Patrick “Sharpo” Sharpe’s rugby story is one of commitment, curiosity, and service. He has spent a lifetime not only playing the game, but also helping build the structures that allow others to play it too.
Sharpo began truly learning rugby in 1982, during the founding of the rugby club at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Those early years were formative. So were the people around him. Among the biggest influences was the club’s first guest coach, Jeff Friedrich — a Midwest select-side player who would later be inducted into the Milwaukee club’s Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2010. Under that example, Pat developed not only as a player, but also as a student of the game.
At UWM, he quickly became one of the key figures in the club’s early growth. In addition to playing, Pat served as both Match Secretary and President.
He also threw himself into fundraising and administration. He was instrumental in helping the team secure University Club Status, a major achievement that even included office space in the Student Union. It was a sign of how seriously the program had come to be taken.
After college, Pat joined the Milwaukee Harlequins (now known as the Milwaukee Barbarians) and never stopped giving back. Over the years, he has served the senior club in an extraordinary range of executive roles, including Match Secretary, General Manager, Director of Rugby, and Coach.
His impact can be measured not just in titles, but in lasting improvements to the club. He helped secure playing and practice fields through a long-term agreement with Milwaukee County Parks. He secured proper training equipment. He also landed important sponsorships over the years, including Hobbs Honda, Fermentorium, and Third Space Brewing.
Pat has also been a long-time member of the Lakefront 7s organizing committee. His contributions there have been as reliable as they have been appreciated.
Few people have worked harder, year after year, to make the event happen. Many know Sharpo just as well from behind the grill as they do from the rugby pitch.
As a player, Pat made his home primarily in the front row, while also spending time at flanker. True to his nature, he always sought ways to keep learning. He pursued rugby education well beyond the club, attending clinics and camps throughout the Midwest, Oregon, California, Wales, and New Zealand.
Pat’s connection to the wider rugby world is especially evident in his seven international tours. He has traveled extensively with the club and has helped organize many of its major tours.
His rugby journey also includes a special and lasting bond with Gorseinon RFC in Wales, a club that played an important role in the Harlequins’ early history. Pat joined Gorseinon RFC in 1993. He has maintained his membership ever since as a reserve player, old boy, and lifetime member.
Pat credits “Papa Joe” Kloiber — Hall of Fame Class of 2009 — for inspiring him both on the pitch and around the club since.
Among all those experiences, one stands above the rest. Pat’s favorite came on the 2011 New Zealand tour. He was sitting on a log, lacing up his boots on the sideline of a sheep paddock, and looking up into the hills above Wellington. It was a beautiful day. There was great rugby. And he was with his mates. In many ways, it is the perfect Sharpo memory — simple, grounded, and centered on the game and the people who make it meaningful.
In recognition of his decades of service and passion, Pat was named Rugger of the Year in 2006 and 2013, and Old Boy of the Year in 2005 and 2023. Those honors reflect what so many already knew: Sharpo has been one of the great custodians of Milwaukee rugby.
As a player, organizer, coach, administrator, sponsor-builder, tour leader, and lifelong student of the game, Patrick “Sharpo” Sharpe has left a lasting mark on every corner of the club.
For all of those reasons, and for the countless hours behind the scenes that made the club stronger, Patrick “Sharpo” Sharpe is a deserving member of the Milwaukee Barbarians Hall of Fame, Class of 2025.
