Jacoby Shepherd
Encyclopedia
Jacoby Lamar Shepherd is a professional American, Canadian
and Arena football
cornerback
for the Utah Blaze
of the Arena Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
by the St. Louis Rams
. He played college football
for the Oklahoma State Cowboys
.
Shepherd has also been a member of the Houston Texans
, Green Bay Packers
, New York Jets
, Detroit Lions
, Oakland Raiders
, Edmonton Eskimos
, Calgary Stampeders
, Dallas Desperados
and Utah Blaze
.
. He played high school football
at Lufkin High School
in Texas, where he was a star football player, track athlete and basketball player. He played at both wide receiver
and cornerback
in high school.
in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
. As a rookie, he played in 15 games and recorded one interception. During the 2001 off season, he was hampered by a hamstring
injury. On October 3, 2001, Shepherd was fined by the NFL, along with eight other Rams players for uniform violations. In a practice on October 25, Shepherd and teammate Yo Murphy
got into a heated fight, which included punches being thrown and facemask grabbing. kicking the other players sook For the rest of the season, he suffered from a quadriceps injury. He recorded three tackles during the 2001 season. When the Houston Texans
were to become the 32nd team in the NFL, each team was required to put five players onto an "expansion list", Shepherd was one of the five Rams on the list.
On March 28, 2002, the Houston Texans
traded a conditional draft pick in the 2003 NFL Draft
to the Rams in return for Shepherd. Shepherd was waived by the Texans on September 2, 2002.
Shepherd signed with the Green Bay Packers
on January 1, 2003. He was waived on August 26, 2003.
The New York Jets
signed Shepherd on August 30, 2003. In four games with the Jets, Shepherd had two tackles. After being tried at dimeback
, Shepherd was waived on October 1, 2003.
Shepherd signed with the Detroit Lions
on October 29, 2003. He was waived on November 25. With the Lions, Shepherd played in four games and had two tackles.
On April 14, 2004, Shepherd signed with the Oakland Raiders
. He was released on August 13.
during their 2005 training camp
.
The Calgary Stampeders
signed Shepherd on June 16, 2005. He was cut on June 18.
. In his first year with Dallas, he had 10.5 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
On May 3, 2007, at the Arena Football League's trade deadline, Shepherd was traded to the Utah Blaze
. With the Blaze he recorded 44.5 tackles and two pass breakups.
with his wife, LyKendra and his son Jordan. His cousin is former Kansas City Chiefs
kick returner
Dante Hall
.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
and Arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
for the Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena.-The original Utah Blaze :...
of the Arena Football League. He was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
by the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
.
Shepherd has also been a member of the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
, Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
, Dallas Desperados
Dallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
and Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena.-The original Utah Blaze :...
.
Early years
Shepherd was born on August 31, 1979 in Lufkin, TexasLufkin, Texas
Lufkin is a city in Angelina County, Texas, United States. Founded in 1882, the population was 35,067 in 2010. It is the county seat of Angelina County, and is situated in Deep East Texas.-History:...
. He played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
at Lufkin High School
Lufkin High School
Lufkin High School is a public secondary school located in Angelina County, Texas . It serves the Lufkin area as part of the Lufkin Independent School District. The current Lufkin High School was formed in 1970 by consolidation of Lufkin High School and Dunbar High School, the formerly...
in Texas, where he was a star football player, track athlete and basketball player. He played at both wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
and cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
in high school.
Tyler Junior College
In 1996, Shepherd recorded 40 tackles, one sack and four interceptions as a freshman at Tyler. After the season he was named Co-Defensive player of the year. As a sophomore in 1997 he was named All-Southwest Junior College.Oklahoma State
After 1997, Shepherd transferred to Oklahoma State University. During his junior year in 1998, he started two games and had 22 tackles, six pass deflections and two interceptions.Pre-draft
National Football League
Shepherd was drafted by the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. As a rookie, he played in 15 games and recorded one interception. During the 2001 off season, he was hampered by a hamstring
Hamstring
In human anatomy, the hamstring refers to any one of the three posterior thigh muscles, or to the tendons that make up the borders of the space behind the knee. In modern anatomical contexts, however, they usually refer to the posterior thigh muscles, or the tendons of the semitendinosus, the...
injury. On October 3, 2001, Shepherd was fined by the NFL, along with eight other Rams players for uniform violations. In a practice on October 25, Shepherd and teammate Yo Murphy
Yo Murphy
Llewellyn "Yo" Murphy is a former Gridiron football player of multiple professional leagues. He is currently the head coach of the Tampa Breeze of the Lingerie Football League. He was originally signed by the BC Lions as an undrafted free agent in 1993...
got into a heated fight, which included punches being thrown and facemask grabbing. kicking the other players sook For the rest of the season, he suffered from a quadriceps injury. He recorded three tackles during the 2001 season. When the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
were to become the 32nd team in the NFL, each team was required to put five players onto an "expansion list", Shepherd was one of the five Rams on the list.
On March 28, 2002, the Houston Texans
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team is currently a member of the Southern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
traded a conditional draft pick in the 2003 NFL Draft
2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at...
to the Rams in return for Shepherd. Shepherd was waived by the Texans on September 2, 2002.
Shepherd signed with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
on January 1, 2003. He was waived on August 26, 2003.
The New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
signed Shepherd on August 30, 2003. In four games with the Jets, Shepherd had two tackles. After being tried at dimeback
Dimeback
In American football, a dimeback is a cornerback who serves as the sixth defensive back on defense. The third cornerback on defense is known as a nickelback. The dimeback position is essentially relegated to backup cornerbacks who do not play starting cornerback positions...
, Shepherd was waived on October 1, 2003.
Shepherd signed with the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
on October 29, 2003. He was waived on November 25. With the Lions, Shepherd played in four games and had two tackles.
On April 14, 2004, Shepherd signed with the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He was released on August 13.
Canadian Football League
Shepherd spent time with the Edmonton EskimosEdmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
during their 2005 training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
.
The Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
signed Shepherd on June 16, 2005. He was cut on June 18.
Arena Football League
After being released by Calgary, Shepherd joined the Dallas DesperadosDallas Desperados
The Dallas Desperados were a professional Arena Football team. The Desperados played in the Southern Division of the now-defunct Arena Football League from 2002 to 2008....
. In his first year with Dallas, he had 10.5 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
On May 3, 2007, at the Arena Football League's trade deadline, Shepherd was traded to the Utah Blaze
Utah Blaze
The Utah Blaze is a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competes in the West division of the Arena Football League. Home games are played at the EnergySolutions Arena.-The original Utah Blaze :...
. With the Blaze he recorded 44.5 tackles and two pass breakups.
Personal
Shepherd resides in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
with his wife, LyKendra and his son Jordan. His cousin is former Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...
Dante Hall
Dante Hall
Damieon Dante Hall is a former American football Return specialist, and wide receiver in the National Football League. He is considered one of the greatest return specialists in NFL History...
.