Bob Sheppard
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- This article is about the New York Yankees and former New York Giants announcer. For the jazz saxophonist, see Bob Sheppard (musician).
Robert Leo Sheppard, (born October 12, 1910 in Richmond Hill, New York) has been the public address announcer for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball since 1951, and was for the New York Giants of the National Football League from 1956 to 2006. Since joining the Yankees, he has announced over 4,500 Major League Baseball games, and has worked 22 World Series. The first Yankee lineup Sheppard announced contained 6 future Hall of Famers: Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Johnny Mize, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, and Jerry Coleman, as a broadcaster. The Yankees played the Boston Red Sox that day and Sheppard introduced future Hall of Famers Ted Williams and Lou Boudreau for a total of eight future Hall of Famers.
A U.S. Naval Officer in World War II, Lieutenant Robert Sheppard commanded shipboard gunnery crews in the United States Pacific Fleet (1942-1945).
Throughout his career, Sheppard has kept his age a secret, once ending an interview when asked the question twice. An ex-Yankees official, however, recently confirmed Sheppard's birthdate [1] and another article has Sheppard graduated from St. John's Preparatory School in Brooklyn in 1928, consistent with this birthdate. He was President of his senior class in college, and graduated from Saint John's University in 1932. He earned his Masters degree from Columbia University in 1933. http://www.qgazette.com/news/2003/1105/Community_Calendar/002.html]. IMDB.com lists his birthday as October 12th, 1910.
Sheppard was originally a speech teacher in both the New York City school district and his alma mater, St. John's University in Jamaica, Queens. Sheppard would continue to serve St. John's as a PA announcer for sporting events, including men's basketball and varsity football, into the 1990s. Sheppard maintains that his work as a Professor of Speech is far more important than his work as an announcer. He said that as an announcer, "All I have to recommend is longevity." He is in the St. John's University Sports Hall of Fame as an athlete. He earned seven (7) Varsity letters from 1928 to 1932,three in baseball as the starting first baseman, and four in football as the starting quarterback. St. John's annually awards the Sheppard Trophy to the most outstanding student-athlete as one of their highest awards.
Sheppard has been honored by having his microphone encased in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. On May 7, 2000, in celebration of his 50th season as the Yankees' PA announcer, the team dedicated a plaque in his honor, to be placed in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. The plaque calls him "The Voice of Yankee Stadium". Former Yankee Reggie Jackson once dubbed him "the Voice of God."
Sheppard has earned both World Series Championship rings, and NFL Super Bowl Championship ring honors in his role with the Yankees and the NY Football Giants. The only other person to share this honor was the late Bill King from Oakland, California.
In 2002, Sheppard's voice appeared in on air promos for the Yankee's new cable channel, the YES Network. Those promos featuring his voice remain in use today. His appearances in major motion pictures include "Anger Management", "61*", "It Could Happen To You", and "The Scout".
Sheppard retired as the voice of the Giants following the end of the 2005 Giants season. Sheppard's final regular season game was the Giants' final home game of the 2005 season, a win versus the Kansas City Chiefs on December 17, 2005. His final playoff game was the Giants' loss against the Carolina Panthers on January 8, 2006. He worked for 50 years on a handshake agreement (no written contract) with Giants owner Wellington Mara.
On April 11, 2006, Sheppard missed his first Yankees home opener since April 17,1951. He threw out his hip at his Long Island home the day before and was not able to attend the game; Hall filled in for him on the team's opening homestand, with the assistance of Sheppard's youngest son, Christopher. Sheppard returned to the microphone on the next Yankee homestand, Friday, April 21.[2] In Sports Illustrated's mention of that incident, they reported that Derek Jeter said if he had his way, they would make a recording of Sheppard's voice announcing his name, for any future occasion where Sheppard is unable to do so himself.
