Former W.T. White Baseball Coach Dies at 80
David Shepherd, longtime W.T. White High School baseball coach, has died.
Shepherd spent 34 years at W.T. White. The school’s baseball field is named after him, and his honors and accomplishments are on signage on the bleachers.
He was also inducted into the Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame in the 2021-2022 class.
Shepherd grew up on a 50-acre farm northeast of Commerce. His first job was at Marsh Middle School, and he remained a teacher and coach in Dallas ISD for more than 50 years.
He started teaching at W.T. White along with the school’s first ninth-grade class. He became the varsity baseball coach in 1980, and the Longhorns made 32 consecutive playoff appearances.
The team won more than 650 games and 16 district titles before he retired in 2014 at 71.
Eight of his players have been drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including first-round draft pick Calvin Murray in 1989. He also coached two All-Americans, mentored 20 who earned all-state honors, and led hundreds who received college scholarships.
Editor’s note: The Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association said on Twitter that he died this morning, June 7. We will update this post as more information becomes available.
God Bless you Coach Shepherd!
Coach Shepherd was an inspiration and a huge difference maker! He was a great man and an awesome coach! Coach loved his players, coached ‘em up, and was an outstanding role model! Prayers of strength, comfort, and peace for his family!
Rest in Peace Coach Shep…you touched a lot of our lives and will not be forgotten…
Coach Shepard was such a compassionate man! He was so good to my son, who also past. I will never forget Coach and I am sure they were delighted to see each other in heaven! You were a blessing to many Coach!
David Sheppard made me a coach. I went to him countless times for advice. His sense of humor made even what seemed to be a huge problem, so simple and easy to understand. I’ll miss him for so many things. I just heard the news, wish I could have been there. My best to his family, including the WTW family.