Sheppard, Nelson Selected as 2018 UF Hall of Fame Inductees
Monday, August 13, 2018 | Football
Lito Sheppard and Reggie Nelson to be inducted as Gator Greats
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Former defensive backs Lito Sheppard and Reggie Nelson are among those named to the 2018 UF Athletic Hall of Fame class, as the University of Florida F Club and Gator Boosters, Inc. announced Monday.
While at UF, Sheppard was a member of the 2000 SEC Championship team and Nelson contributed to the 2006 SEC and National Championship team.
Sheppard played three seasons for the Gators from 1999-2001. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 2000 and 2001. He saw action at cornerback in 34 regular season games with 22 starts and also played in the 2000 Citrus Bowl and started the 2001 Sugar Bowl. He finished his Gators career with 87 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and eight interceptions.
The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Sheppard in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played for the Eagles for seven seasons, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a member of the 2004 NFL All-Pro team. He also played for the New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders. At the end of his professional career, he had tallied 345 tackles and 19 interceptions and a lone Super Bowl appearance.
Nelson was at UF for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 2006, finalist for the 2006 Jim Thorpe and Bronko Nagurski awards. He was also named to the 2006 All-SEC first team. In his first season with the Gators he participated in all 11 games with four starts. In 2006, Nelson started all 14 games in UF's defensive backfield. Throughout his time at Florida he totaled 51 tackles and 6 interceptions.
In the 2007 NFL Draft, Nelson was selected as the 21st overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played three seasons with the Jaguars, six with the Cincinnati Bengals and is now in his third season with the Oakland Raiders. He has earned two Pro Bowl selections (2015, 2016) and was a member of the 2007 NFL All-Rookie Team. Through 12 seasons in the NFL, Nelson has recorded 802 tackles, 99 pass deflections and 36 interceptions.
Each year, the F Club Committee selects members to the Hall of Fame, divided into three different categories: Gator Greats, Distinguished Letterwinners and Honorary Letterwinners. A Gator Great is a letterwinner who has brought recognition and prominence to the University and themselves by athletic accomplishments as a student-athlete.
Below is a look at the careers of these two Gator Greats:
CB Lito Sheppard
- 2001: Started in all 11 contests…a true junior who was considered one of the nation's top cornerbacks and kick returners…second team All-America selection by The Sporting News…first team All-SEC selection by AP, league coaches and Football News….named to Jim Thorpe Award watch list…42 tackles (29 solo) on the season with 10 "Big Plays" (6 PD, 2 TFL, 2 INT)…42 tackles ranked second most among cornerbacks and 10 "Big Players" were tops among cornerbacks…26 punt returns for 246 yards, a mark that ranked seventh in the SEC.
- 2000: UF's starter at one cornerback spot and also returned punts and kicks...First-team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America, became only the fourth sophomore in UF history to gain first-team All-America recognition...Second-team All-America selection by The Sporting News and ABC Sports' BCSFOOTBALL.COM...First-team All-SEC by the Coaches, The Sporting News and the Associated Press...Started 11 of 12 regular-season games (did not start in first Auburn game due to a strained hamstring) for 609 snaps...Also started the Sugar Bowl...Led squad in punt returns with 22 for 307 yards (14.0 average) and ranked third in all purpose yardage (831 yards, 69.3 average per game) ...Ranked 1st in the SEC and 17th in the nation with a punt return average of 14.0 and returned two for touchdowns...40 total tackles with 14 "Big Plays" (6 INT, 5 PD, 2 FF, FR) ...14 "Big Plays" led the defensive backs and ranked fifth best on squad...Six interceptions tied for top total in SEC and led the squad.
- 1999: One of two true freshmen who saw time in the secondary... Played in 11 of 12 games (missed FSU game with a strained hamstring) for 203 plays... Also played in Citrus Bowl... The Sporting News named him a second-team Freshman All-America ... Five tackles (all solo) and five "Big Plays" (two pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a blocked punt) with four special teams tackles.
DB Reggie Nelson
- 2006: Member of the 2006 Leadership Committee…Started all 14 games in the Gators' defensive backfield…Intercepted three passes against top-25 opponents last season, which tied for the national lead…Ranked fifth in the SEC with six interceptions on the campaign…One of six Florida players to break or reach the 50-tackle barrier in '06…Selected as the Atlanta Journal Constitution's Defensive Player of the Half-Year, and also earned a spot on CBS Sportsline's Halfway All-America Team… Returned 12 punts for 93 yards, giving him an average of 7.8 yards per return.
- 2005: Participated in all 11 regular-season contests with four starts (Georgia, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Florida State) before injuring his knee during bowl practices…One of eight Gators to break the 40-tackle mark on the season, 32 of his 46 total tackles were solo efforts…Finished second on the team with four quarterback sacks, for a net loss of 32 yards…One of 11 Gators to force a fumble during the 2005 campaign.
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