ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 27, 1996 TAG: 9611270038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
VIRGINIA LINEBACKER Jamie Sharper has raised the level of his play as he approaches a school record.
Harry and Pauline Sharper should have known something extraordinary had happened by the roar that accompanied their introduction with the parents of Virginia's other senior football players.
The Sharpers had just driven to Scott Stadium from Richmond, where their younger son, Darren, had played in his final regular-season game for William and Mary, and it was all they could do to get to UVa by halftime.
The ovation let them know what they had missed.
Their older son, Jamie, had four sacks by halftime and finished with 14 tackles, including five for losses, as the Cavaliers rallied for a 20-17 victory over No.6 North Carolina.
``He knocked people down, ran them over and made 'em miss,'' UVa coach George Welsh said. ``I think Sharper, in a lot of ways, took his game to another level.''
Keep in mind, Sharper already was performing at a rather high level. He goes to Virginia Tech on Friday with 421 tackles and a good shot of breaking the school record of 432 set by Charles McDaniel between 1982-85.
``I haven't seen them all,'' said McDaniel, now in the transport business in Fredericksburg, ``but he's probably the best [linebacker] to go through there. If he breaks the record, I'll be one of the first people out there to congratulate him, especially if it comes with a victory.''
Sharper this week was named first-team All-ACC for the first time, which made for a nice consolation prize when he was eliminated from consideration for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's top linebacker.
``When I was named one of the 11 Butkus semifinalists, I knew I would need a big game to get people's attention,'' said Sharper, a fifth-year senior from the Richmond suburb of Glen Allen. ``If the North Carolina game had come a little earlier, maybe it would have made a difference.''
Sharper became aware of UVa's career tackles record as a junior, when he missed two games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. He finished the season with 95 tackles, which left him 120 short of the record.
``If you get 100 tackles, that's a good season for a linebacker,'' Sharper said. ``I had to try and stay injury-free if I wanted any shot at the record, but then I strained a muscle in my neck against Texas and it's been bothering me ever since.
``I had maybe my worst performance against N.C. State - we won, but I only had four or five tackles - so I had to tell myself at that point, `It's going to take 12 or 13 tackles each week. You've got to step it up and not think about injuries.'''
In the four games since Virginia played N.C. State, Sharper has had 11, 13, 16 and 14 tackles. And, there's been nothing chintzy about them. Sharper leads all ACC linebackers in tackles for loss (17) and is tied with teammate James Farrior for the most sacks by an ACC linebacker (7).
``The pro scouts have asked me, `Who's better?''' UVa defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said. ``I say I want them both. They say, `We can't take 'em both.' I tell them, `That's not my problem.'''
It is a tribute to Sharper and Farrior that they rank second and third on UVa's all-time tackles list despite playing outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme. McDaniel was one of two inside linebackers in a 5-2 alignment.
``I know I'm not going to get many tackles on the other side of the field because Potsy [Farrior] is going to be there first,'' said Sharper, who, because he has played on better teams, has been on the field for more than 400 fewer plays than McDaniel.
Sharper and Farrior have been virtually inseparable for four years, but Sharper would have liked to play with his brother, who, because he was never redshirted, is in the same class at William and Mary. Virginia did not offer a scholarship to the younger Sharper.
``The only regret that I have is that I didn't push the recruiters here to recruit him harder,'' Jamie said. ``I really just stayed out of it because, hey, it was my brother. I didn't want him to think he came here just because I made the guys take a look at him.''
Darren Sharper was a preseason All-American in Division I-AA and recently broke a Yankee Conference record with his 24th career interception, which came near the end of the Tribe's game at Richmond.
``We had planned to leave in the third quarter,'' said Harry Sharper, an ex-wide receiver at Virginia State. ``I kept saying, `Well, we should get on the road,' but my wife kept pushing me to stay. She said we had already walked on the field last year, when Jamie was a senior [academically].''
As a driver's education and highway-safety instructor at Henrico High School, Sharper couldn't very well exceed the speed limit, so they missed the entire first half of the UVa-UNC game, except for what they could pick up on the car radio.
The lunacy ends this week, when Virginia visits Virginia Tech on Friday and William and Mary entertains Jackson State in the Division I-AA playoffs Saturday.
``We've clocked thousands of miles up and down the East Coast,'' Harry Sharper said. ``We've been tremendously blessed that they've both done extremely well, but it truly has been a unique experience.''
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: DON PETERSEN\Staff. 1. With 12 tackles against Virginiaby CNBTech on Friday, Virginia senior linebacker Jamie Sharper (33) can
become the school's all-time leader in that category. 2. (headshot)
Sharper. color.