He is often the most overlooked player on the football team. If someone was asked to call him out by name in a busy crowd of players, most wouldn’t be able to identify him.
But long snapper Bobby Shepard plays a position that is just as important as the 25 starters on offense, defense and special teams for Fresno State.
“It’s a critical position,” Bulldogs coach Pat Hill said. “Every snap that he’s involved in is either changing field position or points. It’s a position that you have to be undefeated at.”
Long snappers do the dirty work: They snap the ball 10-15 yards backwards, block rushing defenders and, in punting situations, are responsible to make tackles 40 yards downfield. The position does not generate applause or praise, but its importance can’t be measured.
“It’s a very a valuable position,” Hill said. “Bobby Shepard is a guy that’s been doing it now for two years. Nobody knows who he is because he hasn’t made a bad snap. As soon as a long snapper makes a bad snap everybody looks on the program to see who he is. Just as long as nobody knows who they are, they’re doing a good job.”
For this reason long snappers do not get recognized for their consistent play. It’s only when they hurl the ball over a punter’s head or botch a field-goal snap that the crowd finds this otherwise forgotten player.
“Absolutely, they go unnoticed,” Hill said. “The only time they’re noticed is if something bad happens. “
Despite the lack of attention that is given to the position, Shepard embraces his role on the team.
“It’s not the most glamorous position, but I don’t mind it,” Shepard said.
Like the position, Shepard was an under-the-radar type of player coming out of Lodi High School in Lodi, Calif. He had dreams and aspirations of playing college football, but he never thought it would come to fruition.
“Personally, me, no,” Shepard said of a possible college career long snapping. “I didn’t really think I was going to play college football, but my skills as a snapper kind of progressed and transpired.”
Shepard didn’t put up jaw-dropping statistics as a prep player, recording only 12 tackles as senior while playing defensive end and offensive line. He was also the team’s long snapper.
To help improve his skills as a long snapper in high school, Shepard attended the Chris Rubio Long Snapping Camp. There he caught the eye of then-Fresno State assistant coach Tim Simons.
“Coach Simons was there at the camp and saw me,” Shepard said. “He was the first coach to call me.”
Soon after, Shepard was asked to walk-on by Fresno State coaches to be the team’s next long snapper. Since then, Shepard has been contributing in a big way to Fresno State’s special teams prowess that often garners national attention.
“I can only really recall one bad snap over 14 years,” Hill said. “So it’s been a pretty darn good position for us.”
After taking over the full-time duties in 2008, Shepard has yet to make a mistake. Shepard’s made 283 straight snaps without sailing one over the head of the punter or holder.
“Everyone has a role on the team, mine is to put Kevin [Goessling] and Andrew [Shapiro] in the best position,” Shepard said. “My role is to make Kevin and Andrew’s job a whole lot easier. I take the job and do the best I can.”
Although Shepard doesn’t put up gaudy statistics or garner attention like some of his teammates, he’s grateful for the opportunity that he has been given.
“I get to be one of the 11 guys to play inside Bulldog Stadium and that’s a special thing,” he said. “Not a lot of people get to play college sports in general. Not a lot of people get to play college football and I get a chance to live out that dream.”
