On April 17, 1985, the St. Louis Cardinals suffered their first major defection to the rival United States Football League.

Left tackle Luis Sharpe signed a reported four-year, $2.3 million deal to join the Memphis Showboats.

The USFL was a spring/summer league that started in 1983. The league had successfully picked off NFL talent and paid top dollar for college stars, such as Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, and Reggie White.

Sharpe was the Cardinals’ number one draft pick in 1982 out of UCLA and was named to the All-Rookie Team after his freshman season. In the three years preceding Sharpe’s arrival, the club had a composite record of 17-31. In his first three seasons in St. Louis, the team never had a losing campaign and posted an overall mark of 22-15-1.

Head coach Jim Hanifan often said he thought Sharpe was the best offensive tackle in the NFL

But the Showboats were looking for a offensive line help, and they backed up a “Brinks truck” to lure Sharpe four hours south to Memphis.

“It was an emotional decision,” Sharpe said after making the decision. “I had to weigh the benefits of playing in the NFL, with all its tradition, against all of the money I was being offered here (Memphis). When I sat down and weighed all the factors, I just could not turn this down.”

“I hated to leave,” he said, “but it was one of those things you have to do.”

Hanifan was disappointed in losing his big left tackle, but understood.

“My first reaction was kind of disbelief,” he said. “But then I began talking to Looie and he told me what they were offering him. He said he didn’t want to go, but it was such an outstanding financial package that he couldn’t refuse to go. I wish him the best.”

“It’s going to be tough to find a replacement for him, but what can you say,” Big Red center Randy Clark said. “He went for the cash, and $2.3 for four years is an awful lot of money to turn down. We certainly don’t blame Looie. He did it for his family. And we certainly don’t blame the Cardinals. They gave him a good offer.”

The Cardinals did offer Sharpe a contract to stay in St. Louis, but team officials would not confirm the difference in offers.

“It was a matter of him getting a great deal,” said Bob Wallace, a lawyer who represented the team in player contract negotiations.

Sharpe’s agent Marvin Demoff said the Cardinals “came back with a five percent increase in their offer,” but that was it. He said that he offered the Cardinals packages of one year, two years, three years, and four years, all of which “were substantially below the Memphis deal,” and all of which were rejected by the club.

Sharpe said the Cardinals weren’t cheap in their offer.

“They made me a pretty damn good offer,” he said. “It would have made me one of the highest-paid linemen in their league.”

Part of Sharpe’s Memphis contract was guaranteed, which protected him in case the USFL had suddenly gone out of business.

“Even if the league would fold, the worst thing that would happen is that I’d get the guaranteed part of my contract, and I’d come back and play in the NFL,” he said.

Sharpe’s first workout in Memphis came just a day after signing the contract.

“I felt really awkward,” he said. “Those guys have been going at it for three months now, and I haven’t played since December.”

Sharpe’s first impression of USFL football were favorable. “I thought I’d come down here and the defensive linemen would be a step or two slower than the guys in the NFL. I don’t know if it’s because I’m out of shape or what, but they looked pretty good to me.”

One of his new teammates was a young defensive lineman name Reggie White.

“He’s just a big old boy out of Tennessee,” he said,” sort of like David Galloway with the Cardinals.”

The Showboats had a 4-4 record when Sharpe signed and they plugged the newcomer into their starting lineup just four days after he arrived.

Sharpe was a little rusty in a 21-18 loss to Doug Flutie and Herschel Walker’s New Jersey Generals. The Showboats would finish the season with an 11-7 record and win a playoff game, before losing to the Oakland Invaders in the semi-finals. Sharpe had an excellent season. He plugged up a problematic offensive line and was named a second-team All-USFL performer.

“He had an excellent season for us,” Memphis head coach Pepper Rodgers said. “He was an asset on the field and off of it.”

Sharpe enjoyed his time in Memphis. “The Showboats had a lot of great people.”

BACK TO ST. LOUIS

Sharpe returned to his home in St. Louis after the season ended, and questions began about whether the Detroit native would be back with the Cardinals for the upcoming 1985 season.

“Here I go running my mouth again,” he said. “There are a lot of rumors going around. You know, that I’ll be back. It’s a possibility. Anything’s possible.”

“Everybody would love to see Luis back because he’s a heck of a football player, a great guy, and he makes us a better team,” said right guard Joe Bostic.

Although he didn’t have much of an offseason break before joining the Showboats, Sharpe said that his body was fresh.

“I haven’t had any ill effects at all,” he said. “My body is young. I’m a young man. I love to play football.”

What many didn’t know at the time was that Sharpe had an escape clause in his Memphis contract. And there was mutual interest in Sharpe’s return after the Big Red offensive line surrendered 16 sacks in their first two exhibition games.

Demoff sent a proposal to the Cardinals’ brass in mid-August. After a couple of weeks of haggling, Sharpe agreed to a reported 4-year, $1.6 million deal on August 31 to return to St. Louis. He said he wanted to reclaim his starting spot and play in the season opener on September 8.

“I’m ready to play,” he said. “It will take me a couple of weeks to get back in 100 percent shape, but I’m ready to start in Cleveland if they need me. I’m very anxious to get started.”

“We had to come down on our asking price,” Sharpe said about the contract, “but both sides are happy. And I think (Cardinals owner) Billy Bidwill deserves to be fully commended. He has taken every necessary step to make this team a Super Bowl contender.”

Sharpe’s teammates and head coach Jim Hanifan were happy to have him back.

“I’m very excited about it,” Hanifan said. “Very, very pleased. Anything I’d say would be an understatement.”

“I’m elated,” said quarterback Neil Lomax. “It just shows how committed management is to making this team the best it can be.”

Sharpe was happy as well. “It has been an ordeal these last couple of weeks, just sitting here at home and waiting for something to happen. But I never lost faith. I always believed I’d be back in St. Louis.”

“I want to thank the entire Cardinals organization. I can’t wait to be with the guys again. I can’t wait for the season to start. Playing in Memphis was a nice experience, but St. Louis is my home. And the Cardinals are my team. We’re on the verge of becoming a power. The future is bright. It’s an exciting thing to be a part of.”

Sharpe wasn’t alone in his opinion on the Cardinals’ future. Many predicted they would be Super Bowl contenders in 1985. They got off to a quick 3-1 start to open the season, but then the wheels fell off after a 31-7 loss to the Redskins on a Monday night in October. The team would finish with a 5-11 record and win only four games in 1986.

The team rebounded in 1987 and Sharpe earned a trip to his first Pro Bowl, the team’s last season in St. Louis. He was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1988 and 1989 and was a second-team All-Pro in 1990 while playing for the Phoenix Cardinals.

Remarkably, he never missed a start during his stay in St. Louis and only missed five starts in his 13-year career before suffering a career-ending knee injury during week 11 in 1994.

After football, Sharpe had a well-documented battle with drugs and alcohol. He spent several years in prison before turning his life around and helping others. He passed away on July 11, 2025.