Billy Shepard
Class of 2002
Billy D. Shepard became one of Madison County’s most accomplished multi-sport athletes during his years at Madison County High School.
Born in Woodville, Alabama, in 1931, Shepard grew up in nearby Paint Rock before attending Madison County High School in Gurley. There he developed into an exceptional three-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball and baseball every year beginning in the eighth grade.
Shepard played on several teams that captured county championships and helped establish Madison County High as a competitive athletic program. As a freshman he earned All-County and All-District honors in basketball while helping lead the team—known at the time as the Cotton Pickers—to its first appearance in the Alabama state basketball tournament. Madison County finished third in the state that season.
Shepard also excelled on the baseball field, serving as pitcher for a Madison County team that finished the regular season with an impressive 11–0 record before advancing to the state baseball playoffs.
On the football field, Shepard was known as one of coach W. O. Woolley’s famed “Six Great Horses,” a group of standout players who helped build the school’s football reputation.
After graduating from Madison County High School, Shepard signed a full athletic scholarship to Bethel College. There he continued his three-sport career, lettering in basketball, football and baseball while earning honorable mention all-conference recognition in basketball.
Following college, Shepard returned to North Alabama and began coaching basketball and baseball at Hazel Green High School in 1954. The following year he returned to his alma mater to coach football, basketball and baseball from 1955 to 1957.
Shepard remained active in athletics for many years afterward, coaching youth teams and serving as a high school sports official. He often credited three coaches—W. O. Woolley, Hub Myhand and college coach C. J. Vinson—as the men who most influenced both his athletic career and his spiritual life.
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