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Former All-Pro Arizona Cardinals Star Dead At 65

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 4:36 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals have lost a beloved alum this week as former Pro Bowl and All-Pro left tackle Luis Sharpe passed away. He was 65 years old.

A former first-round pick by the Cardinals in 1982, he started 189 games over a 13-year career with the team. Sharpe earned three straight Pro Bowl selections between 1987 and 1989 and won Second-Team All-Pro honors in 1988 and 1990.

In a statement, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell offered his condolences to Sharpe, his family and loved ones.

"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.

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— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) July 12, 2025

Born in Havana, Cuba, Sharpe moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan when he was a child. He attended UCLA for college football, earning First-Team All-Pac-10 honors in 1981 en route to his aforementioned NFL career.

Following his NFL career though, Sharpe battled drug addiction and was in and out of prison until finally reaching sobriety.

In 2015, he returned to the city of Detroit and spent his final years working as a counselor for patients at a Detroit sobriety clinic and helping other former football players improve their health.

"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.'"

"I recognize today I have the life I have because I've overcome so many obstacles and so many challenges," he added. "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."

Our hearts go out to Sharpe's family and loved ones.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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