Sherman's new job: High school coach
When Mike Sherman was fired as the Miami Dolphins' offensive coordinator after the 2013 season, he decided he owed to it his wife to end the nomadic existence of a football coach that has taken him to both coasts and many places in between.
He spent the last year in Cape Cod, Mass., a spot the family has come to over the summers for the last 30 years. But he also missed coaching football.
In a solution that could be the best of both worlds, the former Green Bay Packers coach has been named the coach at Nauset Regional High in North Eastham, according to the Cape Cod Times. Sherman, who settled with his family in West Dennis, Mass., is expected to meet with his new team this week.
"I felt after Miami I couldn't put my family through another move, Sherman told the newspaper. "My wife Karen has put up with a lot in regard to my career and was happy to have unpacked her last box. We've been coming here almost every summer over the last 30-plus years as a family so we felt this was a natural fit for us to call Cape Cod home."
He will replace athletic director Keith Kenyon as football coach. Kenyon said he and Sherman have known each other since the early 1980s.
Sherman, 60, has not been a high school coach since working at Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass., from 1978 to 1980.
"I guess I'd say, why not? I've been fortunate financially over the years, which is allowing me to do this. Back in January I was looking for a place to have a football camp this summer and Nauset High School came up. Then I heard they were looking for a head football coach," he told the Cape Cod Times.
"It took me a while to pull the trigger. It hasn't been an easy decision because I wanted to make sure I was all 100 percent in. The kids deserve that from their coach. I've loved coaching in the NFL and college for the last 33 years, but I am definitely looking forward to working with the kids at Nauset."
Sherman coached the Packers for six seasons, from 2000 to 2005. He then spent two seasons as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans before returning to the college ranks as coach at Texas A&M and then joining the Dolphins.
"When I came to the Cape a year ago I felt I was done in coaching," Sherman told the newspaper. "I explored other outside opportunities, but I kept coming back to the fact I missed coaching. I missed the players and the preparation that goes into a season. I missed the ebb and flow, handling the highs and the lows.
"I have always admired high school coaches who give their time to their players. They have a chance to impact young lives. That is exciting and I'm looking forward to having an effect on these kids' lives."