Michael Watson Sherrard (born June 21, 1963 in Oakland, California) is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round (18th overall) of the 1986 NFL Draft. A 6'2" wide receiver from UCLA, Sherrard played in 11 NFL seasons from 1986 to 1996. He played for the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers, the New York Giants, and the Denver Broncos. He graduated from Chico High School in 1981.

Early years [edit]

Sherrard attended Chico High School in Chico, California. He was a multi-sport athlete, lettering in football, basketball and track.

Although Sherrard came to UCLA as an unrecruited walk-on athlete, by his sophomore season in 1983 he was already a starter at wide receiver, was named to the second-team All-America after caching 48 passes for 709 yards and also set a UCLA record for sophomore receptions in a season.

During his senior season, although he broke his collarbone, he returned to earn All-America honors.

He was a member of three Rose Bowl-winning Bruin teams and ranks among UCLA's all-time receiving leaders, with 128 receptions (seventh on the all-time school list) in his career for 1,965 yards (10th on the school list) and 10 touchdowns.

Professional career [edit]

Dallas Cowboys [edit]

In the 1986 NFL Draft, he became only the second wide receiver ever drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (Dennis Homan was the first one in the 1968 NFL Draft).

Sherrard started what seemed to be a very promising NFL career, by having 41 receptions for 744 yards and leading the team with 5 touchdowns. His totals rank fourth for most receptions, second for most receiving yards, and is tied for fourth for most touchdowns by a rookie in Cowboys' franchise history.

In 1987 he came into training camp as the Cowboys best receiver, but was lost for the year when he was tripped by a defender during a scrimmage and shattered two bones (the tibia and fibula) in his right leg.

He also missed the 1988 season, when he rebroke his right leg tibia and also the shin bone, while jogging on a Santa Monica beach as part of his rehab treatment.

San Francisco 49ers [edit]

The San Francisco 49ers signed Sherrard in Plan B free agency in 1989, but put him on the injured list for the entire regular season, allowing him plenty of time to heal for the playoffs, where he caught 3 passes for 40 yards.

In 1990 he was off to a solid start, but broke his right fibula in the San Francisco 49ers' victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Sherrard played in San Francisco for 3 seasons, improving each year.

New York Giants [edit]

He signed as a free agent with the New York Giants in 1993, but lost most of the season after fracturing his left hip socket, during a catch-and-run against the Philadelphia Eagles. He also had injury complications when he was diagnosed as having a blood clot in the same hip.

His best season came in 1994 when he had career highs with 53 receptions for 825 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Denver Broncos [edit]

In 1996 he signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos, where he only played one season before announcing his retirement.

Sherrard persevered through multiple injuries and doubts about his future, to play 11 seasons in the NFL catching 257 passes for 3,931 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Personal [edit]

His mother, Cherrie, was a sprinter on the 1964 U.S. Olympic team and his father, Robert, played college basketball and semipro baseball. Robert was also a popular and well loved college professor at Calif State Univ.@ Chico.

After retirement, Sherrard worked as a fundraiser for Autism Speaks. He currently lives in Westlake Village, California with his daughter and two sons and is involved in television production.^[1]

References [edit]