Fans love a good player introduction, whether it includes something off the wall like said player's college nickname, high school, or even their elementary school. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been around this league nearly 10 years, now, and he's seen his fair share of intros over time.
That's why, going into Sunday Night Football in Week 16 agains the Dallas Cowboys, he wanted to step up his game just a little bit.
While the typical prime time introduction includes the player speaking their name and the college in which they attended, Shepard did that, but put a twist on it.
Instead of just Shepard's face appearing on the live television broadcast, the veteran wideout decided to show off his off-field title, which he'd tell you means a whole lot more than just "professional football player."
Shepard sported the "dad" title as he brought on his two daughters, Cassie and Cali. After introducing himself, Shepard let his daughters tell the world where their daddy went to college.
We think Sterling Shepard might have just won the player intro competition ❤️ @Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/6qVPIp4ZGv
— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2024
Needless to say, Cassie and Cali nailed it; not just the pronunciation. The two of them were the epitome of adorable and, for a moment, gripped the hearts of football fans everywhere.
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"That's maybe the best player introduction ever," said announcer Mike Tirico.
Cris Collinsworth loved it, too. "That was great," Collinsworth said.
Sterling Shepard has meant more to the Buccaneers in the wake of Chris Godwin's injury
Knowing Shepard was college teammates with quarterback Baker Mayfield, this team had to help the wide receiver continue his pro career. Even though he hadn't caught more than 13 passes over the last two seasons with the New York Giants, the Bucs had faith he could come in and make an impact.
After Chris Godwin went down with a season-ending injury earlier in the year, Shepard has stepped up and become an integral part of the offense on some occasions. Next to Mike Evans, Trey Palmer and rookie Jalen McMillan, Shepard has been one of Mayfield's go-to guys at various points in the year.
While playing 54 percent of offensive snaps on the year, Shepard had caught 30 passes for 303 yards and a touchdown going into Week16 action.
Aside from last week's anomaly against the Los Angeles Chargers, Shepard had been becoming more and more a focal point for Mayfield. In three of his past four games, Shepard had seen a minimum of six targets, with a total of 20 in all.