South Carolina football kicks off its 2025 season this Saturday, August 31st, when the Gamecocks square off against Virginia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. With just two days left until kickoff, the countdown is nearly over.
When Gamecock fans think of the number 2, one name instantly comes to mind—Sterling Sharpe. Widely considered one of the greatest players in South Carolina football history, Sharpe had his jersey number retired before his college career even ended, a rare honor that speaks volumes about his impact.
Sharpe, a Georgia native, had a quiet start in Columbia with just one catch as a true freshman in 1983. He then missed the famous 1984 “Black Magic” season due to injury. By 1985, however, he began to show his potential, posting just over 500 yards of offense.
Everything changed in 1986, his fourth year on campus, when Sharpe became the guy. He exploded for more than 1,100 receiving yards, along with 104 rushing yards, making him an easy All-American selection. That season also marked the first-ever 1,000-yard receiving year in Gamecock history—a feat still achieved only six times in program history.
In 1987, Sharpe’s production dipped slightly—though “slight” is relative. He still racked up over 900 yards from scrimmage, but South Carolina’s dominant “Black Death” defense that year often scored on its own. The Gamecocks also blew out six opponents by at least three scores, meaning starters like Sharpe saw fewer late-game opportunities.
By the time he left South Carolina, Sharpe owned nearly every receiving record imaginable. To this day, he ranks fifth all-time in career receptions, fourth in receiving yards, eighth in touchdowns, and third in 100-yard games. And those numbers might have been even higher if he hadn’t spent part of his career splitting time between wing back and wide receiver.
Sharpe wasn’t just a dynamic receiver—he was also a dangerous return man, one of the few Gamecocks ever to return both a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns.
The Green Bay Packers made him the seventh overall pick in the 1988 NFL Draft, and Sharpe wasted no time becoming one of the NFL’s elite. Despite his career being cut short by a neck injury, his résumé stacks up with the all-time greats. In just seven seasons, he joined Larry Fitzgerald and Marvin Harrison as the only receivers to record 575 catches, 8,000 yards, and 65 touchdowns over their first seven years.
Sharpe led the NFL in receptions three times, receiving touchdowns twice, and receiving yards once. In 1992, he pulled off the rare “receiving triple crown,” topping the league in all three major categories. He also became the first player in NFL history to post two 100-catch seasons, both of which set new single-season records at the time. Over his career, he earned five Pro Bowl selections and three All-Pro honors.
This summer, Sharpe finally received football’s ultimate honor: induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He became the first Gamecock ever enshrined in Canton, adding to his place in the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame.
For Gamecock fans, the number 2 will always mean Sterling Sharpe—a legend who left an unforgettable mark in Columbia and on football history.
