Charlie Shepard

Charlie Shepard
No. 21
Born:July 11, 1933
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died:July 23, 2009(2009-07-23) (aged 76)
Plano, Texas, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)RB
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight215 lb (98 kg)
CollegeNorth Texas State
NFL draft1955, round: 18, pick: 208
Drafted byBaltimore Colts
Career history
As player
1956Pittsburgh Steelers
1957–62Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Career highlights and awards
CFL West All-Star1959
AwardsGrey Cup Most Valuable Player (1959)

Charles LaFayette Shepard Jr. (July 11, 1933 – June 23, 2009) was an American all-star and Grey Cup champion running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1957 to 1962.[1]

A graduate of North Texas State University, Shepard played with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1956, rushing for 91 yards in 12 games.[2] He next joined the Blue Bombers in 1957 for an all-star 6-year stay. He would play in the Grey Cup championship game 5 of those years, winning 4 times. His best season was 1959, when he rushed for 1076 yards, was an all-star and was Grey Cup Most Valuable Player.[3][4] He rushed for 3768 yards with the Bombers and was an excellent punter, never averaging less than 43.1 yards per punt in a season.[5]

He has since been inducted into the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame, in 1992,[6] and the North Texas State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.[7] Charlie Shepard died July 23, 2009, age 76.[8]

  1. ^ CFLAPEDIA entry: Charlie Shepard
  2. ^ NFL: Charlie Shepard
  3. ^ Winnipeg Blue Bombers History Archived October 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup Moments: 1959". Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  5. ^ "Charlie Shepard NFL CFL Stats and Bio". profootballarchives.com. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame Archived 2010-01-04 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "North Texas State University Athletic Hall of Fame 2005". Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Former Bomber Charlie Shepard dies