Nauset scores big with NFL coach
Cape Cod high school football is about to get a glimpse of the NFL and big-time college football.
Mike Sherman, the former head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Texas A&M and most recently the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, has been named the new head football coach at Nauset Regional in North Eastham.
Nauset athletic director Keith Kenyon confirmed on Saturday that Sherman will replace him on the Warriors’ sideline this fall. Kenyon was Nauset’s football coach for five years, but stepped down after last season and will become an assistant principal at the school.
Kenyon said Sherman plans to meet with the team this week. The new coach’s introduction to the local high school game will come later in June when Sherman holds a camp for skill position players at Nauset that will be open to all Cape Cod players in grades 8-12.
“I’ve known about Mike as far back as the early 1980s when I was a graduate assistant at Syracuse and he was at Pitt,” said Kenyon. “This has been in the works for a few months after I knew I would be giving up coaching. It’s exciting. Mike is a quality person and obviously his coaching résumé speaks for itself.”
Sherman, a Massachusetts native, lives in West Dennis. He spent six seasons (2000-05) as the head coach of the Packers, guiding the team to five winning seasons and three consecutive NFC North titles.
He was assistant head coach and offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans for two years before taking over at Texas A&M, leading the Aggies to three bowl appearances in four seasons.
Sherman was let go as the Miami Dolphins’ offensive coordinator after two seasons and has spent the last year on the Cape, doing occasional consulting work for the NFL and college teams.
“I felt after Miami I couldn't put my family through another move,” Sherman said of his decision to settle full-time in Dennis. “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.”
Sherman admitted, however, he was restless without the passion and intensity of football, and said there were other coaching jobs he could have pursued. So why now, and why the high school game?
“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.
“It took me a while to pull the trigger,” said Sherman. “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.
“I am honored Tom Conrad (Nauset principal) and Keith Kenyon asked me to do this.”
Sherman has coached the likes of Pro Bowl quarterbacks Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. He has been in the white-hot spotlight of the game at the highest level. He fully understands Nauset and the Atlantic Coast League is not Lambeau Field and the NFL.
“Everything is relative,” he said. “Maybe we don't have a Pro Bowl player at QB, but there is a good chance our opponent isn't defending with a Pro Bowl cornerback, either. We’ll adjust to wherever our talent leads us. If we can run it, we’ll run it. If we can throw it, we’ll throw it. If we can do both, we will.”
Living in Dennis, Sherman said he watched Dennis-Yarmouth and St. John Paul II games last fall and was impressed with both programs and schools.
“Their students were very much into the game. I want people to come and show enthusiasm because it's good for the players, the school and the game,” he said.
Sherman said he is looking forward to meeting the Nauset players this week.
“I will be honest with them. I’m excited to be their coach,” he said. “I’ll tell them I expect them to act like champions on and off the field, and that we should expect the very best out of each other. Football is a great team sport. In the course of a season you can experience the best of times as well as the worst of times. Your ability to handle the ups and the downs is what defines you and your team. When it's good, I'll tell them it's good. When it's bad, I'll tell them that, too. They need to be able to distinguish between the two.
“When I came to the Cape a year ago I felt I was done in coaching,” said Sherman. “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.”
