When Aaron Glenn left to become the New York Jets’ head coach, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard was the easy choice to succeed him as Detroit Lions defensive coordinator. So it was no surprise when he was quickly promoted to replace Glenn.
As Glenn’s departure loomed, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported Sheppard was a “hot name” to land a defensive coordinator job. The entire spectrum of possibilities were certainly there, from replacing Glenn to following Glenn to New York to landing the defensive coordinator job completely elsewhere as new staffs were being formed around the league.
Sheppard had history with Dan Campbell before being hired as the Lions’ linebackers coach. When he played for the Miami Dolphins in 2014 and 2015, Campbell was an assistant there. In an interview with Dan Miller of Fox 2, Sheppard revealed that Campbell was “one of the first people who told me I should take a shot at” coaching and “he saw it in me as a player.”
Sheppard once told a story about how he expressed concern to Campbell about his hairstyle and how it could impact his future coaching aspirations. He was thinking about cutting his dreadlocks, but Campbell was adamant he not do that to try to become something he’s not.
At the time Sheppard said that “resonated” with him and until he got to be a head coach “I don’t want to work for anybody else.”
Kelvin Sheppard confirms he chose the Lions over opportunities elsewhere
Sheppard told Miller how important Campbell’s trust and support is to him.
“It means everything to me,” Sheppard said. “It’s the reason I chose to stay here over other opportunities. It would have been almost impossible to take another job, no matter what. He said, you know,.”‘Shep’, looking ahead, that day’s about to come to where I’m not going to be able to keep you.’ And I said, ‘Well, maybe by that time there will be a system to where we can have two head coaches and I’ll be your head coach B here.”
“Because, man, I owe a lot to Dan,” Sheppard said. “No. 1, the belief system he’s had in me since day one when I met him in 2014 as a player, and that’s carried over into the coaching career.”
