Bob Sheppard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Sheppard
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Sheppard at the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Robert Leo Sheppard
October 20, 1910 Richmond Hill, Queens, New York, U.S.
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| Died | July 11, 2010 (aged 99) Baldwin, New York, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | "The Voice of God" |
| Education | St. John's Preparatory School |
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| Occupation | public address announcer |
| Years active | 1951–2007 |
Robert Leo Sheppard (born October 20, 1910 – died July 11, 2010) was a famous announcer for many sports teams in New York. He was best known as the voice of the New York Yankees baseball team from 1951 to 2007. He also announced games for the New York Giants football team from 1956 to 2006.
Sheppard announced over 4,500 Yankees games in 56 years. This included 13 World Series championships. He also called 121 playoff games in a row. For the Giants, he announced games for over 50 years. This included three NFL championships.
Sheppard's clear, deep voice became a famous sound at both the old Yankee Stadium and Giants Stadium. Baseball star Reggie Jackson called him "The Voice of God." Another player, Carl Yastrzemski, said you weren't truly a big-league player until Bob announced your name.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bob Sheppard kept his age a secret for most of his life. However, records show he was born on October 20, 1910, in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York City.
He went to Saint John's Preparatory School. Then he attended St. John's University on a sports scholarship. He played both baseball and football there. He was the starting first baseman in baseball and the left-handed quarterback in football. In 1933, he earned a master's degree in speech education from Columbia University.
A Teacher First
Sheppard started his career playing semi-professional football. He also began teaching speech at Grover Cleveland High School in New York. During World War II, he served in the Navy as an officer. He worked on cargo ships in the Pacific Ocean.
After the war, he became the head of the Speech Department at John Adams High School. He also taught public speaking at St. John's University. Bob always felt that teaching was more important than his announcing career. He believed he helped society more through teaching.
Becoming an Announcer
After World War II, Sheppard became the announcer for St. John's University's football and basketball games. He also announced for the Brooklyn Dodgers football team. The Yankees noticed him when he gave a speech about Babe Ruth at a Dodgers game in 1948.
He was offered the Yankees announcing job but waited three years to accept. He wanted to make sure it wouldn't interfere with his teaching. He started at Yankee Stadium on April 17, 1951. In 1956, he also began announcing for the New York Giants football team. He stayed with them when they moved to Giants Stadium in 1976.
Sheppard's first year with the Yankees was special. It was the only year Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle played in the outfield together. His first game featured eight future Hall of Famers. His salary in 1951 was $15 per game.
Sheppard's Unique Style
Sheppard's announcing style became a key part of the Yankee Stadium experience. Every game began with his famous words: "Good afternoon (evening)...ladies and gentlemen...and welcome...to Yankee Stadium." He introduced every player, home or visitor, with great respect.
He would announce a player's position, uniform number, and name. For example: "Now batting for the Yankees, the first baseman, number 23, Don Mattingly, number 23." He never used nicknames. He always used the player's real name.
He loved announcing names that sounded good. His favorite name to announce was Mickey Mantle. Mantle once told him that hearing his name announced by Bob gave him "shivers up my spine." Bob said he felt the same way.
Sheppard was very careful to say every name correctly. He would even ask visiting players how to pronounce their names. He once admitted he worried about saying Wayne Terwilliger's name wrong. He did make a rare mistake when introducing Jorge Posada for the first time. He mispronounced his last name.
Another famous mistake happened in 1976. He accidentally welcomed fans to "Yankee Stadium" at the Giants' first game in New Jersey. In 1982, he left his microphone on. Fans heard him say, "Boy, what relief pitchinginginging!" after a bad play. He later apologized to the player.
Sheppard never told anyone his exact age. He would share his birth month and day, October 20. But he never said the year. Some thought he feared being replaced by the Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner. But Sheppard said Steinbrenner never questioned his age. Steinbrenner called him "the gold standard."
Sheppard also announced for many other teams and events. These included college teams, other football leagues, and soccer teams. He even announced several Army-Navy games. He once said his favorite game he announced was a Giants football victory in the snow in 1958.
Retirement and Final Years
Sheppard retired from the Giants at the end of the 2005 season. The travel became too difficult for him. His last Giants game was on January 8, 2006.
At age 95, his health began to decline. In 2006, he missed his first Yankees home opener since 1951 due to a hip injury. He called his final game on September 5, 2007. The last player he introduced was Ben Broussard. He then missed the rest of the 2007 season due to a bronchial infection. This ended his streak of 121 straight playoff games.
Even though he signed a new contract in 2008, he missed the entire season. He also couldn't announce the final game at the old Yankee Stadium in 2008. His recorded voice did announce the starting lineups for that last game.
Two weeks after his 99th birthday in 2009, Sheppard officially retired from the Yankees. He said, "Time has passed me by, I think. I had a good run for it."
Death and Legacy
Bob Sheppard died at his home in Baldwin, New York, on July 11, 2010. He was just shy of his 100th birthday. His son Paul joked that St. Peter would now recruit him to announce in Heaven.
Honors and Tributes
In 2000, during his 50th year with the Yankees, Sheppard gave his microphone to the Baseball Hall of Fame. May 7, 2000, was "Bob Sheppard Day" at Yankee Stadium. A plaque honoring him was placed in Monument Park. The media dining room in the new Yankee Stadium is named "Sheppard's Place."
The first Yankees home game after his death was played without any announcements. The Yankees wore a special patch on their jerseys for the rest of the 2010 season to honor him.
In 2008, Derek Jeter asked Sheppard to record his at-bat introductions. These recordings were used for Jeter's home at-bats from 2008 until his final game in 2014. Sheppard was very proud of this. His voice is also used for the opening of the Yankees' annual Old Timers' Day ceremonies.
Sheppard was inducted into several sports halls of fame. He received honorary doctorates from St. John's University and Fordham University. St. John's University gives the Sheppard Trophy to its best student-athlete each year. The press box at St. John's baseball stadium is also named after him.
Bob Sheppard is one of only two people to receive both a World Series ring and a Super Bowl ring.
Personal Life
Bob Sheppard was married twice. He had two sons, Paul and Chris, and two daughters, Barbara and Mary. He also had four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. His first wife, Margaret, passed away in 1959. He married his second wife, Mary, in 1961, and they were together until his death.
Sheppard was a very religious person. His faith was very important to him. His daughter Mary became a nun.
Images for kids
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Sheppard's microphone in the Baseball Hall of Fame
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Sheppard's plaque at Monument Park
