ing ▁invest or ▁and ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁board ▁of ▁direct ors ▁of ▁Cro cs , ▁a ▁foot we ar ▁company . ▁ ▁Sh arp ▁was ▁born ▁in ▁Washington ▁D . C . ▁on ▁ ▁April ▁ 1 2 , ▁ 1 9 4 7 , ▁and ▁raised ▁in ▁nearby ▁Alexand ria , ▁Virginia . ▁He ▁graduated ▁from ▁the ▁former ▁George ▁Washington ▁High ▁School ▁in ▁Alexand ria ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 . ▁Sh arp ▁attended ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Virginia , ▁where ▁he ▁studied ▁elect rical ▁engineering ▁during ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 6 0 s . ▁However , ▁he ▁dropped ▁out ▁to ▁purs ue ▁computer ▁science , ▁a ▁program ▁which ▁was ▁not ▁offered ▁by ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Virginia ▁at ▁the ▁time . ▁He ▁later ▁explained ▁to ▁the ▁Richmond ▁Times - Dispatch ▁that ▁he ▁lost ▁interest ▁in ▁the ▁original ▁major , ▁" One ▁sem ester , ▁I ▁went ▁to ▁class ▁and ▁I ▁got ▁B ▁gr ades . ▁The ▁second ▁sem ester , ▁I ▁had ▁no ▁interest ." ▁Sh arp ▁initially ▁spent ▁much ▁of ▁his ▁time ▁playing ▁pool ▁and ▁pok er . ▁He ▁never ▁completed ▁a ▁college ▁degree , ▁but ▁did ▁en roll ▁in ▁computer ▁courses ▁at ▁the ▁College ▁of ▁William ▁and ▁Mary ▁in ▁Williams burg , ▁Virginia , ▁from ▁ 1 9 6 8 ▁to ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁and ▁studied ▁advanced ▁management ▁at ▁Harvard ▁University ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 5 . ▁ ▁Sh arp ▁founded ▁a ▁computer ▁hardware ▁and ▁software ▁business ▁development ▁company ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁just ▁