Muskingum News

Legendary Coach Edgar Sherman, class of 1936, passed away on September 29, 2009.  Over the course of his 34-year career, Mr. Sherman served as football coach, athletic director and as a member of the faculty.  One of the most successful coaches in the history of college football, Mr. Sherman was the first Division III coach inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame.

From 1967 to 1979, Mr. Sherman was a leading figure in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), serving as secretary and treasurer. He served as chairman of the committee that led the efforts to create  the nationwide divisional structure – Divisions I, II, and III – within the NCAA.

In recognition of his contributions, in 1982  he received the White House Citation for Contributions to Athletics and the James C. Corbett Memorial Award, awarded by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) to the college administrator “who has worked unceasingly for the betterment of intercollegiate athletics.”

Muskingum’s football field was named in his honor in 1986. He was inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame, as well as into the Halls of Fame of Muskingum University and Newark High School.

Mr. Sherman received the first Sport magazine award for special service in 1967. In 1975, he was awarded the Muskingum University Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award and an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1979.

In both 1955 and 1965, Coach Sherman was named the “Ohio Coach of the Year” by the Columbus, Ohio Dispatch.

Surviving is his wife, Marge Marstellar Sherman, a 1936 graduate of Muskingum; two sons, Roger ’61 and Leigh ’62, both Muskingum graduates; and a daughter, Linda.