News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-4781 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE October 4, 2007

Georgia Trend Selects ABAC Coach For Statewide Honor

TIFTON —Todd Sheppard, men’s basketball coach at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has been selected for the prestigious “40 Under 40: The Best and the Brightest” by Georgia Trend magazine in its October issue.

The list highlights many of the “shakers and movers” in the state who are under 40 years old.  When the 38-year-old Sheppard was notified of the honor, he thought it was a prank by one of his buddies.

“I never would have thought something like this would have been possible for me,” Sheppard, in his fifth year as the coach of the Stallions, said.  “I don’t think of myself in those terms.  I thought it was one of my friends playing a joke on me.”

Sheppard joins a very talented group of individuals from throughout the state including Suwannee Mayor Nick Masino, State Property Officer of Georgia Gena Abraham, Greene County School Superintendent Shawn Arevalo McCollough,  plastic surgeon Farzad Nahai, and Southwest Georgia United Way President and CEO Dwayne Miles.

Sheppard and the 39 other Georgians selected will be honored at an awards ceremony at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on Oct. 16.

Selected as Coach of the Year in Region XVII of the National Junior College Athletic Association last year, Sheppard is coming off one of the greatest years in ABAC basketball history.  His team rolled up a school record 27 wins against only five defeats.  The Stallions advanced to the Region XVII championship game. At one time, the team was ranked ninth in the nationwide poll.

“Somebody told me once that you should ‘grow where you are planted,’“ Sheppard said.  “God puts you in a place for a reason.  ABAC is a great place.  Last year was a lot of fun.

“I start every year scared to death that we won’t win a game.  At the same time, every year I want my team to win the national championship.”

Sheppard has compiled a 76-49 record with the Stallions.  He and his wife, Rachel, live in Tifton with their two children, Max and Lucy.  Prior to coming to ABAC, he was the top assistant for the Valdosta State University men’s team.  He has spent many long nights on the recruiting trail but still loves to get up every morning and coach basketball.

“I work and prepare out of fear,” Sheppard said.  “It’s the fear that somebody else might be working harder than me.  I’m always looking for ways I can be a better coach and a better mentor to my players.”

Ironically, Sheppard got into coaching because he had some coaches when he was growing up that were not positive mentors.

“That sounds opposite from what it should be but it’s true,” Sheppard, a native of Conyers, said.  “I enjoy impacting the lives of these young men in a positive way.  We’re practicing now at 6 a.m.  I enjoy getting up and going to Gressette Gym at 5 a.m. to get ready.”

Sheppard doesn’t see a career change anytime soon.

“Once you’re a coach, it gets in your blood,” Sheppard said.  “I think I’ll always be a coach.”

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