# Lions assistant Kelvin Sheppard finds success by staying true to himself
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In Detroit, Sheppard is able to do what he loves — coach ball and mold players into the best versions of themselves — without sacrificing who he is or what he’s all about. He just didn’t always believe he could have it both ways.
“Not only am I a young Black man — I’m tatted up. I have dreads,” Sheppard said. “I know that’s unique in the quote-unquote prototypical coaching world. It’s not a lot of those.”
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There was mutual respect between coach and player, birthed years ago. Sheppard remembers the organic relationships Campbell was able to foster with players. Campbell remembers Sheppard as the guy who calmed the storms. The table-setter. An energetic leader and a smart player who maximized his traits through preparation and a strong football IQ. Even then, Campbell saw a coaching career in Sheppard’s future.
“I can remember him bringing me up to his office and him acknowledging my knowledge and him acknowledging my leadership ability,” Sheppard said. “From there, it was being the captain of his team. I kind of attached to Dan as someone that cared about me more than just a football player. I would reach out to him for advice. And through that, he was like, ‘You’re going to be coaching one day.'”
“There’s a number of guys you can just tell by the way they play,” Campbell told The Athletic, when asked how he knew Sheppard could be an NFL coach. “And I’ll be honest with you — most of them are usually the guys that have to maximize what they have ability-wise because maybe you don’t have the elite talent. He was a guy, man, who had to do everything right to succeed. And that’s what he did. You have to know every little nuance, every technique. Every fundamental has got to be on point. So with that, you understand how to coach that. And really, a lot of times, you’re the player who’s coaching the young players. You’re really just another coach. And that’s what he was. So, I knew early that he was going to be one of those guys.”
Campbell wasn’t the only one. Former Dolphins assistant Lou Anarumo, now the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator, told Sheppard the same thing. So did Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, back when Sheppard ran his defense with the New York Giants. None of this was a coincidence. They knew, even if Sheppard didn’t
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So, in 2020, he turned to Campbell for advice.
“All right, Dan,” Sheppard said. “I’m stepping into the coaching realm. Should I cut my hair?”
“Are you crazy?” Campbell said to Sheppard. “If anybody’s hiring you, they’re hiring you because of you. You got those calls because of who you are, not because of somebody you’re trying to become.”
