Matt Shepard: "Dream come true." (Photo: WDFN)
Matt Shepard will be a permanent presence on Tigers broadcasts.
The team and Fox Sports Detroit selected Shepard to be the new play-by-play voice after his successful stint announcing for the team this September. Shepard was hired as a fill-in after Mario Impemba was ousted for getting in a fight with his fellow Tigers announcer, Rod Allen.
The Detroit News broke the story last night, citing sources familiar with the agreement. Shepard has since confirmed.
He has a long sports broadcasting career, as the paper describes:
Shepard has been with FSD for nearly 20 years and has handled a wide swath of assignments, from Red Wings and the Pistons, to Lions preseason games, to helping with a variety of Tigers assignments. He also has worked extensively throughout as a sports radio host and play-by-play man.
He broadcasts University of Michigan men’s basketball, as well as Eastern Michigan football, with his future as UM’s basketball voice uncertain due to expected conflicts with the Tigers during spring training and perhaps into April.
Shepard this morning told sports radio station WDFN that the gig is a "dream come true." He describes wanting to be the voice of the Tigers since age 10.
