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November 26, 2007

Troy Miller
AggieYell.com

It's only been three days since Dennis Franchione stepped down as head coach at Texas A&M after beating rival Texas, 38-30, at Kyle Field in the last regular season game of 2007. That didn't stop A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne from getting his man quickly.

Monday Byrne introduced Houston Texans offensive coordinator Mike Sherman as the new head coach of the Aggies. In front of a packed room of media members, boosters, current A&M players, former A&M players and former A&M coaches, Sherman officially became the 28th head coach of Texas A&M.

"It is an honor and a privilege to be introduced today as the 28th head coach at Texas A&M," Sherman said. "There have been a number of great players, great coaches and great teams that have been a part of this history of this great university. Bill has entrusted me to write the next chapter with the players and coaches that will be working with me, and we look forward to doing that and the challenge that it brings upon us. I can't wait."

Byrne didn't wait long at all after announcing a national coaching search Friday after Franchione's resignation. That search ended 90 miles down the road in Houston.

Sherman, who is most famous for being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League from 2000-05, comes to A&M with great support from former Aggie greats according to Byrne.

"The thing we kept hearing as we did our due diligence throughout the year was, 'If there is ever going to be a change at Texas A&M the person you need to look at is Mike Sherman.' He's the one that the former students all love," Byrne said. "He's the one, when I spoke to members of the Green Bay Packers, all loved. He's the person with 16 years of experience in collegiate football, 10 years of experience in the National Football League, five years as head coach of the Packers and I'm a Packers fan, and except for a man named Lombardi had the highest winning percentage in the history of coaching the Green Bay Packers. That says a lot to me."

Sherman said that Byrne first contacted him Friday night and the two talked late into the evening about the vacancy in College Station. Upon returning from a game in Cleveland Sunday, Sherman said he received a call in the evening from Byrne to offer him the job.

Sherman coached at A&M under former head coach R.C. Slocum as the offensive line coach from 1989-93 and again from 1995-96 before moving on to the Packers. He said that becoming the head coach of the Aggies is a dream come true.

"I've been able to live a dream in many ways. When I was at Texas A&M I dreamt of being head football coach of the Texas Aggies after R.C. was done," Sherman said. "When I went to Green Bay I dreamt of being the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, and those are the only two teams I ever wanted to be the head coach of because I had a tremendous respect of the tradition and the history of the franchise in Green Bay and the fans here of the 80s at Texas A&M. I truly have been able to live a dream, and I feel very blessed to have done that."

Sherman knows that expectations are always going to be high in College Station, but said he is prepared for that challenge.

"The bar is set very high by our former players and our former coaches. We will always have high expectations," Sherman said. "I think it all starts when we talk to recruits, when we talk to players and when we hire coaches. We have only expectations of winning national championships. We have expectations of winning the Big 12 and the Big 12 South and winning all our home games. We have to start with that to achieve that. That's what Bill has expressed to me as one of his dreams and it's also one of mine.

"I feel like I've been in a full cycle in my life and my career and I feel like I've come home to a very special place," Sherman said. "You have no idea how much I look forward to this challenge."

Sherman's contract is for seven years and a base salary of $1.8 million per year. He will fulfill his obligations with the Houston Texans for the rest of the season while A&M defensive coordinator Gary Darnell serves as interim head coach through A&M's bowl game, which will be determined Saturday.

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