Luis Sharpe, 3X Probowl NFL Player
Luis was a dominant offensive tackle for the Cardinals franchise (St. Louis and Phoenix) for 13 seasons from 1982 to 1994. He was tremendously athletic for an O-Lineman going 6’5” and 275 pounds. He had unbelievable speed and quickness that allowed him to protect the blind-side of his quarterback from onrushing defensive ends and blitzing linebackers.
Born in Havana, Cuba, the Sharpe family fled the country when Luis was 6 years old and settled in Detroit, Michigan. His athleticism and sharp intellect garnered him a full scholarship to UCLA. He then was picked in the 1st round of the 1982 draft by the Cardinals and was immediately a starter in the line-up and was named the cardinal’s MVP by his teammates. He was also named to the 1982 All-Rookie Team. Sharpe became known as an outstanding playing on some very poor teams. In only two seasons did his team have a better than .500 record. In spite of his team’s challenges, Luis was chosen for the Pro Bowl three consecutive times – 1987, 1988 and 1989.
However, all was not perfect for Sharpe. He began to abuse drugs. Following his retirement from the game, his life began to spiral out of control. He was arrested and did prison time on more than one occasion for a total of almost 10 years. Tragedy continued in his life as he was shot twice in drug deals, he was almost beaten to death in prison, his marriage crumbled and his daughter was killed in a drug-related incident. Attempts at sobriety in various rehab centers failed. Surprising at this time in his life, he was cast in the blockbuster movie, Waiting To Exhale, as a love interest of Angela Bassett. He was high while he filmed his role in the movie.
Following his release from prison in 2013, Luis has remained sober by leaning on his Christian faith. He knows that only God could have saved him from his destructive lifestyle and he has put his faith in his personal Savior, Jesus Christ. So many hurting people in society need to hear that no matter how low they may find their selves, Jesus loves them and will forgive them.
“28: And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28
Rebekah Sharpe, Speaker, Author & Vessel
Rebekah Sharpe is a daughter, sister, friend, speaker and most importantly, also a lover of Jesus Christ who longs for a generation to be living in freedom, leveraging their unique Kingdom distinctions, and operating as the bold world changers they were divinely designed to be. At the bedrock of her ministry is to see Malachi 4:6 manifested in the earth and God’s heart for families restored. With social ills like addiction, trauma, brokenness, poverty, racism and murder, Rebekah’s earnest hope is that in being vulnerable to share her story of devastation, loss, redemption and restoration, she will encourage others to shift their paradigm and recognize that our deepest pain always propels us to a greater purpose.
To learn more about Rebekah and to sign up for her monthly newsletter, Wisdom From The Well, visit: rebekahsharpe.com
