View source for Lito Sheppard

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1981)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name         = Lito Sheppard
| image        = Lito Sheppard 8-11-05 050811-N-4729H-171.jpg
| alt          = Color photograph of Lito Sheppard, young African-American man, dressed in uniform of Philadelphia Eagles, signing an autograph.
| caption      = Sheppard in 2005
| current_team =
| number       = 26, 29, 21
| position     = [[Cornerback]]
| birth_date   = {{Birth date and age|1981|4|8|mf=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Jacksonville, Florida]], U.S.
| death_date   = 
| death_place  = 
| height_ft    = 5
| height_in    = 10
| weight_lbs   = 194
| high_school  = [[William M. Raines High School|Raines]] (Jacksonville)
| college      = [[Florida Gators football|Florida]]
| draftyear    = 2002
| draftround   = 1
| draftpick    = 26
| pastteams    = * [[Philadelphia Eagles]] ({{NFL Year|2002}}–{{NFL Year|2008}})
* [[New York Jets]] ({{NFL Year|2009}})
* [[Minnesota Vikings]] ({{NFL Year|2010}})
* [[Oakland Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|2011}})
| pastcoaching = * [[Orlando Apollos]] ({{AAF Year|2019}})<br>Safeties coach
| highlights   = * First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[2004 All-Pro Team|2004]])
* 2× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[2005 Pro Bowl|2004]], [[2007 Pro Bowl|2006]])
* First-team [[College Football All-America Team|All-American]] ([[2000 College Football All-America Team|2000]])
* Second-team All-American ([[2001 College Football All-America Team|2001]])
* 2× First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[2000 All-SEC football team|2000]], [[2001 All-SEC football team|2001]])
| statleague   = NFL
| statlabel1   = [[Tackle (football move)|Total tackles]]
| statvalue1   = 345
| statlabel2   = [[Quarterback sacks|Sacks]]
| statvalue2   = 3.0
| statlabel3   = [[Fumble|Forced fumbles]]
| statvalue3   = 3
| statlabel4   = [[Pass deflections]]
| statvalue4   = 85
| statlabel5   = [[Interceptions]]
| statvalue5   = 19
| statlabel6   = [[Touchdown|Defensive touchdowns]]
| statvalue6   = 3
| pfr          = ShepLi99 
}}

'''Lito Decorian Sheppard''' (born April 8, 1981) is an [[American football]] coach and former player. During his playing career as [[cornerback]], he played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for ten seasons.  He was selected by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] in the first round of the [[2002 NFL draft]] after playing [[college football]] for the [[Florida Gators football|Florida Gators]].  He played for the Eagles for seven seasons, and was selected to the [[Pro Bowl]] twice.  He also played for the NFL's [[New York Jets]], [[Minnesota Vikings]], and [[Oakland Raiders]]. As a coach, he was the safeties coach for the [[Orlando Apollos]] of the [[Alliance of American Football]] (AAF) in 2019.

==Early years==

Sheppard was born in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] in 1981.<ref name=pfrprofile>Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players, [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/ShepLi99.htm  Lito Sheppard].  Retrieved April 12, 2011.</ref>  He attended [[William M. Raines High School]] in Jacksonville, where he was an all-state selection and ''[[USA Today]]'' [[All-American]] at [[defensive back]] for the Raines Vikings high school football team.<ref name=fhsaa12042007>"[http://www.fhsaa.org/news/2007/1204  FHSAA unveils '100 Greatest Players of First 100 Years' as part of centennial football celebration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322032439/http://www.fhsaa.org/news/2007/1204 |date=March 22, 2012 }}," Florida High School Athletic Association (December 4, 2007).  Retrieved May 26, 2011.</ref>  Sheppard had eighteen [[interception]]s in twenty-nine games as a junior and senior, and led the Vikings to an undefeated season and a state championship in 1998.<ref name=fhsaa12042007/>  In 2007, eight years after he graduated from high school, the [[Florida High School Athletic Association]] (FHSAA) recognized Sheppard as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.<ref name=fhsaa12042007/>

==College career==

Sheppard accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the [[University of Florida]] in Gainesville, Florida,<ref name=ufprofile>GatorZone.com, Football History, 2001 Roster, [http://web.gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2001&bio=sheppard.html  Lito Sheppard] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402034533/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2001&bio=sheppard.html |date=2012-04-02 }}.  Retrieved April 12, 2011.</ref> where he played for coach [[Steve Spurrier]]'s [[Florida Gators football|Gators]] teams from [[1999 Florida Gators football team|1999]] to [[2001 Florida Gators football team|2001]].<ref name=ufmediaguide>''[http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf  2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402035222/http://web.gatorzone.com/football/media/2011/media_guide.pdf |date=2012-04-02 }}'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 80, 89, 94, 97, 136, 148–150, 154, 185 (2011).  Retrieved August 31, 2011.</ref>  He was a first-team [[All-American]] as a sophomore in [[2000 Florida Gators football team|2000]], and a first-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-Southeastern Conference]] (SEC) selection in 2000 and 2001.<ref name=ufmediaguide/>  In his three-season college career, he started twenty-two games, recorded eight interceptions, had eighty-seven tackles, and returned twenty-seven kickoffs for 472 yards (an average of 22.5 yards per return).<ref name=ufprofile/>  Sheppard declared himself eligible for the [[NFL draft]] after his junior year.<ref name=ufprofile/>

In one of a series of articles published by ''The Gainesville Sun'' in 2006, he was ranked as No. 44 among the 100 greatest Gators from the first 100 years of Florida football.<ref>Robbie Andreu & Pat Dooley, "[https://archive.today/20130411000426/http://www.gainesville.com/article/20060721/GATORS70/60720006?tc=ar  No. 44 Lito Sheppard]," ''The Gainesville Sun'' (July 21, 2006).  Retrieved April 3, 2013.</ref>

==Professional career==
{{NFL predraft
|    height ft = 5
|    height in = 10
|       weight = 194
|     vertical = 37.5
|     broad ft = 10
|     broad in = 0
|        bench = 11
|         note = All values from NFL Combine<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1662&DraftYear=2002 |title=2002 Draft Scout Lito Sheppard, Florida NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile |access-date=February 1, 2023 |website=draftscout.com}}</ref>
}}

===Philadelphia Eagles===

In the [[2002 NFL draft]], Sheppard was selected in the first round (twenty-sixth pick overall) by the [[Philadelphia Eagles]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2002 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2002/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-18 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2004 Sheppard had five interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.  He was named Defensive Player of the Month for the month of November after returning two interceptions for touchdowns.  Sheppard was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2004, and he was also named first-team All-Pro for his first and only year.

2005 was the first of three injury-filled seasons for Sheppard.  He missed six games and finished with three interceptions.

On October 8, 2006, Sheppard became the first player in NFL history to have two interception returns for touchdowns of more than 100 yards.  Both returns came against the [[Dallas Cowboys]] (2004 and 2006).  The most recent return sealed a 38–24 win over the Cowboys and secured 1st place in the division for the Eagles.

In the Eagles [[NFL playoffs, 2006-07#Sunday January 7.2C 2007|Wild Card playoff game]] on January 7 against the [[New York Giants]], Sheppard dislocated his [[elbow-joint|elbow]].  He missed the next playoff game against the [[New Orleans Saints|Saints]], which the Eagles lost 27–24.

In a 2007 game against the [[Green Bay Packers]] Sheppard suffered an injury.  Sheppard went through another injury-filled season and finished with two interceptions.

In the 2008 offseason, the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] signed former [[New England Patriots]] cornerback [[Asante Samuel]], which fueled speculation that Sheppard was available via trade. Sheppard changed agents to [[Drew Rosenhaus]] soon afterwards.

During the 2008 season, Sheppard saw much reduced action due to good performances by starting corners [[Asante Samuel]] and [[Sheldon Brown (American football)|Sheldon Brown]].

===New York Jets===

Sheppard was traded to the [[New York Jets]] on February 28, 2009, for a fifth round pick in the [[2009 NFL draft]] and a conditional pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.<ref>Greg Bishop, "[https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/01/sports/football/01jets.html  Jets Acquire Sheppard in Latest Renovation]," ''New York Times'', p. S1 (February 28, 2009).  Retrieved May 23, 2010.</ref> The Jets restructured Sheppards' contract, adding one year and "new" money to the contract in 2010.<ref>Rich Cimino, "[http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2009/02/  Jets extend Sheppard's contract] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010011702/http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2009/02/ |date=2009-10-10 }}," ''New York Daily News'' (February 28, 2009).  Retrieved May 23, 2010.</ref>  He was released on March 4, 2010.

===Minnesota Vikings===

Sheppard signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the [[Minnesota Vikings]] on April 21, 2010.<ref>Mike Florio, "[http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/21/lito-shuffles-to-minnesota/  Lito shuffles to Minnesota]," ''Profootballtalk.com'' (April 21, 2010).  Retrieved April 21, 2010.</ref>  He became a free agent following the [[2010 NFL season|2010 season]].<ref>{{cite news |title=List of NFL free agents |url=http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/07/list_of_nfl_free_agents.html |work=al.com |date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=July 31, 2011}}</ref>

===Oakland Raiders===

Sheppard was signed by the [[Oakland Raiders]] on August 26, 2011, released during the final cuts on September 3, and then re-signed by the team on October 31.  During the remainder of the {{NFL Year|2011}} season, he played in nine games and started seven of them.<ref name=pfrprofile/>  He became a free agent after the season.<ref>Roshan Bhagat, "[http://www.footballsfuture.com/2012/fa/db.html  2012 NFL Free Agent Defensive Backs]," Football's Future (undated).  Retrieved March 15, 2012.</ref>

==NFL statistics==
===Regular season===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="4"| Tackles
! colspan="2"| Fumbles
! colspan="6"| Interceptions
|-
! Comb !! Solo !! Ast !! Sack !! FF !! FR !! Int !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! PD
|-
! [[2002 NFL season|2002]] || [[2002 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 12 || 13 || 10 || 3|| 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2003 NFL season|2003]] || [[2003 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''16''' || 51 || 44 || '''7''' || 0.0 || '''1''' || 0 || 1 || 34 || 34.0 || 34 || 0 || 18
|-
! [[2004 NFL season|2004]] || [[2004 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 15 || '''56''' || '''52''' || 4 || '''1.0''' || 0 || 0 || 5 || '''172''' || '''34.4''' || 101 || '''2''' || 14
|-
! [[2005 NFL season|2005]] || [[2005 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 10 || 31 || 27 || 4 || '''1.0''' || '''1''' || 0 || 3 || 72 || 24.0 || 34 || 0 || 9
|-
! [[2006 NFL season|2006]] || [[2006 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 13 || 30 || 25 || 5 || 0.0 || 0 || '''1''' || '''6''' || 157 || 26.2 || '''102''' || 1 || '''19'''
|-
! [[2007 NFL season|2007]] || [[2007 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 11 || 51 || 47 || 4 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 2 || 25 || 12.5 || 16 || 0 || 5
|-
! [[2008 NFL season|2008]] || [[2008 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''16''' || 21 || 18 || 3 || 0.0 || '''1''' || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 4
|-
! [[2009 NFL season|2009]] || [[2009 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| 11 || 31 || 25 || 6 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 8
|-
! [[2010 NFL season|2010]] || [[2010 Minnesota Vikings season|MIN]]
| 13 || 18 || 15 || 3 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 4
|-
! [[2011 NFL season|2011]] || [[2011 Oakland Raiders season|OAK]]
| 9 || 43 || 40 || 3 || '''1.0''' || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 4
|-
! colspan="2"| Career<ref name=ESPN>{{cite web|title=Lito Sheppard Stats|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/3554/lito-sheppard|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=March 21, 2014}}</ref> || 126 || 345 || 303 || 42 || 3.0 || 3 || 1 || 19 || 460 || 24.2 || 102 || 3 || 85
|}

===Postseason===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="4"| Tackles
! colspan="2"| Fumbles
! colspan="6"| Interceptions
|-
! Comb !! Solo !! Ast !! Sack !! FF !! FR !! Int !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! PD
|-
! [[2003–04 NFL playoffs|2003]] || [[2003 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 2 || 1 || 1 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2004–05 NFL playoffs|2004]] || [[2004 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''3''' || '''11''' || '''9''' || '''2''' || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || '''5'''
|-
! [[2006–07 NFL playoffs|2006]] || [[2006 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| 1 || 4 || 3 || 1 || 0.0 || '''1''' || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2008–09 NFL playoffs|2008]] || [[2008 Philadelphia Eagles season|PHI]]
| '''3''' || 2 || 2 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|-
! [[2009–10 NFL playoffs|2009]] || [[2009 New York Jets season|NYJ]]
| '''3''' || 9 || 8 || 1 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 1
|-
! colspan="2"| Career || 12 || 27 || 23 || 4 || 0.0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0.0 || 0 || 0 || 6
|}

==Coaching career==

In 2017, Sheppard became the defense coach for the James Weldon Johnson Trojans and won many games with them.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kerr|first=Jeff|url=https://247sports.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/Article/Lito-Sheppard-Eagles-AAF-coaches-128790333/|title=Legendary Eagles defensive backs coaching in the AAF|publisher=[[247Sports]]|date=February 9, 2019|access-date=February 10, 2019}}</ref>

==See also==

{{Portal|American football|Biography|College football}}
* [[2000 College Football All-America Team]]
* [[Florida Gators football, 1990–99]]
* [[List of Florida Gators football All-Americans]]
* [[List of Florida Gators in the NFL draft]]
* [[List of Philadelphia Eagles first-round draft picks]]
{{clear}}

==References==

{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.gatorzone.com/football/bios.php?year=2000&bio=sheppard.html Florida Gators player profile]
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{2002 NFL Draft}}
{{EaglesFirstPick}}
{{Eagles2002DraftPicks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheppard, Lito}}
[[Category:1981 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-American college football players]]
[[Category:American football cornerbacks]]
[[Category:Florida Gators football players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Vikings players]]
[[Category:National Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:New York Jets players]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:Orlando Apollos coaches]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Jacksonville, Florida]]
[[Category:William M. Raines High School alumni]]