At club level he played with Kilruane MacDonaghs and was also a member of the Tipperary senior hurling team.
Sheppard first played Gaelic football and hurling at juvenile and underage levels with the Kilruane MacDonaghs.
[2][3] Sheppard first lined out at inter-county level as a forward on the Tipperary minor hurling team during the 1974 Munster MHC campaign.
Sheppard first played with the senior team during their successful 1978-79 National League campaign.
[4] Sheppard was a non-playing substitute when Tipperary beat Cork in the 1987 Munster final replay.