Larry Tharpe
No. 71
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1970-11-19) November 19, 1970 (age 53)
Macon, Georgia, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:300 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:Macon (GA) Southwest
College:Tennessee State
NFL draft:1992 / Round: 6 / Pick: 145
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Games played:76
Games started:48
Fumble recoveries:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Larry James Tharpe (born November 19, 1970) is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL Draft after playing college football at Tennessee State.

After two seasons with the Lions, Tharpe played one season for the Arizona Cardinals, then returned to the Lions for another two seasons, and finished his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one final season.

Professional career

Tharpe was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (145th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft.[1] He signed his rookie contract with the team on July 24, 1992.[2] He was placed on injured reserve before the start of the 1992 season, but was activated from the list on September 30.[3] He played in the remaining 11 games of the season as a reserve.[4] He played in 5 games in 1993, starting in 3 of them. He re-signed with the Lions on July 26, 1994,[5] but spent the entire season on injured reserve.

Tharpe signed a one-year $1 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 1995. His agent Jim Ryan was the son of Cardinals head coach Buddy Ryan.[6] He started all 16 games of the season at one of the tackle spots.

Tharpe signed with the New England Patriots in 1996.[7] He was inactive for the first seven games of the season before he was waived on October 24, 1996.[8]

Tharpe was the starting right tackle for the Lions for 15 games in 1997, and helped running back Barry Sanders become the third player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards during the season.[9] Sanders won the NFL Most Valuable Player award after the season, and was named to the Pro Bowl. He invited Tharpe and the rest of the Lions' offensive line to Hawaii to join him, and gifted them gold bracelets commemorating the historic season.[10] Tharpe re-signed with the Lions on a one-year contract on June 11, 1998.[11] He played in all 16 games in 1998, and started at right tackle in 9 of them.

Tharpe was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers on April 4, 2000.[12] He played in 12 games in 2000, and started at right tackle in 5 games. He was released by the Steelers on September 1, 2001.[13]

Personal

Tharpe was a member of a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for concussion-related injuries while he was a player.[14]

References

  1. ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  2. ^ "Transactions". BaltimoreSun.com. July 24, 1992. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. September 30, 1992. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "Larry Tharpe 1992 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. July 26, 1994. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  6. ^ "The NFL". WashingtonPost.com. September 1, 1995. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  7. ^ King, Peter (August 1, 1996). "The Free Agency Game: Grading the Teams From A to F". SI.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  8. ^ Price, Terry (October 28, 1996). "McGinest Sees Way to End Zone". Courant.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  9. ^ George, Thomas (December 22, 1997). "Sanders Hits a Milestone, and Doesn't Stop There". The New York Times. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Rothstein, Michael (December 12, 2017). "20 years later: How Barry Sanders ran for 2K and a place in history". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  11. ^ "Transactions". The New York Times. June 11, 1998. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  12. ^ "Steelers Sign Tharpe, Codie". APNews.com. April 4, 2000. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  13. ^ Bouchette, Ed (September 1, 2001). "Steelers cut Tharpe, Myslinski, eye future". Post-Gazette.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  14. ^ Hohler, Bob (March 10, 2018). "The 342 former Patriots who have sued the NFL and helmet maker Riddell". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
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