Don Sharpe was one of two juniors who started on Andalusias 1958 Class AA District 1 State Championship team as select by the Birmingham News . He played halfback on the undefeated team. Sharpe also played basketball and baseball and ran track in high school.

During his senior season his team went 6-3-1, he was team captain, a member of the All-South Alabama Conference team and was voted MVP of his team. After graduating high school in 1960, Sharpe graduated cum laude from Troy State.

Sharpe coached at Jeff Davis for four years where his track teams won state titles every year. He served as an assistant coach for eight years before accepting the head football coaching position at Andalusia High School. He was the head coach and athletic director from 1973-1979.

In his seven seasons at Andalusia, his teams finished with a combined 76-7-2 record. The Bulldogs were 63-4-1 in the regular season and 13-3-1 in playoff games. During that run his teams ran off 58 straight regular season wins without a loss.

His teams won the Class 3A State Championship in 1977 and tied for the State Championship in 1976 with Athens High. Sharpe would step down following the 1979 football season to accept the head coaching job at Woodham High School in Pensacola, Florida.

From 1980 through 1986, he served as head coach at Woodham. There his teams won five district championships, two state runner-ups and two state championships. Sharpes teams were as feared as any in the south. It is said that in 1984, Sharpe once called the same running play 16 straight times. He just wanted to make the opposing team stop it.

Sharpe resigned at Woodham in January, 1986 after six seasons as the athletic director and head coach. His team went 60-11 during his tenure at Woodham. His 1982 team finished 13-0 and the 1984 squad finished with a 12-0 slate. From 1982-84 the Titans won 28 consecutive regular season games, three district championships and two state titles. His last team in 1985 lost to Bradenton in the championship game.

Don Sharpe was inducted into the inaugural Andalusia High School Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the AHSSA Hall of Fame. The Andalusia High School Football Stadium is named in honor of their beloved coach.

Coach Sharpes overall football record is 136-18-2 in only thirteen seasons as a head football coach in two states.