In his 8th year directing the Bobcat Program, head coach Steve Shepherd has compiled an impressive list of accomplishments, including one NAIA national championship, two MCAC conference tournament championships, two MCAC coach of the year awards, NAIA National Coach of the Year and seven straight NAIA tournament appearances.

Shepherd began his coaching career in his hometown of Savannah, Mo. As a college senior, he headed the junior high boys’ basketball program and assisted the high school football team. Shepherd went on to become the head girls’ basketball coach in Marionville, Mo. In six years, his teams won 141 games including the 1991 Class 2 Missouri State Basketball Championship. Shepherd was named the Missouri State Basketball Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Shepherd spent the next three years as head boys’ basketball coach at Aurora, Mo. His teams went 65-20 and won two conference championships. He then went on to coach at Parkview High School in Springfield, Mo, where his Vikings went 53-24 and won two conference championships. In 1998, Shepherd accepted the assistant coach position at Evangel University. In his fourth year, the Crusaders went 35-1 and won the 2002 NAIA Division II national Championship. Three days after their championship, Shepherd was named head coach at College of the Ozarks. Shepherd began building a program based on hard work and creating a positive environment for players to be successful.

For his efforts, Shepherd has an overall high school and college career record 411-151. In his seven years as head coach, the Cats have gone 153-76. Last year’s team was third in MCAC regular season and finished the season with a record of 25-11. They defeated Aquinas College, Sioux Falls, Indiana Wesleyan, and Bethel before falling to Oklahoma Wesleyan in the finals of the NAIA National Tournament.

This is Shepherd's 24th year in coaching. He graduated in 1986 from Northwest Missouri State University with a degree in Physical Education and received his masters in Middle School Education from Evangel University in 2000. Shepherd and his wife, Karen, have two daughters, Alexis, 18, and Sydney, 13.

Bob Crawford is serving in his 8th season as an assistant coach with the Bobcats.  Crawford brings invaluable coaching experience to C of O and his duties include on-floor coaching and recruiting.

Crawford joined the C of O staff after spending 32 years on the Springfield Parkview basketball staff.  Crawford earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwest Missouri State and his graduate degree from Colorado University.

Crawford and his wife Joyce have two daughters, Melanie and Krisha.  They also have three grandchildren.

Ryan Worley is in his fourth year as a volunteer assistant coach for his alma mater, after serving four years as a student assistant.

Coach Worley transferred from Missouri State and was an assistant coach at Springfield Parkview High School.  Ryan’s coaching duties include film exchange, on floor coaching and recruiting.  Ryan is a C of O graduate and is currently working on his master’s degree at William Woods while he teaches physical education at Branson Elementary.

He is a native of Buffalo, Missouri, and is the son of David and Debbie Worley.