Luis Sharpe

Luis Ernesto Sharpe Jr. (June 16, 1960 – July 11, 2025) was a Cuban professional player of American football who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons with the St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 through 1994. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection with the Cardinals. He also played a single season in the United States Football League (USFL).

Born in Havana, Cuba, Sharpe immigrated with his family to Detroit, Michigan, in the United States when he was six.

Sharpe played college football for the UCLA Bruins. As a freshman in 1978 he was one of three Bruins to win the John F. Boncheff, Jr., Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year. Sharpe majored in political science at the University of California, Los Angeles. He left in the spring semester of 1982, 16 units short of a degree. He never graduated.

Sharpe was selected by the Cardinals in the first round (16th overall) of the 1982 NFL draft.

Sharpe was a Cuban citizen. He battled substance abuse during his NFL career and after. He was sentenced to prison after his football career, before being clean for the final eight years of his life.

On July 11, 2025, Sharpe died from heart failure at the age of 65. He was interred at Glen Eden Lutheran Memorial Park.