Was named second-team All-Pro twice over 13 seasons

Darren Urban

Luis Sharpe, who made four Pro Bowls and was second-team All-Pro twice as a left tackle for the Cardinals, died on Friday.

He was 65.

Sharpe was the first-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982 and started all 189 games he played until his retirement in 1994. He became one of the faces of the franchise when the team moved to the Valley, reaching the Pro Bowl in those first three seasons in Arizona, a fan favorite and go-to interview with media.

"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. 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," Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said.

Sharpe battled a drug addiction for years after he left the NFL, spending time in jail and living a difficult life until he got sober. He eventually moved to Michigan, where he grew up, to start over away from Arizona in 2015.

"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.'"

Sharpespent the last years of his lifecounseling patients at a Detroit sobriety clinic and working with the NFL to help former players with their health after they are done playing the game.

"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.'"