Mike Sherman
Offensive Coordinator, Miami Dolphins
Mike Sherman took his first steps on the Texas A&M campus in the fall of 1988, a newly-hired offensive assistant looking to make a big mark on a big program in a big football state.
Twenty years later, Sherman returned to College Station as the man leading the charge, but still with the same goals in mind. Sherman reached one of those goals in 2009 by earning Texas A&M's 31st bowl invitation to the Independence Bowl.
A former NFL head coach and executive with deep ties to both Aggieland and college football in general, Sherman will enter his third season as the head football coach at Texas A&M this fall.
Sherman was named the school's 28th head coach on November 26, 2007. He had spent the previous 11 years patrolling the sidelines and the coaching booths of the National Football League.
"I thought Mike was the perfect fit for us," Director of Athletics Bill Byrne said. "First of all, he understands the Aggies. He has experienced what it means, and he's recruited the state of Texas. He understands what the War Hymn means; he understands the spirit of Aggieland.
"I think that given his background and given the fact he has been successful both as a collegiate coach and in the National Football League, he is the person that can take Texas A&M to where we all want to go, and that is to win a national championship."
Sherman brings a wealth of coaching experience back to College Station. His ties and connections to A&M and NFL coaches, players and executives are countless, and his love for Aggieland and desire to win big goes without saying.
"There is no doubt in my mind what can be accomplished here at Texas A&M," Sherman said. "I know a lot of coaches will say the same thing, but I know the landscape here. I know the recruiting base. I know the high school coaches in this state. I know what needs to be done. I know the talent that is out here. I know what this school is all about. We don't just want to win football games, we want to win championships."
Sherman's coaching career began in 1981, when he was a part-time coach at the University of Pittsburgh. From there, he moved on to Tulane, where he coached the offensive line in 1983-84, and then to Holy Cross, where he also coached offensive line in 1985-87 before being named offensive coordinator in 1988.
That December, a long time A&M assistant named R.C. Slocum took the reins of the Aggie program and came calling. He was looking for an offensive line coach, and Sherman was the man for the job.
The New England native would spend the next five seasons in Aggieland, where he would develop a love and admiration for the school's tradition, spirit and family-like atmosphere. Sherman would also help develop another tradition -- winning championships.
In that five-year span, the Aggies won 49 games and claimed three Southwest Conference titles. Kyle Field also became one of the most feared venues for opponents during that time. Sherman lost only one game at home during his first stint in College Station and, when he left for a one-year stint at UCLA in 1994, he did so having won 20 straight home games.
Returning to College Station for two more seasons, in 1995 and 1996, Sherman saw the Aggies transition from the SWC into the newly-formed Big 12. Following A&M's first campaign in the new league, Slocum promoted him to offensive coordinator. The Aggie offense averaged over 400 yards of total offense four times in his seven seasons at A&M, including a school record 471.1 yards per game in 1990.
Sherman's tenure would be short-lived, however, as the NFL's Green Bay Packers came calling that spring and named him the team's tight ends and assistant offensive line coach.
Sherman held that post for two seasons before leaving with his friend and colleague Mike Holmgren for the Seattle Seahawks, where Sherman was named the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in 1999.
The Packers came calling again after that season, offering Sherman one of the most coveted jobs in all of American sports. He was named the organization's 13th head coach on January 18, 2000, where he would eventually guide the team to five winning seasons. Sherman spent all but one of his six seasons in Green Bay as the team's executive vice president, and three of those as general manager as well.
From 2002-2004, Sherman led the Packers to three consecutive NFC North Division titles. His .663 winning percentage (53-27) over his first five years was second only to the great Vince Lombardi in Packers history.
Under Sherman, the Packers offense set numerous team records, including producing two of the four highest-scoring seasons in franchise history. In 2003, Green Bay totaled 442 points, which was just 14 points shy of the franchise record of 456 set in the team's world championship season of 1996. Sherman's troops followed that up with a 424-point season in 1994, which was good for fourth-best all-time.
Sherman's 2004 team set team records with 6,357 total net yards and 4,449 net passing yards. That year, the team surrendered only 14 sacks in 598 attempts, another franchise record. The 2003 squad ranks third in Packer history with 5,798 yards and set a franchise record for rushing yards with 2,558, thanks in large part to running back Ahman Green's franchise-record 1,883 rushing yards. Green Bay also set a franchise record by averaging a whopping 5.05 yards per rush attempt that year.
"I think the world of Mike Sherman and I think he will do a great job at Texas A&M," former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said. "He did a great job for us here at Green Bay and really related well to our team.
"He is genuine. He loved this community in Green Bay and I know he loved being at Texas A&M because he talked about it a lot. He loves his family and his players become a part of his extended family. With the great facilities and great fans at Texas A&M, I expect him to do very well."
Sherman returned to the state of Texas in 2006 when fellow former A&M assistant Gary Kubiak was named the head coach of the NFL's Houston Texans. Kubiak, who worked with Sherman in Aggieland in the early `90s, named him as the organization's assistant head coach. He filled that role for the following two seasons, including the `07 campaign as the team's offensive coordinator, before getting the call from Byrne and Texas A&M.
"We're very proud as an organization," said Kubiak, following the A&M announcement. "Our football team is very happy for Mike and his family. I'm an Aggie, and it just means the world to me to know that he's going to be the guy there leading that program. We,re excited for him and it's a great day for him and his family. He'll do a tremendous job. He's a great coach, and an even better person. I'm just very happy for him."
Sherman, who played defensive end and offensive tackle at Central Connecticut State University, was born in Norwood, Mass. He and his wife, Karen, have five children: daughters Sarah, Emily, and Selena, and sons Matthew and Benjamin.