Gerry Sharpe (footballer) explained

Gerry Sharpe
Fullname:Gerald Ralph Sharpe
Birth Date:17 March 1946
Birth Place:Gloucester, England
Death Place:Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
Position:Winger
Years1:1964–1971
Clubs1:Bristol City
Caps1:153
Goals1:48
Manageryears1:1982
Managerclubs1:Bristol City (caretaker)

Gerald Ralph Sharpe (17 March 1946 – 17 December 2019) was an English professional football player and coach who played as a winger.

Career

Born in Gloucester, Sharpe played for Bristol City,[1] as a winger/inside-forward renowned for his skill and exceptional pace. A series of impressive performances for Bristol City attracted interest in Sharpe from some of the leading clubs in England. With his potential seemingly about to be realised, it all came to an end on 16 January 1971 when he suffered a career-ending broken leg during a match with Middlesbrough at Ashton Gate.[2]

With his playing career over, Sharpe took on a role coaching Bristol City's youth team and in 1982 enjoyed a brief spell as the club's caretaker manager, taking over following the dismissal of future England manager Roy Hodgson.[3] [4]

A move to the USA followed where he had coaching roles at teams including Jersey Shore Boca and Chesapeake United. In 2014, he was appointed Director of Recreation and Academy Programs for Norfolk United based in Norfolk, Virginia.[5]

He died on 17 December 2019.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Profile. Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Transfer Database.
  2. Book: Bristol City Greats . Ivan Ponting . Tom Morgan . 978-1-904537-33-5.
  3. Web site: Lessons to learn? Bristol City's history of making caretaker managers permanent. Gregor. MacGregor. 6 August 2020. BristolLive.
  4. News: Football How City's youngsters raised the spirits at the end of a traumatic week . Richard Latham . 6 December 2019. Pressreader . Bristol Evening Post.
  5. Web site: Norfolk United | . 27 March 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154420/https://norfolkunited.org/2014/02/04/gerry-sharpe-named-norfolk-uniteds-director-of-recreation-and-academy-programs/ . 2 April 2015 .
  6. Web site: Gerry Sharpe. Cremation Society of Virginia.