CLARKSON
ATHLETIC HALL of FAME
BOB SHEPARD '59
CLASS of 2004 INDUCTEE
One of Clarkson’s first All-Americas from outside the sport of hockey, Bob Shepard was regarded among the top scorers in small college basketball while playing for the Golden Knights’ Men’s Basketball team in the late 1950s. For three seasons, from 1956-59, the Syracuse, NY native was a dominant player for head coach Hank Hodge’s teams.
In his first year of varsity eligibility, as a sophomore during the 1956-57 campaign, Shepard led Clarkson to its first winning season in four years, averaging a team-high 22.3 points per game. Highlighting the Knights’ season were two wins over archrival St. Lawrence (89-73, 86-75).
Shepard continued his outstanding performance as a junior in 1957-58 by once again leading the Clarkson Tech quintet with 421 points. He
totaled 151 field goals and 119 free throws for an average of 24.8 ppg and was ranked among the Top 10 scoring leaders in NCAA small-college basketball and was second in the nation in free-throw percentage at 86.9%.
In 1958-59, Clarkson Basketball saw two important collegiate careers come to a close as Shepard completed his final season and coach Hodge stepped away from the basketball court after 24 years guiding the Knights. Serving as Clarkson’s captain, the 6-3 forward made the most of his final year at Alumni Gym and ended coach Hodge’s basketball coaching tenure on a high note by averaging 25 points a game to break the school’s single-season scoring record of 551 points, which was set by Dave Olmsted in 1955-56.
Shepard completed his Clarkson basketball career as the Golden Knights’ all-time leading scorer with 1,356 points through 56 games. He was named an All-East All-
Star and gained recognition as a Small College All-America.
Shepard, who turned down professional offers from the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies to attend Clarkson, was also the Knights’ ace on the baseball diamond were he posted a 13-4 record for coach Hodge’s teams. During the 1958 spring season, Shepard earned six wins in seven decisions as the Knights posted an 11-6 record, including three wins over archrival St. Lawrence. Shepard earned two wins over the Larries. In the first encounter with St. Lawrence, the right-handed throwing Shepard allowed only three hits and singled home the 
winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Knights to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in Canton. In the first game of a doubleheader at Snell Field later that spring, Shepard once again stymied the Larries, scattering four hits over seven innings in a 5-2 Clarkson win. Shepard who completed his baseball career as a junior, was named the Knights’ Most Outstanding Pitcher in 1958.
Upon graduation with a degree in Industrial Distribution, Shepard was named Clarkson’s Outstanding Senior Athlete in 1959.
Hilda Shepard accepts Bob Shepard's Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Clarkson AD Sean T. Frazier
