For three years, Nathan Shepherd called Hays and Fort Hays State University home. After sitting out of football for several years for financial reasons, the Ajax, Ontario, Canada, native took a chance a moved to northwest Kansas to jump start his dream of playing in the NFL.

After leaving an indelible mark on the Tiger program that included two bowl game appearances and the school’s first MIAA title, Shepherd realized his dream and was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets.

Nathan Shepherd

Now as he prepares to report to training camp prior to his second season in the NFL, Shepherd returned to Hays along with a television crew from TSN (Canada’s version of ESPN) to retrace his footsteps in Hays as part of a feature on the Canada native.

“You never realize how many people you’ve impacted and how you don’t always get to realize how many people have impacted you” Shepherd said after signing autographs and taking photos with Tiger fans Wednesday at the Smoky Hill Country Club.

“Looking back, there’s so many people, so many stories, so many thank yous to be given that maybe at the time while I was leaving wasn’t able to get done” he said. “This helps me to feel better to come back and give back in a way that I can and to show my gratitude for everything this town’s provided me with.”