William Leroy Shepherd (December 4, 1911 – March 8, 1967) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He was All-American

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for Western Maryland College, now called

McDaniel College McDaniel College is a private college in Westminster, Maryland. Established in 1867, it was known as Western Maryland College until 2002 when it was renamed McDaniel College in honor of an alumnus who gave a lifetime of service to the college. ...

and a four-time All-NFL selection in six years playing professionally in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) with the

Boston Redskins The Washington Commanders, an American football team belonging to the National Football League (NFL), have also played as the Boston Braves, Boston Redskins, Washington Redskins, and Washington Football Team. Founded in 1932, the team has won five ...

and

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

Attributes

Shepherd was describe as "heavy, strong, sawed-off (5′9″) running back who could be positioned at tailback or fullback alternately (and was a) productive pro passer." Shepherd was also known as being a great defensive player being "part of a vigorous defensive unit that shut out eight of its nine opponents, including all of the major foes: Villanova, Boston College, Catholic U, Georgetown and Bucknell.Purcell, Mark. "Unknown All-Starr." College Football Historical Society Newsletter. III.May (1999): 8-10. Web. 13 Jun. 2012.

Football Highlights

College

*In 1934 college football season, 1934 he led the nation in points with 133 at Western Maryland.Lighter, James E. Fearless and Bold. Westminster: McDaniel College, 2007. 334 Print * Started and primary Back in the 1934

Chicago College All-Star Game The Chicago Charities College All-Star Game was a preseason American football game played from 1934 to 1976 between the National Football League (NFL) champions and a team of star college seniors from the previous year. It was also known as the C ...

against the #1 rank Chicago Bears. *Started and was primary offence weapon in the 1934

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

behind

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

and later

United States president The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United State ...

;

Gerald R. Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

*Reported that the 55,000 fans at the 1934 Shrine game gave Shepherd a standing applause. *1934 AP All American Honorable Mention *1934 Liberty Magazine and Hearst All-Players 3rd Team *Hall of Fame sports writer

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

, called Shepherd a triple threat, a better running back then Navy's Fred "Buzz" Borries and was a mistake he was not included on the All-American Team.Lighter, James E. Fearless and Bold. Westminster: McDaniel College, 2007. 334. Print

NFL

*Voted #1 or #2 running back four of his five years in the NFL. *Helped lead the 1935 Detroit Lions to win the 1935 NFL Championship *While Starting, the Detroit Lions, were the best rushing team in the NFL. Ranking #1 in

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

, '36, '37, '38; #4 in

'39 "39" is a song by British rock band Queen. Composed by lead guitarist Brian May, it is the fifth track on their fourth studio album '' A Night at the Opera''. The song was also the B-side to " You're My Best Friend". The song relates the tale ...

and #5 in '40. *Rank in the top 10 for rushing 3 times. *Over 3,000 career

Total offense Total offense (or total offence) is a gridiron football statistic representing the total number of yards rushing and yards passing by a team or player. Total offense differs from yards from scrimmage, which gives credit for passing yardage to the ...

.
All NFL Team

All-American controversy

According to James Mark Purcell, one of the founders of College Football Historical Society, Bill Shepherd, like many other players during his time, did not make the All-American Team due to politics. Purcell Explains that the coaches knew who he was as he was considered the best back the two All-star colleges games, while then 1st team all American Fred "Buzz" Borries only made it on as a reserve. He describe the situation in 1934 as " ould have beenpolitically impossible for even

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

to get any All-America voter attention".Purcell, Mark. "Unknown All-Starr." College Football Historical Society Newsletter. III.May (1999): 9. Web. 13 Jun. 2012.

Purcell gives the example that only one All-American started in the Chicago all-star game. He implies that the reasons for this were due Buzz Borriess playing for Navy and that two other great running backs also for consideration were from Shepherd's home town, splitting the vote among the local writers. Even

was quoted as saying that Shepherd was a better back then Buzz Borries and should have been on the all American team.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shepherd, Bill 1911 births 1967 deaths American football running backs Boston Redskins players Detroit Lions players McDaniel Green Terror football players People from Clearfield, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania

Attributes

Football Highlights

College

NFL

All-American controversy

See also

References