View source for Linda Sharp

{{Short description|American basketball coach (born 1950)}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name               = Linda Sharp
| image              = Linda Sharp at the White House in 1984.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Sharp at the [[White House]] in 1984 following USC's national championship.
| current_title      = 
| current_team       = 
| current_conference = 
| current_record     = 
| contract           = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1950|3|14}}
| birth_place        = [[Okmulgee, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| death_date         = 
| death_place        = 
| alma_mater         = 
| player_years1      = 1968–1970
| player_team1       = [[Fullerton College|Fullerton JC]]
| player_years2      = 1970–1972
| player_team2       = [[Cal State Fullerton Titans women's basketball|Cal State Fullerton]]
| player_positions   = [[Guard (basketball)|Guard]]
| coach_years1       = 1974–1977
| coach_team1        = [[Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)|Mater Dei HS]]
| coach_years2       = 1976–1977
| coach_team2        = [[USC Trojans women's basketball|USC]] (assistant)
| coach_years3       = 1977–1989
| coach_team3        = USC
| coach_years4       = 1989–1997
| coach_team4        = [[Texas State Bobcats women's basketball|Southwest Texas State]]
| coach_years5       = 1997
| coach_team5        = [[Los Angeles Sparks]]
| coach_years6       = 2000
| coach_team6        = [[Phoenix Mercury]] (assistant)
| coach_years7       = 2001–2008
| coach_team7        = [[Concordia University Texas|Concordia (TX)]]
| coach_years8       = 2002
| coach_team8        = Phoenix Mercury
| championships      = 
*2× [[List of NCAA Women's Division I Basketball champions|NCAA Division I Champion]] ([[1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|1983]], [[1984 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|1984]])
*3× [[List of NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four appearances by coach|NCAA Regional—Final Four]] (1983, 1984, 1986)
| admin_years1       = 
| admin_team1        = 
| overall_record     = {{winning percentage|496|271|record=y}} (college)<br />{{winning percentage|9|24|record=y}} (WNBA)
| bowl_record        = 
| tournament_record  = | awards             = 
| coaching_records   = 
| WBHOF              = linda-k-sharp
}}
'''Linda Kay Sharp''' (born March 14, 1950)<ref name="NCAA Coaches"/> is an American former collegiate [[women's basketball]] coach. Her coaching career spans 31 seasons with stints on all levels from elementary, junior high and high school to the collegiate and professional ranks, and she was inducted into the [[Women's Basketball Hall of Fame]] in 2001.<ref name="WBHOF">{{cite web|url=http://www.wbhof.com/Sharp.html|title=WBHOF Inductees|publisher=WBHOF|access-date=2017-08-05}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Okmulgee, Oklahoma]] and raised in [[Cypress, California]], Sharp attended [[John F. Kennedy High School (Los Angeles)|John F. Kennedy High School]] in Los Angeles and played at [[point guard]] on the basketball team.<ref name="Hawkes"/>{{rp|160–161}} She enrolled at [[Fullerton College|Fullerton Junior College]] in 1968 to begin her college basketball career and transferred to [[Cal State Fullerton Titans women's basketball|Cal State Fullerton]] in 1970. In her senior season, Cal State Fullerton finished third in the 1972 [[Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women|AIAW]] national championship.<ref name="Hawkes">{{citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnZb8oq1y8MC&q=linda+sharp&pg=PR9|title=Linda K. Sharp|work=Celebrating Women Coaches: A Biographical Dictionary|pages=160–166|publisher=Greenwood Press|place=Greenwood, CT|author=Hawkes, Nena Ray and Seggar, John F.|isbn=0313309124|year=2000}}</ref>{{rp|162}}

==Coaching career==

===College===
After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 1973 with a physical education degree, Sharp taught part-time at a local Catholic school and also did substitute teaching before landing a full-time teaching and coaching position at [[Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)|Mater Dei High School]] in [[Santa Ana, California|Santa Ana]]. Sharp taught American literature and physical education and coached girls' basketball, volleyball, and softball in addition to launching tennis and track programs.<ref name="Hawkes"/>{{rp|162}}

In 1976, the [[USC Trojans women's basketball|University of Southern California]] (USC) hired Sharp as an assistant coach for its women's basketball program; Sharp was a part-time assistant at USC while still coaching at Mater Dei.<ref name="Hawkes"/>{{rp|162–163}}<ref name="SI 1982">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1982/02/22/587492/usc-has-doubled-its-fun|title=USC Has Doubled Its Fun|author=Jackson, Roger|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=February 22, 1982|access-date=August 5, 2017}}</ref> After one year, USC promoted Sharp to head coach. In twelve seasons from 1977 to 1989, Sharp accumulated a 271-99 won-loss record.<ref name="Hawkes"/>

Turning around a program that won only five games in 1976–77, USC won 21 games in Sharp's second season as head coach in 1978–79.<ref name="Hawkes"/> Sharp led USC to back-to-back NCAA national championships in [[1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|1983]] and [[1984 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|1984]]. For USC's 1984 national title, Sharp earned [[Western Collegiate Athletic Association|WCAA]], [[Wade Trophy]], and ''[[Sporting News]]'' Coach of the Year honors.<ref name="WBHOF"/> While at USC, she was selected as the [[Pac-10]] Conference "Coach of the Year" three times. In May 1989, she resigned from the program, citing a need for a new challenge while accepting the head coach position at Southwest Texas State University.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-05-25-sp-622-story.html | title=Sharp is Leaving Trojans for Southwest Texas State | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=25 May 1989 }}</ref>

From 1989 to 1997, Sharp compiled a 138-85 record in eight seasons at Southwest Texas State (now [[Texas State Bobcats women's basketball|Texas State]]).

For seven years, Sharp served on the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] Basketball Rules Committee.

In 2001, Sharp was hired as the head coach of the women's basketball team at [[Concordia University Texas]], a Division III school.  She coached the team for seven years and to an 87–87 won-loss record.  On September 10, 2008, Sharp resigned from Concordia.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2008/09/20080910msx8ch|title=Sharp retires from Concordia-Austin|website=D3Hoops.com|access-date=August 5, 2017|date=September 10, 2008}}</ref>

Sharp's career head coach record is 496–271 after 27 years coaching NCAA women's basketball.

===WNBA===
In 1997, she became the first head coach of the [[Los Angeles Sparks]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]].  Sharp later assisted her former player at USC, [[Cheryl Miller]], with the [[Phoenix Mercury]] in 2000. Then in 2002, Sharp became the interim head coach for the Phoenix Mercury after [[Cynthia Cooper-Dyke|Cynthia Cooper]] resigned from the position.<ref name="Concordia">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210114554/http://athletics.concordia.edu/athletics.cfm?page_ID=48|archive-date=February 10, 2007|title=Head Coach - Linda K. Sharp|url=http://athletics.concordia.edu/athletics.cfm?page_ID=48|publisher=Concordia University Texas|access-date=August 5, 2017}}</ref> Sharp had a 9–24 overall record as a WNBA head coach.<ref name=bbr/>

===USA Basketball===
Sharp was chosen as the head coach of the team representing the US in 1981 at the [[William Jones Cup]] competition in [[Taipei, Taiwan]]. The team won their first four games easily, then faced the Republic of China - Blue team. Although the USA had an early ten-point lead, the Blue team came back to lead by four points at halftime. The USA opened the second half with a 9–2 run to reclaim the lead for good and went on to win the game. They then went on to win their next two games easily, and faced the defending champions South Korea in the final. The game  was very close, throughout much of the game, including a tie at 49 points each with about ten minutes to go. The South Koreans then pulled out to a nine-point lead with under two minutes left. The USA team pulled the margin back to three points, but could not close the gap. The South Korean team won, and the USA team received the silver medal.<ref name="1981 JONES CUP"/>

Sharp was the head coach of the team representing the US at the World University Games held in [[Zagreb, Yugoslavia]] in July 1987. The team started out with a 35-point victory over Poland and followed that with a 41-point victory over Finland. In the third game, the USA faced the host team Yugoslavia. The USA hit a high percentage of their shots from the free throw line, 16 of 19, but the Yugoslav team earned 43 shots from the line, of which they made 34. With a home crowd behind them, the game came down to the wire, and was tied at the end of regulation. In overtime, Yugoslavia out scored the US and won the game 93–89. The USA still had a chance to make it to the medal round, but to do so had to win their next game against China, and do so by at least five points. The USA fell behind, and were down 16 points at halftime. They fell behind by 20 at one point, but made up the deficit and more in the second half. They went on to win the game, but by only a single point 84–83. They won their final game against Canada, but this left them in fifth place, the first time ever the USA team did not win a medal at the World University Games.<ref name="WUG 1987"/>

==Head coaching record==

===College===
Source for USC:<ref>[https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/usctrojans.com/documents/2017/7/27/2017_18_USC_WBB_Record_Book.pdf 2017-18 USC Women's Basketball], p. 56</ref>

Sources for Texas State:<ref>[http://southland.org/documents/2017/1/13//WOMEN_084_111_History_Records.pdf 2016-17 Southland Conference Women's Basketball], pp. 96-97</ref><ref>[https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/txstate.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/11/1/2016_17_TXST_WBB_MEDIA_GUIDE_web.pdf 2016-17 Texas State Women's Basketball Media Guide], pp. 70-71</ref>

Source for Concordia (TX):<ref>[http://asc.sidearmsports.com.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/2014/6/4/ASC_WBK-All-Time_Standings.pdf Women's Basketball All-Time Standings]. American Southwest Conference.</ref>
{{CBB yearly record start | type = coach | conference = | postseason= }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      =[[USC Trojans women's basketball|USC Trojans]]
 | conference=[[Western Collegiate Athletic Association|Western Collegiate Athletic Association/Pacific West Conference]]
 | startyear =1977
 | endyear   =1986
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1977–78
| name         = USC
| overall      = 11–13
| conference   = 3–5
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1978–79
| name         = USC
| overall      = 21–10
| conference   = 4–4
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = WAIAW Regionals
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1979–80
| name         = USC
| overall      = 22–12
| conference   = 9–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = AIAW Regionals
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1980–81
| name         = USC
| overall      = 26–8
| conference   = 9–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = AIAW Final Four
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1981–82
| name         = USC
| overall      = 23–4
| conference   = 9–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = [[1982 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Regionals]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = national
| season       = 1982–83
| name         = [[1982–83 USC Trojans women's basketball team|USC]]
| overall      = 31–2
| conference   = 13–1
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason   = [[1983 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Champions]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = national
| season       = 1983–84
| name         = [[1983–84 USC Trojans women's basketball team|USC]]
| overall      = 29–4
| conference   = 13–1
| confstanding = T–1st
| postseason   = [[1984 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Champions]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1984–85
| name         = USC
| overall      = 21–9
| conference   = 10–4
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason   = [[1985 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Regionals]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season       = 1985–86
| name         = [[1985–86 USC Trojans women's basketball team|USC]]
| overall      = 31–5
| conference   = 8–0
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason   = [[1985 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Runner-up]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      =USC Trojans 
 | conference=[[Pac-12 Conference|Pacific-10 Conference]]
 | startyear =1986
 | endyear   =1989
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference
| season       = 1986–87
| name         = USC
| overall      = 22–8
| conference   = 15–3
| confstanding = 1st
| postseason   = [[1987 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Regionals]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1987–88
| name         = USC
| overall      = 22–8
| conference   = 15–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = [[1988 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA Regionals]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1988–89
| name         = USC
| overall      = 12–16
| conference   = 8–10
| confstanding = T–4th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = USC
| overall    = {{winning percentage|277|99|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winning percentage|106|40|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      =[[Texas State Bobcats women's basketball|Southwest Texas State Bobcats]]
 | conference=[[Southland Conference]]
 | startyear =1989
 | endyear   =1997
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1989–90
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 16–11
| conference   = 6–8
| confstanding = 6th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1990–91
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 14–13
| conference   = 8–6
| confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1991–92
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 17–12
| conference   = 13–5
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1992–93
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 19–8
| conference   = 15–3
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1993–94
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 20–8
| conference   = 13–5
| confstanding = 4th
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1994–95
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 17–11
| conference   = 11–7
| confstanding = 3rd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 1995–96
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 18–10
| conference   = 14–4
| confstanding = 2nd
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = conference tournament
| season       = 1996–97
| name         = Southwest Texas State
| overall      = 17–12
| conference   = 11–5
| confstanding = T–2nd
| postseason   = [[1997 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|NCAA first round]]
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = Southwest Texas State
| overall    = {{winning percentage|138|85|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winning percentage|91|43|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      =[[Concordia University Texas|Concordia Tornadoes]]
 | conference=[[American Southwest Conference]]
 | startyear =2001
 | endyear   =2008
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2001–02
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 13–12
| conference   = 7–7
| confstanding = 5th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2002–03
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 12–12
| conference   = 8–6
| confstanding = 4th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2003–04
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 16–9
| conference   = 8–6
| confstanding = T–3rd (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2004–05
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 16–10
| conference   = 15–7
| confstanding = 4th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2005–06
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 8–17
| conference   = 7–15
| confstanding = 5th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2006–07
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 8–16
| conference   = 8–13
| confstanding = 5th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record entry
| championship = 
| season       = 2007–08
| name         = Concordia (TX)
| overall      = 14–11
| conference   = 12–9
| confstanding = T–4th (West)
| postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name       = Concordia (TX)
| overall    = {{winning percentage|87|87|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{winning percentage|65|63|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB yearly record end
| overall = {{winning percentage|496|271|record=y}}
}}

===WNBA===
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1997 Los Angeles Sparks season|Los Angeles]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{wnbay|1997}}
| 11||4||7||{{Winning percentage|4|7}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(replaced)||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002 Phoenix Mercury season|Phoenix]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{wnbay|2002}}
| 22||5||17||{{Winning percentage|5|17}}|| style="text-align:center;"|7th in West||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career<ref name=bbr>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/coaches/sharpli99w.html|title=Linda Sharp Coaching Record|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=26 March 2025}}</ref>
| 33||9||24||{{Winning percentage|9|24}}||&nbsp;||—||—||—||—
{{s-end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name="NCAA Coaches">{{cite web|title=Women's Basketball Coaches Career|url=http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/careercoach|website=NCAA|access-date=24 Sep 2015}}</ref>

<ref name="1981 JONES CUP">{{cite web|title=1981 WOMEN'S R. WILLIAM JONES CUP|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/wjcup_1981.html|publisher=USA Basketball|access-date=18 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130428082132/http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/wjcup_1981.html|archive-date=28 April 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="WUG 1987">{{cite web|title=FOURTEENTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES -- 1987|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/worlduniversity/wwug_1987.html|publisher=USA Basketball|access-date=21 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429111620/http://www.usabasketball.com/womens/worlduniversity/wwug_1987.html|archive-date=29 April 2013}}</ref>

}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Linda}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from California]]
[[Category:Cal State Fullerton Titans women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Junior college women's basketball players in the United States]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Sparks head coaches]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Cypress, California]]
[[Category:People from Okmulgee, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:Phoenix Mercury coaches]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:USC Trojans women's basketball coaches]]