was named to the Pro Bowl seven times as a Denver Bronco and helped the club to two Super Bowl victories, was elected as the 22nd member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame, it was announced Tuesday.

The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, Sept. 20, at halftime of the Broncos’ home opener against the Cleveland Browns at INVESCO Field at Mile High (2:15 p.m. MDT kickoff).

Sharpe, who played 12 seasons for Denver from 1990-99 and 2002-03, tied a Broncos franchise record with seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1992-98 while becoming the NFL’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end. A key member of the Broncos’ back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams from 1997-98, Sharpe also was a four-time first-team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press while a member of the Broncos.

In 172 career regular-season games (139 starts) with Denver, Sharpe registered the second-most receptions (675), receiving yards (8,439) and receiving touchdowns (55) by a player in club annals, trailing only wide receiver Rod Smith. Selected by the Broncos in the seventh round (192nd overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft from Savannah State University, Sharpe totaled 18 100-yard receiving games (17 regular season, 1 postseason) as a Bronco that tie for the third most by a player in franchise history.

Sharpe also played two seasons with Baltimore from 2000-01, earning the third Super Bowl ring of his career during the 2000 campaign and his eighth trip to the Pro Bowl in 2001 with the Ravens.

For his 14-year NFL career, Sharpe played 204 career regular-season games (169 starts) and had 815 receptions for 10,060 yards (12.3 avg.) with 62 touchdowns. He currently ranks second to only the Falcons’ Tony Gonzalez (1997-Pres.) in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns by a tight end in NFL history.

A finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009, Sharpe owns more receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, Super Bowl wins and Pro Bowl selections than any of the seven tight ends enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He was named the first-team tight end on the NFL 1990s All-Decade Team as chosen by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee members.

Sharpe is the first former Bronco elected into the franchise’s Ring of Fame since running back Terrell Davis (1995-2002) joined the distinguished membership in 2007. He is the first tight end to earn membership into the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

The Broncos’ Ring of Fame was created in 1984 by team owner Pat Bowlen to honor former players and administrators who played significant roles in the franchise’s history. The Ring of Fame is displayed on the Level 5 façade of INVESCO Field at Mile High.