EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — In what was the most tender of moments, Cheri Shepard will never forget that first time she realized the inner strength and will of her son.

Sterling Shepard was 5 years old and wrestling with the sudden death of his father.

"We just had his father's funeral, it was right after, and Sterling, in tears, sat in my lap, he said, 'Mom, can you fight? How are we going to protect ourselves?'" Cheri recalled in an interview with NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast from her Oklahoma City home.

"At the time, we didn't have an alarm system at our house, so I put one in right away to give him some relief. But I think he was referring to more than that, though. He was concerned about our safety because the man of the house had passed. I think he took it upon himself to be that man, and he was always going to fight to protect those he considers his family."

That story captures the essence of who Sterling Shepard is: star NFL football player for the Giants, son, brother, friend, teammate and yes, now a husband and father himself about to celebrate Father's Day for the first time Sunday.

The holiday itself has always held special significance for Shepards since Derrick, patriarch of the family, died on Aug. 4, 1999 at the age of 35. Two decades have passed, yet the parental influence of Cheri and Derrick is incredibly strong within Sterling, whose daughter Cali Clay with wife and model Chanel Iman will turn 1 on Aug. 10.

"That’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, having my daughter. The word ‘love,’ you don’t really know it fully until you have a child, and it’s just been the best," Sterling told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast in an exclusive interview during which he opened up about fatherhood, his football legacy and fighting all his life to protect his family. "This time last year, I hadn’t even changed a diaper yet. Once you get to changing a couple of those diapers and you have to sit there with her when the wife goes to work or the gym for a couple hours, this is your responsibility, then you truly knows what it means to be a father."

Like father, like son

Sterling developed his love for sports by tagging along with Derrick to University of Oklahoma campus, where Derrick was a graduate assistant coach on Bob Stoops' staff.

"He had this little guy right there with him in the office, and I loved it, he had his boy with him showing him off," Stoops told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast. "When Derrick passed away, I still wanted Sterling to have what I had, my dad was a coach, and I was at games, in the locker room, I was around it all the time, and it was my mission, because I liked his dad so much, that he’d have that opportunity."

Derrick Shepard suffered a fatal heart attack while playing racquetball shortly after he had accepted a coaching job at the University of Wyoming. He had played five seasons in the NFL with the Redskins, the Saints and Cowboys, contributing at wide receiver and on special teams as a returner.

"Within three weeks of Derrick’s passing, we went to Disney World and that kind of set the tone for our lives. I didn’t want to spend too much time reflecting on what we missed out on," Cheri said. "I wanted our family to focus on all the positives, focus on living, we’re gonna have a happy life … Derrick was always going to be a part of us."

Shortly thereafter, Sterling was set to play in his first flag football game when Stoops, with several assistants in tow, showed up to cheer him on. They offered coaching tips along the way, Stoops said, "and just about every game, someone on our staff would make sure to go find Sterling and get him in the locker room with us."

Sterling eventually attended Oklahoma, just like his dad, and wearing Derrick's number — first No. 3 at Oklahoma, now No. 87 with the Giants — has been a way to honor his memory.

When Sterling graduated from Oklahoma, Cheri gave him Derrick's national championship ring as a gift.

"The reason I play this game is for my family. I love it, and my love for the game, honestly, came from watching my father on tapes, and being around my dad and him taking me to the facility at Oklahoma every day," Sterling said. "We would stay after and watch the older kids play, you name it. I think about it all the time, that’s where it really came from, it was instilled in me as a little kid. If I was gonna play this game, I had to love it."

Sterling looked for mentors and role models, and he'd always searched for answers about "what he thought a good father should be," Cheri said. He credits his grandfathers and uncles, and most of all Cheri herself, whom Sterling is quick to praise for sacrifices made, not to mention her strength and dedication to her children and family.

"He realized there was going to be a void, but he always tried to come up with his own way to fill it," Cheri said. "Watching him with Ms. Cali, I definitely see his father in him. Both were in tears just seeing the birth of their child, both were pretty awed by the whole experience. Derrick definitely dropped a few tears, and Sterling did the same thing, because, he said, that was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. His mannerisms remind me so much of Derrick, and he didn't really get to observe that for himself, so there's something genetic in that. He'll even sound like him, I'll see a video that he posts, and the tone of his voice — things that he didn't pick up by observation, but just inherited those."

Added Sterling: "My mom tells me all the time, when she sees my interaction with Cali, that reminds her of something my dad used to do with me and my sisters. I’ll say something, and she’ll say, ‘You sound just like your dad right there.’ "

How good can Sterling Shepard be?

Last season, Giants wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert revealed what he believed what Sterling's presence means within this locker room, within this team and for this franchise.

"I told my guys early on in camp – if I had to go into a fight with one of you guys in the room, Sterling would be the one I would take with me," Tolbert said. "He is a football playing Jesse, as they would say in the south. He’s tough, he’s smart, he’s feisty, it means something to him."

Sterling, 25, has garnered rave reviews from the coaching staff and teammates for his physicality and willingness to engage defenders downfield. Two of those blocks last year led to long runs for Saquon Barkley against the Redskins in December, including Barkley's 78-yard touchdown jaunt that highlighted one of the Giants' five victories.

With Odell Beckham Jr. now in Cleveland and veteran Golden Tate having come aboard in free agency, the Giants committed $41 million to Shepard as part of a four-year extension that clearly makes him a centerpiece of the offense moving forward.

"Super competitive, Sterling can catch the ball in a crowd, and those are two of the things that make him unique,” Giants coach Pat Shurmur told NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network Northeast. “He certainly has all the skill and ability to play the position at a high level, but his spirit, that really sets him apart.”

Shepard finished with 66 catches for 872 yards and four touchdowns last season. He is an ascending player with a chance to prove to the rest of the league he is a lot more valuable than the numbers may show, provided the Giants can get back to winning.

"I know what I can do. The thing is, I’ve got to go out there and be me, not try to be anybody else, and I do this for my family," Sterling said. "I feel like I’ve had great success going out there and just being Sterling Shepard, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. Always works out well for me, so I’m not going to change now.”

The perfect Father's Day gift

After signing his new contract, Sterling knew he wanted to do something special for Cheri.

"I love my house. I told him I didn't want a new house," said Cheri, whose family has lived in the same Oklahoma home since her son was 10. "Sterling said, 'But Mom, I want to do something really nice for you,' so of course, he paid off my [mortgage] payments, which was so sweet."

The significance of Sterling's first Father's Day is not lost on his mother.

"I usually spend hours trying to find the right [greeting] card, but this one, luckily this was the first one I picked up, and it said everything I wanted it to say,” Cheri added. “It said, ‘It doesn’t matter how much money you make, what kind of car you drive or who you know. What matters most is how you take care of the people you love and your heart.’

“He might be a good football player, and that's all fine and well. But he's always had a good heart, that's the best part of him. Sums up perfectly who Sterling is.”

That sentiment has served Sterling Shepard well in not only continuing his family legacy, but creating a new chapter.

"Everything’s moving so fast, I really haven’t had the time to sit back and think about how much has changed for me," Sterling said. "Because I’m always one of those guys who’s on to the next thing. Got married. Had a baby. Got a new contract. But I’m always thinking about what I can do next that’s going to make all of this even better, that’s my mind-set. I know I’ve done some good things here. But I feel like I’m just getting started.”

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com