HOUSTON – Former Texas A&M Athletics Director and Head Football Coach, Jackie Sherrill, has been selected as the recipient of the American Heart Association’s 2027 Paul “Bear” Bryant Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by HFG Wealth Management.
The American Heart Association, a relentless force changing the future of health for everyone everywhere, presents the Bear Bryant Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, honor Coach Bryant’s legacy, and raise awareness and critical funds for its mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement. Since its inception, the awards have united the football community in support of the Association's lifesaving work.
Over the course of his seven seasons leading the Fightin’ Texas Aggies, Sherrill turned Texas A&M into a Southwest Conference powerhouse. From 1982 through 1988, Sherrill’s Aggies posted an overall record of 52-28-1, with a Southwest Conference record of 36-17-1. Sherrill guided the Aggies to three consecutive SWC Championships (1985-87), posting a 20-3 SWC record over those three seasons and earning three SWC Coach of the Year awards during that championship run.
Sherrill led the Aggies to their first Cotton Bowl appearance in nearly 20 years by winning the Southwest Conference Championship in 1985. In the New Year's Day classic, the Aggies shut down Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson on their way to a 36-16 win over the Tigers. Sherrill guided the Aggies to two additional Cotton Bowl appearances in 1987 and 1988 while earning final Associated Press Top 25 rankings of No. 6, No. 12 and No. 9 over those three years.
Sherrill's most lasting impact on Texas A&M may have been the formation of the famed 12th Man Kickoff Team, which built off the legend of the original 12th Man, E. King Gill, who famously came out of the stands at the 1922 Dixie Classic and "stood ready" to enter the game. Sherrill ran an advertisement in the school newspaper reading: "Persons interested in trying out for the Twelfth Man Kickoff Team need to report to the Kyle Field Dressing Room on Monday, Feb. 21, at 5 p.m. No prior experience is required."
Sherrill's 12th Man Kickoff Team used non-scholarship students to create a towel-waving kickoff coverage unit that many pundits expected to fail. Still, the group was an unqualified success, allowing just 12.5 yards per return over its first five seasons. "I knew that I could find, out of 40-some-odd thousand students, 11 guys that would cover kickoffs, but have no regard for their body and be tough as nails," Sherrill said. "I just knew it would work."
Sherrill was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 2016, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2023 and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
Sherrill’s connection to coach Bryant runs deep. A native of Duncan, Oklahoma, Sherrill played for Bryant at the University of Alabama from 1962-65, helping the Crimson Tide win two national championships. He later served as a graduate assistant under Bryant before embarking on a coaching career that would help shape college football for more than three decades.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of five honors presented annually during the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards ceremony, presented by Memorial Hermann Health System in Houston, Texas. This year’s ceremony, in its 41st year, will be held on Wednesday, January 27 in Houston and will air on the CBS Sports Network. Bruce Arians was previously announced as the recipient of this year’s Heart of a Champion Award. In addition, the Fan Favorite, Newcomer Coach of the Year, and 2026 Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year will be awarded that evening. The Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards support the American Heart Association by raising funds and awareness to advance lifesaving research and improve cardiovascular health.
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