2013 TCU FOOTBALL
ASSISTANT COACHES
DAN SHARP
TIGHT ENDS/ SPECIAL TEAMS 13th Season at TCU TCU, 1985
One of the more popular players to ever don the Purple and White, Dan Sharp is in his 12th year during his second stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater. He doubles as the tight ends and special teams coach. A 2005 inductee into the TCU Lettermen’s Hall of Fame, Sharp returned to the Horned Frogs’ staff in 2001 as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. He previously coached nine seasons at TCU before heading to Tulsa in 1998. The TCU special teams units were superb once again in 2012, as freshman Jaden Oberkrom was a Lou Groza Award semfinalist and Skye Dawson earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors as a punt returner and kick returner. Oberkrom and punter Ethan Perry also picked up the honor. Additionally, Perry was named to two freshman All-America teams after topping all freshmen nationally at 44.5 yards per punt to rank 14th overall in the NCAA. With Sharp’s help, freshman Deante’ Gray set the TCU record for punt return yards in a game in the season opener versus Grambling State. Gray earned Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors after 160 yards in punt returns, inlcuding a touchdown on his first attempt. In 2011, TCU was second in the nation in kickoff return average with a 28.2-yard mark. The Horned Frogs returned three kickoffs for touchdowns with Greg McCoy receiving first-team All-America honors and being the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. TCU had the first-team All-MW return specialist all seven seasons it was in the league (McCoy, 2011; Jeremy Kerley, 2008-10; Brian Bonner, 2006-07; Cory Rodgers, 2005). Sharp coached placekicker Ross Evans for four seasons and saw him set eight TCU records and three Mountain West marks. Under Sharp’s tutelage in 2010, Kerley received All-America honors and was named the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. Additionally, he was one of three finalists for the Paul Hornung Award and a 2011 fifth-round draft pick of the New York Jets. TCU topped the nation in 2009 in kickoff return average with a 29.2-yard mark. The Horned Frogs led the Mountain West
in kickoff and punt returns as they had three special teams touchdowns. Kerley returned two punts for scores and received All-America honors as a return specialist, while McCoy returned a kickoff 81 yards for a touchdown en route to setting a singleseason TCU record with a 35.9-yard average. Sharp coached TCU placekicker and three-time All-Mountain West selection Chris Manfredini to a 47-of-54 mark on field goals in three seasons (2005-07). Placekicker Nick Browne and punter Joey Biasatti were semifinalists for the Lou Groza and Ray Guy Awards, respectively, during the 2002 campaign. Browne earned All-America honors and was the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Year in 2003. In the last four seasons, three tight ends (Chad Andrus, Brent Hecht, Shae Reagan) have been inducted into the National Football Foundation’s Hampshire Honor Society for academic excellence. Under Sharp’s leadership, Matt Schobel was the second pick in the third round of the 2002 National Football League draft and the 67th player selected overall. In 2004, Cody McCarty garnered first-team all-league honors. Sharp previously coached at TCU (1991-97) under both Jim Wacker and Pat Sullivan. He mentored the tight ends for five years and handled the defensive ends for two seasons. Before joining the TCU staff on a full-time basis, Sharp served as a graduate assistant under Wacker. Sharp was a tight end on TCU’s 1984 team which went 8-3 and earned a trip to the Bluebonnet Bowl. He had a key touchdown reception in a 32-31 win at Arkansas, the Frogs’ first victory in Fayetteville in 29 years. In addition to providing outstanding blocking for TCU’s vaunted running game, Sharp earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1984 as he caught 42 passes for 596 yards and seven touchdowns. He spent two years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons before returning to TCU in 1988. He received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education from TCU in 1985 and his master’s in liberal arts in 1992. Sharp and his wife, Cindy, both natives of Boerne, Texas, are the parents of two daughters: Alexandra and Andrea.
SHARP FILE Age:___________________________ 51 (born Feb. 5, 1962) Hometown:___________________________ Boerne, Texas Married:___________________________________ Cindy Children:_______________________ Alexandra and Andrea Alma Mater:_____________________________TCU (1985) Master’s Degree:__________________________TCU (1992)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE 1981-84_____________________________________ TCU 1986-87_____________________________ Atlanta Falcons
COACHING EXPERIENCE 1989-90______________________ TCU (Graduate Assistant) 1991___________________________ TCU (Defensive Ends) 1992-96____________________________ TCU (Tight Ends) 1997___________________________ TCU (Defensive Ends) 1998-00_________________ Tulsa (Tight Ends/Special Teams) 2001-present_____________ TCU (Tight Ends/Special Teams)
BOWL GAMES 1984_________________________ Bluebonnet Bowl (TCU) 1994________________________ Independence Bowl (TCU) 2001___________________ galleryfurniture.com Bowl (TCU) 2002________________________ AXA Liberty Bowl (TCU) 2003________________PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl (TCU) 2005___________________________ Houston Bowl (TCU) 2006__________________________ Poinsettia Bowl (TCU) 2007_____________________________ Texas Bowl (TCU) 2008__________________________ Poinsettia Bowl (TCU) 2009_____________________________ Fiesta Bowl (TCU) 2010______________________________ Rose Bowl (TCU) 2011___________________________ Poinsettia Bowl (TCU) 2012___________________ Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (TCU)
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TCU FOOTBALL