Larry Tharpe
{{Short description|American football player (born 1970)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Larry Tharpe
| position = Offensive tackle
| number = 71
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1970|11|19}}
| birth_place = Macon, Georgia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 4
| weight_lb = 300
| high_school = Southwest (Macon)
| college = Tennessee State
| draftyear = 1992
| draftround = 6
| draftpick = 145
| pastteams =
- Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1992}}–{{NFL Year|1994}})
- Arizona Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1995}})
- New England Patriots ({{NFL Year|1996}})
- Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1997}}–{{NFL Year|1998}})
- Pittsburgh Steelers ({{NFL Year|2000}})
| statlabel1 = Games played
| statvalue1 = 76
| statlabel2 = Games started
| statvalue2 = 48
| statlabel3 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue3 = 1
| pfr = TharLa20
}}
Larry James Tharpe (born November 19, 1970) is an American former professional football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee State Tigers and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft.
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.{{Cite web |title=1992 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1992/draft.htm |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}} He signed his rookie contract with the team on July 24, 1992.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-07-24-1992206195-story.html |website=BaltimoreSun.com |date=July 24, 1992 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} He was placed on injured reserve before the start of the 1992 season, but was activated from the list on September 30.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/30/sports/transactions-372092.html |website=The New York Times |date=September 30, 1992 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} He played in the remaining 11 games of the season as a reserve.{{cite web |title=Larry Tharpe 1992 Game Log |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TharLa20/gamelog/1992/ |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} He played in 5 games in 1993, starting in 3 of them. He re-signed with the Lions on July 26, 1994,{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/26/sports/transactions-771830.html |website=The New York Times |date=July 26, 1994 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} 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.{{cite news |title=The NFL |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1995/09/01/the-nfl/c145d29f-3d6d-4d5c-807c-01e1b0c29880/ |website=WashingtonPost.com |date=September 1, 1995 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} He started all 16 games of the season at one of the tackle spots.
Tharpe signed with the New England Patriots in 1996.{{cite news |author=King, Peter |title=The Free Agency Game: Grading the Teams From A to F |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1996/08/01/216719/the-free-agency-game-grading-the-teams-from-a-to-f |website=SI.com |date=August 1, 1996 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} He was inactive for the first seven games of the season before he was waived on October 24, 1996.{{cite news |author=Price, Terry |title=McGinest Sees Way to End Zone
|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-10-28-9610280145-story.html |website=Courant.com |date=October 28, 1996 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}}
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.{{cite news |author=George, Thomas |title=Sanders Hits a Milestone, and Doesn't Stop There |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/12/22/sports/on-pro-football-sanders-hits-a-milestone-and-doesn-t-stop-there.html |website=The New York Times |date=December 22, 1997 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} 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.{{cite news |author=Rothstein, Michael |title=20 years later: How Barry Sanders ran for 2K and a place in history |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/detroit-lions/post/_/id/32392/20-years-later-how-barry-sanders-reached-2k-and-a-place-in-history |website=ESPN.com |date=December 12, 2017 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} Tharpe re-signed with the Lions on a one-year contract on June 11, 1998.{{cite news |title=Transactions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/11/sports/transactions-371769.html |website=The New York Times |date=June 11, 1998 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} 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.{{cite news |title=Steelers Sign Tharpe, Codie |url=https://apnews.com/42b4c96832126d6ddfd56710c0aa96bd |website=APNews.com |date=April 4, 2000 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}} 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.{{cite news |author=Bouchette, Ed |title=Steelers cut Tharpe, Myslinski, eye future |url=http://old.post-gazette.com/steelers/20010901cuts0901p6.asp |website=Post-Gazette.com |date=September 1, 2001 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}}
Personal
Tharpe was a member of a class-action lawsuit against the NFL for concussion-related injuries while he was a player.{{cite news |author=Hohler, Bob |title=The 342 former Patriots who have sued the NFL and helmet maker Riddell |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2018/03/10/the-former-patriots-who-have-sued-nfl-and-helmet-maker-riddell/CNUTg825LZIQAgNtsD2JaP/story.html |website=BostonGlobe.com |date=March 10, 2018 |accessdate=September 23, 2019}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Lions1992DraftPicks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tharpe, Larry}}
Category:Players of American football from Macon, Georgia
Category:American football offensive tackles
Category:Tennessee State Tigers football players
Category:Detroit Lions players
Category:Arizona Cardinals players