{{Short description|American football coach (born 1951)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Ray Sherman | image = | alt = | caption = | current_team = | position = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1951|11|27|mf=y}} | birth_place = Berkeley, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | high_school = | college = Fresno State | pastcoaching = * San Jose State University (1974)<br>Graduate assistant * University of California (1975)<br>Defensive backs coach * Michigan State University (1976–1977)<br>Tight ends coach * Wake Forest University (1978–1980)<br>Running backs coach * University of California (1981)<br>Running backs coach * Purdue University (1982–1985)<br>Running backs coach * University of Georgia (1986–1987)<br>Wide receivers coach * Houston Oilers ({{nfly|1988}})<br>Running backs coach * Houston Oilers ({{nfly|1989}})<br>Wide receivers coach * Atlanta Falcons ({{nfly|1990}})<br>Assistant head coach * San Francisco 49ers ({{nfly|1991}})<br>Running backs coach * San Francisco 49ers ({{nfly|1992}}–{{nfly|1993}})<br>Wide receivers coach * New York Jets ({{nfly|1994}})<br>Offensive coordinator * Minnesota Vikings ({{nfly|1995}}–{{nfly|1997}})<br>Quarterbacks coach * Pittsburgh Steelers ({{nfly|1998}})<br>Offensive coordinator * Minnesota Vikings ({{nfly|1999}})<br>Offensive coordinator * Green Bay Packers ({{nfly|2000}}–{{nfly|2004}})<br>Wide receivers coach * Tennessee Titans ({{nfly|2005}}–{{nfly|2006}})<br>Wide receivers coach * Dallas Cowboys ({{nfly|2007}}–{{nfly|2010}})<br>Wide receivers coach * St. Louis Rams ({{nfly|2012}}–{{nfly|2015}})<br>Wide receivers coach * Pittsburgh Steelers ({{nfly|2019}})<br>Interim wide receivers coach * Vegas Vipers ({{XFL Year|2023}})<br> Wide receivers coach | highlights = | coachregrecord = | coachplayoffrecord = | coachrecord = | pfrcoach = SherRa0 }}
'''Ray Sherman''' (November 27, 1951<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Ray Sherman {{!}} Pro Football History.com |url=https://www.pro-football-history.com/coach/468/ray-sherman-bio |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=www.pro-football-history.com |language=en-us}}</ref>) is an American football coach. Sherman has more than four decades of coaching at the college and professional levels.
==Coaching career==
===College career=== Sherman played college football at Fresno State as a wide receiver and defensive back.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ray Sherman, Wide Receivers Coach (FB), Los Angeles Rams |url=https://247sports.com/coach/Ray-Sherman-3517/ |access-date=2022-03-07 |website=247Sports |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1974, he took a job as graduate assistant for San Jose State. After leaving San Jose State following that season, Sherman remained a coach at the college level through 1987, working for five additional schools; this includes two stints at California.<ref name="bios">{{cite web|title=Coach/Executive Bios: Ray Sherman|publisher=Dallas Cowboys|url=http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/team_biosCoachExec.cfm?newName=Ray_Sherman|accessdate=March 18, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222004606/http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/team_biosCoachExec.cfm?newName=Ray_Sherman|archivedate=December 22, 2010}}</ref>
===NFL career=== The Houston Oilers gave Sherman his first NFL coaching job in 1988,<ref name=":0" /> when he was hired as a running backs coach. After one more year in Houston, during which he was a wide receivers coach, he took an assistant head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons in 1990.<ref name=":0" /> Sherman then went to the San Francisco 49ers the next season, staying there through 1993; he coached running backs in 1991 and wide receivers the following two seasons. The Minnesota Vikings hired Sherman as quarterbacks coach in 1995, and he spent three seasons with the team. In 1998 and 1999, Sherman served as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Vikings, respectively. He was the wide receivers coach of the Green Bay Packers from 2000 to 2004, and held the same position with the Tennessee Titans in 2005 and 2006. The Dallas Cowboys hired him as wide receivers coach in 2007.<ref name="bios"/>
In January 2010, Sherman was considered for a head coaching position with the Oakland Raiders.{{citation needed|date=March 2011}}
In January 2011, Sherman interviewed for the head coaching position of the Dallas Cowboys to satisfy the Rooney Rule, and it was thought that he might be offered the offensive coordinator job with the team.<ref>{{cite web|last=Rosenthal|first=Gregg|title=Jerry Jones denies he's made a decision on Garrett|publisher=NBC Sports|date=January 3, 2011|url=http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/01/03/jerry-jones-denies-hes-made-a-decision-on-garrett/related/|accessdate=March 18, 2011}}</ref> It was announced that Sherman would not return to the Cowboys for the 2011 season.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fraley|first=Gerry|authorlink=Gerry Fraley|title=Despite interviewing for head coach job, Ray Sherman out as WR coach|work=The Dallas Morning News|date=January 10, 2011|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20110110-despite-interviewing-for-head-coach-job-ray-sherman-out-as-wr-coach.ece|accessdate=March 18, 2011}}</ref> In 2019, Sherman served as the Steelers interim wide receivers coach for the season following the death of the incumbent coach Darryl Drake that August.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Popejoy |first1=Curt |title=Former Steelers OC Ray Sherman, Blaine Stewart leading WR drills after death of Darryl Drake |url=https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2019/08/14/steelers-ray-sherman-darryl-drake-mike-tomlin/ |website=Steelers Wire |date=August 14, 2019 |publisher=USA Today |accessdate=18 February 2020}}</ref>
Sherman was officially hired by the Vegas Vipers on September 13, 2022<ref>{{Cite web |title=XFL Finalizes Coaching and Football Operations Staffs for All Eight Teams |url=https://www.xfl.com/xfl-latest-news/xfl-finalizes-coaching-and-football-operations-staffs-for-all-eight-teams |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=www.xfl.com |language=en |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913141612/https://www.xfl.com/xfl-latest-news/xfl-finalizes-coaching-and-football-operations-staffs-for-all-eight-teams |url-status=dead }}</ref> On January 1, 2024, it was announced the Vipers would not be a part of the UFL Merger.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Mookie |date=2023-12-31 |title=Report: RIP, Seattle Sea Dragons?! |url=https://www.fieldgulls.com/2023/12/31/24020800/report-seattle-sea-dragons-not-part-usfl-xfl-merger-ufl-news |access-date=2024-01-01 |website=Field Gulls |language=en}}</ref>
==Personal life== Sherman is married and is the father of three children, one of whom died in 2003.<ref name="bios"/>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherman, Ray}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:African-American coaches of American football Category:American football defensive backs Category:American football wide receivers Category:California Golden Bears football coaches Category:Dallas Cowboys coaches Category:Georgia Bulldogs football coaches Category:Green Bay Packers coaches Category:NFL offensive coordinators Category:New York Jets coaches Category:Pittsburgh Steelers coaches Category:St. Louis Rams coaches Category:San Francisco 49ers coaches Category:Players of American football from Berkeley, California Category:Vegas Vipers coaches Category:Wake Forest Demon Deacons football coaches Category:21st-century African-American people Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen