By Charlie Stone

Photo courtesy of Collegiate School.

A welcome addition to the Middle School and football coaching staff, history teacher Chris Sharp brings pure energy and enthusiasm to class and practice. Moving from an athletic administration role at Kansas State University, he started at Collegiate for the 2023-2024 school year. Sharp, a University of Virginia alum who attended The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, has found a place in the football program as well as his Middle School classroom. 

In an interview with The Match, Sharp described how, “Fresh out of college, I started doing athletic administration work, so that’s when I was working at Kansas State. There is an education aspect there,” and education was something Sharp knew he had a passion for. Through his time at Kansas State, Sharp was able to “work with all the sports, just helping young adults complete themselves as a whole individual rather than just an athlete.” Sharp found his aptitude in education but at Kansas, “it was not… classroom teaching.” 

His experiences determined teaching was inevitable in his future. Sharp always “felt comfortable teaching and in the classroom,” and he noted how his parents shared that ability. Sharp said, “my mom was a teacher,” and “in some aspects my dad has a niche for helping people grow and develop,” which ties to Sharp’s coaching ability. 

He came to Collegiate because he “wanted to move back closer to home a bit,” but also to ultimately pursue his classroom-driven passion. 

Sharp coaching his players pre-game. Photo courtesy of Jack Neese Photography.

In Sharp’s time at Collegiate, he has come to find “coaching and teaching are synonymous; in the classroom you are coaching your students up.” Sharp’s Middle School class environment focuses on keeping kids engaged with his high energy and fast pace. Sharp can “use the different skills that it takes to be a successful coach or a successful teacher and kind of combine them,” which is vital in the Middle School classroom. 

Coaching and teaching at Collegiate were “a package deal, it all came together,” according to Sharp. He finds personally “not much difference in my energy levels on the football field with the high school football players than in the classroom with 8th Grade students.” Sharp tones the energy in the classroom to suit the setting. 

He coaches the varsity football running backs well, harbouring the most Division I prospects on the team. Junior tight end Henry Brost (‘26) described Sharp as “a very energetic person. No matter the result, what type of day it was, he always brought energy to practice.” Energy transfers to his players and elevates long summer practices to new heights. Sharp finds the right balance between serious coaching and lightheartedness in practice, letting loose and occasionally taking reps alongside players in full pads to help motivate. 

Sharp noted how, “I think there is so much more to being a good football player than what you do in between the whistles,” and not just showing a result on field. He finds “there is a lot more outside of it, in the locker room, outside of practice. Being a good teammate is very important.” Character development can be more important than the sport itself, and Sharp commented on this after two seasons at Collegiate. 

During this past football season, his second as running back coach, there were proud moments. His goal to “help young adults complete themselves as a whole individual, rather than just an athlete” is evident as he described his “guys.” He was proud of the “whole running back group,” including Xay Davis (‘25), who has committed to play football at UVA. Sharp found Davis was “more vocal this year, which I loved, and seeing him come out of his shell even more” was valuable for the team, considering the injuries on the roster. With a focus on leadership development, Sharp also wasn’t surprised when “Menelik Reid (‘25), grew as a leader on the field and increased production on the field.”