MINNEAPOLIS — Rochester native and University of Minnesota linebackers coach Mike Sherels was admitted to a Twin Cities hospital on Tuesday for an unexpected surgery, according to information released Wednesday afternoon by the university.
Sherels, 31, also underwent a medical procedure last week prior to the start of fall camp, the press release said. The team said Sherels was expected to miss the "first few days" of practice following last week's procedure.
Sherels, a 2003 Rochester John Marshall graduate, has coached the Gophers' linebackers since the 2014 season. He was a graduate assistant with the team in 2013.
He told the Post-Bulletin last year that he had landed his dream job.
"I'd do this for free," Sherels said at the time. "This is what it's all about. It's proof that hard work pays off and that dreams do come true."
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Sherels graduated from Minnesota in 2007 with a degree in business and marketing education and earned his master's degree from Minnesota in 2014. He played for the Gophers from 2003-07 — leading the team in tackles in 2006 — and served as a captain during his junior and senior years.
"Mike is Minnesota football," Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys said. "There are few things that are more important to him than this university and this football program. We ask that you respect his privacy and that of his family during this time."
Sherels also received multiple awards during his playing career at Minnesota. As a senior, he was awarded the Neil Fredenburg Award for courage and love of the game. As a junior, he was presented with the Carl Eller Award as the team's most outstanding defensive player and the Paul Giel Award for unselfishness and most concern about the University of Minnesota.
Sherels was an honorable mention All-State linebacker as a senior at JM in 2002, when the Rockets went 7-1 in the regular season and finished 8-2 overall.
His brother, Marcus Sherels, is in his seventh season as a punt returner and backup cornerback with the Minnesota Vikings. Marcus did not make the trip to Cincinnati this week with the Vikings, who face the Bengals on Friday night. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said on Wednesday that two players did not make the trip for "family reasons," but he did not specify if Marcus Sherels was one of those two.
