Are You Ready?

AUTOGRAPHED COPIES NOW AVAILABLE!!!! "Are You Ready: Jim Sheppard - A career announcing Illinois football and basketball" by Fred Kroner highlights the 22 year career of the man behind the voice of the Illini."It's the atmosphere, as much as the action, that explains the enormous appeal of college athletics. And for those seeking their entertainment in the big-time sports arenas of the University of Illinois the past two decades, a significant part of that atmosphere - at least some part of that appeal - has originated with Jim Sheppard. For 22 years, Sheppard has been 'the Voice of the Illini' manning the public address system in Memorial Stadium and the Assembly Hall, one of a very few figures who could bring fans out of their seats without ever walking onto the playing area....But even those who know Jim well can find much that's revealing in Kroner's look at the man behind the voice, the work behind the scenes and the insight behind a long and illustrious career as one of the best in the business behind the microphone for the Fighting Illini. Are you ready?" [excerpt from Foreword by John R. Foreman]