Luis Sharpe helped the Cardinals transition from St. Louis to Phoenix
The Cardinals’ family is mourning the loss of former 1982 1st Round pick, tackle Luis Sharpe, of UCLA who passed away today at the age of 65.
Sad news to share. Former Big Red left tackle and #1 draft pick, Luis Sharpe, passed away on Friday at the young age of 65.
Condolences go out to Luis’ family, friends, and his many teammates in St. Louis and Arizona. pic.twitter.com/FnE2gpJO82
— St. Louis Football Cardinals (@BigRed_STL) July 12, 2025
Per Wikipedia:
Luis Sharpe
- Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
- Born: June 16, 1960 in Havana, Cuba
- Died: July 12, 2025 (aged 65)
- Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
- Weight:275 lb (125 kg)
- High school: Southwestern (Detroit, Michigan, U.S.)
- College: UCLA
- NFL draft: 1982: 1st round, 16th pick by the St. Louis Cardinals
- Career history:
- St. Louis Cardinals (1982–1985)
- Memphis Showboats (1985)
- St. Louis / Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals (1986–1994)
- Career highlights and awards
- Second-team All-Pro (1990)
- 3× Pro Bowl (1987–1989)
- PFWA All-Rookie Team (1982)
- First-team All-Pac-10 (1981)
Sharpe was Textbook:
Luis Sharpe was one of the most athletically gifted left tackles the Cardinals have ever drafted. His pass pro fan blocking technique was textbook. Yes. Suz, this news is extremely hard to process for Cardinals’ and UCLA Bruins’ fans in particular. Huge respect for Luis Sharpe… https://t.co/ftpLIEzhS8
— Walter B J Mitchell (@WBJMItch) July 12, 2025
Amazing NFL career stat:
- Luis Sharpe started every one of the 192 NFL games he played in.
Luis Sharpe, who helped the Cardinals transition from St. Louis to Phoenix, was a dandy. He would have to be in the conversation for who is the all-time most talented left tackle in franchise history.
Pillar on the football field and of the community:
“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.’ ”
RIP Luis Sharpe https://t.co/LmvG2Pkkv3
— St. Louis Football Cardinals (@BigRed_STL) July 12, 2025
Amen, Luis Sharpe.