[1] Shephard did not initially pursue a career coaching college football, choosing to work at the NCAA's Education Services Division in order to maintain a steady flow of income.
He also did a stint at his other alma mater DePauw as a volunteer assistant on the university's track and field team.
After working at the National Center for Drug-Free Sport for four years, Shephard decided to accept a volunteer coaching position on Willie Taggart's staff at Western Kentucky.
After Taggart was hired to be the head coach at South Florida, Shephard decided to stay at Western Kentucky under new head coach Bobby Petrino as an offensive quality control assistant working with the wide receivers on shifting the Hilltoppers from a heavy-run offense to a more balanced one.
Shephard declined the promotion and instead accepted a position on Mike Leach's staff at Washington State as the inside wide receivers coach.