Alf Sharpe

Alfred D. Sharpe (February 6, 1902 – November 1981) was an American football player for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University.

Early years

Alf was born in Nashville on February 6, 1902 to Vernon Hibbett Sharpe and Lorene Seleney Dandridge. Sharpe attended Montgomery Bell Academy with later Vanderbilt teammate Doc Kuhn. His younger brother Vernon Sharpe was also a Vanderbilt football player, selected All-Southern in 1927.

Vanderbilt University

At Vanderbilt University, Sharpe was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.^[1] In an interview by Edwin Thomas Wood of Robert Penn Warren, Warren spoke of Sharpe:^[2]

Warren: When I was there [at Vanderbilt] we had some fine teams. There was Alf Sharp—he was an All-Southern center at one time. He looked like a badly formed pirate; he was really a menacing looking man. He was two years ahead of me, and then I taught his younger brother [Walter Sharp, who later taught at Vanderbilt. He was instrumental in founding the Department of Fine Arts, of which he was Chairman from 1955 to 1960] when brother came up one day and said, "You're not going to believe this, but I have documentation: my big brother was writing poems secretly the whole time he was here" So I saw the poems years later when the younger brother betrayed him.

Wood: Any good?

Warren: Well, as a matter of fact, they were skillful. They were close imitations of Housman. Very skillfully done, totally unoriginal. But the man had this need, hidden under that murderous exterior, to write poems.

Football

Sharpe was a prominent member of Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores from 1920 to 1923 as a center on teams which won three straight conference titles.

1921

In a 42 to 0 victory over Mercer in 1921, Sharpe recovered a Vanderbilt fumble in the endzone.^[3] He was ejected for slugging the following week against Kentucky.^[4]

1922

He was a starter for the scoreless tie with the Michigan Wolverines at the dedication of Dudley Field in 1922.^[5] Sharpe was expected to start the game on the sidelines due to a hurt shoulder.^[6] During that game, "Thousands of cheering Vanderbilt fans inspired the surge of center Alf Sharp, guard Gus Morrow, tackle Tex Bradford, and end Lynn Bomar, who stopped Michigan cold in four attempts."^[7] Sharpe netted an interception the next week in a 20 to 10 victory over the Texas Longhorns.^[8]

1923

Sharpe recovered a fumble in the endzone in a 17 to 0 victory over Tulane.^[9] He was cited along with Lynn Bomar and Bob Rives for holding the Tennessee Volunteers to only 7 in a 51 to 7 romp.^[10] Sharpe intercepted a pass off the receiver's finger tips during the 35 to 7 victory over Georgia, of which Morgan Blake, sportswriter in the Atlanta Journal, wrote "No southern team has given the Georgia Bulldogs such a licking in a decade."^[11]

References