Richard Sharpe Holds NCAA Division II Records for Goals and Points in a Season

2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Richard Sharpe is one of the most accomplished and talented soccer players to ever don the Florida Tech men’s soccer uniform. He holds the NCAA Division II and Florida Tech records for career goals (137) and points (321) and was a 1991, 1992 and 1993 first team All American.

THE 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 10. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame) – Richard Sharpe is one of the most accomplished and talented soccer players to ever don the Florida Tech men’s soccer uniform.

To this day, Sharpe still owns the NCAA Division II records for goals (49) and points (112) in a season, achieving those numbers during his 1992 campaign.

He also still holds the NCAA Division II and Florida Tech records for career goals (137) and points (321) and was a 1991, 1992 and 1993 first team All American.

The Panthers won their second national title in 1991, trouncing Sonoma State 5-1 on Florida Tech’s home field on campus.

Coach Richard Stottler’s Panthers finished an impressive 19-2-1 record that season and Sharpe was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player for the 1991 NCAA Tournament.

Sharpe also earned Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year three seasons in a row from 1991-93. During that three-year span, Sharpe led the nation in goals and points each season.

As head soccer coach of the Florida Tech Panthers, Stottler posted an incredible record of 190-66-12 during his 14-year tenure as the coach. The .731 winning percentage is among the best of all-time in the history of NCAA Division II men’s college soccer.

Sharpe was born in London, England, and Stottler, a keen judge of talent, and with the help of his assistant coach, native Brit Giles Malone, recruited several players from the United Kingdom and other foreign countries to play soccer for the Panthers during his 14-year tenure as the head coach.

Sharpe grew up in England, playing in the West Ham United and Leyton Orient youth systems. He moved to the United States in 1989 where he enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology.

In 1994, Sharpe signed with the Cocoa Expos in the USISL. He promptly scored 33 goals in 15 games, leading the league. He also scored a hat trick at that year’s All-Star game.

In 1995, he played only six games but still scored 14 goals. He then trained with Rochdale A.F.C In March 1996, the Colorado Rapids selected Sharpe in the second round (19th overall) of the 1996 MLS Supplemental Draft.

He played 17 games with the Rapids in 1996 and in February 1997, he signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Dynamo of the USISL A-League.

Sharpe, along with his coach Richard Stottler, was inducted into the Florida Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

THE 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on Friday, May 10. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2019 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

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