ESPN's 'First Take' creates homecoming at Savannah State for Shannon Sharpe

It was a homecoming ceremony Monday at Savannah State's Tiger Arena as Shannon Sharpe came back to the campus that helped lay the foundation for his success for an airing of ESPN's "First Take" with broadcast partners Stephen A. Smith and Molly Qerim.

Sharpe made a grand entrance as a gym full of SSU students cheered him on at the start of the two-hour show broadcast nationwide. One of the best tight ends in football history, Sharpe was inducted to the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011 after a 14-year career with the Broncos and Ravens.

But his story started at Savannah State, when he joined the Tiger squad in 1986 after a stellar career at Glennville High School. On Monday, Sharpe's high school coach William Hall was on hand along with several of former SSU teammates. His brother, NFL great Sterling Sharpe, also came to town to join the broadcast — and their sister Libby also came to SSU for the festivities.

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Sharpe joined "First Take" after a run on Fox's "Undisputed" with Skip Bayless from 2016-2023. When he left that show, Stephen A. Smith quickly hired him to join his show on ESPN. Smith, also an HBCU graduate as an alum of Winston Salem University in North Carolina, came up with the idea to do the show from SSU to honor Sharpe. On Tuesday, "First Take" will do its broadcast at Winston Salem.

"If someone would have told me in 1986…That I would come back to SSU in this capacity, I wouldn't have believed it. I think I'm even more proud of that because it had nothing to do with my athletic ability," Sharpe said during the broadcast. "This is about an opportunity, another HBCU alum believed in me — Stephen A. Smith — he believed in me and gave me an opportunity when a lot of people wrote me off. He called me and said Big Daddy you're not done yet, I've got big plans for you."

After the show, Sharpe posed for countless photos with the student body and stopped to speak to the media for a moment.

"To have some of my former teammates and teachers came out to support me, and the student body itself — a lot of these kids hadn't even thought about being born yet when I attended Savannah State, and the love and admiration they showed me today doesn't go unnoticed," Sharp said.

"I've come back here before as an NFL player and Hall of Famer, but to come back in this capacity, when jobs like this didn't even exist when I went to Savannah State, and be from here. This is my home, this is where it all started from," said Sharpe, who was named the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. "I stayed in Peacock Hall many a night dreaming of playing in the NFL and providing for my family and all the while I was providing for my family I was representing Savannah State. I never forgot what Savannah State meant to me and the value of what I learned."

There was a segment of the show where Sharpe listed his Top 5 HBCU football players of all time, with SSU coach Aaron Kelton accompanying him. Sharp went with Doug Williams at No. 5, followed by Art Shell, Mel Blount, Walter Payton and Jerry Rice, the Mississippi Valley State legend, at No. 1.

Kelton laughed and said Sharpe was being too humble and should definitely be on the list, as he started the crowd in a chant of "Shannon, Shannon, Shannon."

A short time later there was a touching moment when Sharpe brought up his former high school mentor — Coach William Hall.

"Coach Hall lives in Savannah and drove 65 miles every day to Glenville to teach and coach. He would take us to track meets in Savannah driving the school bus then drive everyone home and get in his car and drive back to Savannah," Sharpe said. "He did that every day for 50 years. He is the man. Thank you coach for everything you have done for my family, you've been a family staple for over 60 years. I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart."

One of his former SSU teammates who was on hand was Earl Bryant, the former Groves star who was a quarterback and receiver with the Tigers. Bryant works for the City of Savannah and is an assistant coach at Jenkins High now.

"We came to SSU and built a bond as teammates and friends over those four years," Bryant said. "Shannon went on to prosper and do bigger and better things. But's we've always been close. He invited me to Canton (Ohio) for his Hall of Fame ceremony. But it's really a blessing to have him come back today and give words of encouragement to the students here. He's letting them know that anything is possible."

That was Sharpe's message — that anything is possible if you work hard.

"Our motto is 'You can get anywhere from here,' " Sharpe said. "You can. Don't let people tell you that an HBCU is less than. You can get to anywhere from an HBCU."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Shannon Sharpe returns to Savannah State to broadcast 'First Take'