Issue date: 11/27/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Doug Klembara Mike Sherman accepts the head coaching position of the Texas A&M football team Monday during a news conference. Coming from an assistant head coach position for the Houston Texans, Sherman has ties to A&M coaching under R.C. Slocum as an offensive line coach in the early 1990s. [Click to enlarge]

Houston Texans assistant head coach Mike Sherman has been named the head coach for the Texas A&M Aggies Monday. A&M Athletic Director Bill Byrne introduced Sherman Monday with a simple "Welcome home, Mike."

Byrne began public talks with Sherman as soon as former Head Coach Dennis Franchione resigned Friday after A&M's 38-30 victory over Texas.

"What we always heard was if there's ever going to be a change at Texas A&M, the person you need to look at is Mike Sherman," Byrne said. "Most of all what I like about him is he is an Aggie."

Byrne said wanted to hire a coach who could bridge the gaps over issues that the Aggies had in recent years. Byrne said that recommendations from players who had played under Sherman factored heavily into his decision.

"I thought Mike was the perfect fit for us," Byrne said. "He is the person to take Texas A&M where we all want to go, and that is to win championships."

Sherman has agreed to a seven-year contract for $1.8 million a year. Byrne said that he was pleased when discussing salary with Sherman.

"I liked what he said to me," Byrne said. "Dennis [Franchione] was making $2 million and he said, 'I don't want that much. I would rather take less and be able to hire the best assistants.'?"

Sherman began his career as a part-time coach at the University of Pittsburgh in 1981. In 1983, Sherman moved on to Tulane where he was the offensive line coach until 1984. Sherman then took a job at Holy Cross, a private Catholic college in Massachusetts, as the offensive line coach in 1985 and later became the offensive coordinator in 1988.

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