Steve Shepherd heads into his 23rd year at the helm for the Bobcats. During his 22-year tenure, the Bobcats have enjoyed fifteen 20-win seasons and Shepherd has accumulated a national title, three Fab Four appearances, a conference title, and three conference tournament titles for the College. Shepherd's 33-year career as a head coach has seen him amass a 427-261 record at the collegiate level and a 259-75 record at the high school level, compiling an overall record of 686-336.
Shepherd has dedicated himself to developing student athletes who represent College of the Ozarks with character and pride. He has coached fourteen NAIA DII All-American players, three of whom have received multiple recognition, and two NCCAA DI All-Americans. In addition, Shepherd has coached 28 NAIA/NCCAA Scholar Athletes. Coach Shepherd was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2020.
In 2015, Shepherd added the role of Athletic Director to his resume, managing the day-to-day responsibilities of the College's athletic program. Shepherd received the honor of being named A.I.I. Athletics Director of the Year in 2016-2017.
Shepherd’s coaching career began in his hometown of Savannah, Mo. as the junior high boys’ basketball coach, followed by serving as the head girls' coach at Marionville, Mo., where he accumulated a record of 141-31 and led the team to a 1991 State Championship. Shepherd's next stop was in Aurora, Mo. as head coach of the boys' basketball team. In his three years, Aurora secured two conference championships and an overall record of 65-20. Shepherd next stepped into the role of boys' basketball head coach at Parkview High School, posting a 53-24 record during his three years.
Following twelve successful years as a high school coach, Shepherd began his collegiate coaching career in 1998 at Evangel University. He served as the assistant for four seasons and was on the staff that celebrated Evangel’s 2002 NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship.
In 2002, Shepherd was introduced as the fourth head coach in the history of College of the Ozarks' men's basketball. In his fourth year at the helm, the 2006 Bobcats delivered to College of the Ozarks their first-ever NAIA DII Men's Basketball National Championship, defeating Huntington University 74-56 in the title game. He was also named NAIA DII National Coach of the Year.
Shepherd graduated from Savannah High School in 1982. He received his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 1986 and his master’s degree in middle school education from Evangel University in 2004. Shepherd and his wife Karen take the most pride in and enjoy spending time with their family - Alexis and her husband Lucas, Sydney and her husband Cameron, daughters Angelina and Arianna, and their three grandchildren.