Dennis Erickson (born March 24, 1947, in
Everett, WashingtonEverett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 91,488 at the 2000 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
,) is an American
footballAmerican football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, and often as Gridiron or Tackle football outside North America, is a competitive team sport known for combining strategy with physical play. The objective of the game is to score points by advancing the ball into the...
coachIn sports, a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.- Staff :...
, currently the
head coachA head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing sports men and women. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the
Arizona State Sun DevilsThe Arizona State Sun Devils' football program competes in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference.The Sun Devils had their greatest success in the 1960s and 1970's under head coach Frank Kush. In that 22-year stretch, they compiled a 176–54–1 record, putting Arizona...
. He has been the head coach of six
college footballCollege football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies. It was the venue through which American football first gained popularity in the United States...
programs and two NFL franchises.
Early life
Erickson was raised in
FerndaleFerndale is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The population was 8,758 at the 2000 census.-History:Ferndale was officially incorporated on March 19, 1907. It is so called because of the ferns that once grew around the original school house. Ferndale was originally called Jam...
,
WashingtonWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
, 100 miles north of Seattle, and in
EverettEverett is the county seat of and the largest city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Named for Everett Colby, son of founder Charles L. Colby, it lies north of Seattle. The city had a total population of 91,488 at the 2000 census, making it the 6th largest in the state and...
, twenty five miles north of
SeattleSeattle is located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Situated in the western part of Washington State on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about south of the Canada – United States border, it is named after Chief Sealth, of the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes...
. His father, Robert "Pink Floyd" Erickson, was a high school head football coach at Ferndale High School before becoming the head coach at Cascade High School in Everett. The younger Erickson played
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
at the rival
Everett HighEverett High School is a secondary school located in Everett, Washington, United States, which educates grades 9 through 12. The school enrolls approximately 1,700 students annually, more than triple the state and district average....
, coached by next-door neighbor, Bill Dunn. This "made for some quiet dinners on game day." As a junior, Dennis was the starting quarterback, beating out the former starter, senior
Mike PriceMike Price is a college football coach, currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso . He formerly coached at Washington State University, Weber State University, and the University of Alabama, where he was fired before coaching a game.-Early years:Price grew up in Everett,...
, another future college head coach.
Price, the son of the head coach of Everett Junior College, was moved to defense (as a safety). When Erickson left
Washington StateThe Washington State Cougars football team is the interscholastic football team of the Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific Ten Conference....
for
MiamiThe Miami Hurricanes football program, sometimes referred to as "The U", represents the University of Miami in interscholastic college football competition. The team competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program began in 1926...
in
1989The 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its third National Championship during the 80s, cementing its claim as the decade's top team, winning more titles than any other program....
, he recommended Mike Price as his replacement, who got the job, and rented Erickson's
PullmanPullman is the largest city in Whitman County, Washington, United States. The population was 24,675 at the 2000 census, and was estimated at 27,150 in 2008 by the U.S. Census Bureau...
home. Erickson had beaten out Price for the WSU job in
1987The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second National Championship during the 80's in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
. Six years earlier in 1981, Price had beaten Erickson out for the job at Weber State in
OgdenOgden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States. The population was 81,605 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a convenient...
,
UtahUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
. While in the
Big SkyThe Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I, with football competing in the division I Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963...
at
IdahoThe Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. The Vandals participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
, Erickson was 2-2 vs. Price's Weber teams. At
Oregon StateThe Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific Ten Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
, Erickson was 2-1 against Price's WSU teams, not playing in
2002The 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season ended the season with what most consider an exciting double overtime national championship game. Ohio State and Miami both came into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated. The underdog Buckeyes defeated the Hurricanes 31–24, ending Miami's 34 game winning...
.
In 1965, Erickson graduated from
Everett High SchoolEverett High School is a secondary school located in Everett, Washington, United States, which educates grades 9 through 12. The school enrolls approximately 1,700 students annually, more than triple the state and district average....
and accepted a football scholarship to Montana State in
BozemanBozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. With a population of 27,509 at the 2000 census, Bozeman is the fifth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists of...
to play for head coach
Jim SweeneyJim Sweeney is a former college football coach from Butte, Montana most noted for his success as a head coach at Fresno State. Sweeney is the father of Kevin Sweeney, whom he coached while at Fresno State....
. There he was a member of the
Sigma Alpha EpsilonSigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity. Founded at the University of Alabama in 1856, it is the only fraternity founded in the Antebellum South still in operation...
fraternityA fraternity is a brotherhood, though the term usually connotes a distinct or formal organization. An organization referred to as a fraternity may be a:*Secret society*Chivalric order*Benefit society*Friendly society*Social club*Trade union...
. Erickson was an effective undersized
quarterbackQuarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the center, in the middle of the offensive line. Quarterbacks are the leaders of the offensive team, responsible for calling the play in the huddle...
(quick feet, marginal arm) from 1966-68, earning all-conference honors in the
Big SkyThe Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I, with football competing in the division I Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963...
. Immediately after his senior season, he began his coaching career as a
graduate assistantA graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or works in another...
for the Bobcats in
1969The 1969 college football season was celebrated as the 100th anniversary of college football. During the 20th Century, the NCAA had no playoff for the college football teams that would later be described as "Division I-A"...
. In 1970, at age 23, Erickson became the head coach at
BillingsBillings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, located in the south-central portion of the state. Billings is rapidly growing; as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 89,847, while the Census Bureau's 2008 estimate listed the city's population at 103,994. It is the...
Central Catholic High SchoolBillings Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Billings, Montana. It is one of three Catholic high schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls-Billings.-Background:...
, staying for just a single season.
Assistant coaching
From 1971-81, Erickson was a collegiate assistant coach, working with the offense. Beginning at his
alma materAlma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother". It was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, and in Medieval Christianity for the Virgin Mary. In modern times it is ordinarily used to refer to the university or college a person attended...
, Montana State, in
1971The 1971 college football season saw Coach Bob Devaney's Nebraska Cornhuskers repeat as national champions. After being ranked 2nd in the preseason poll, Nebraska captured first place the following week and remained there for the rest of 1971 and won the Orange Bowl 38-6 in a #1 vs...
under Sonny Holland, he became an
offensive coordinatorAn offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
in 1974 at
IdahoThe Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. The Vandals participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
under newly promoted head coach
Ed TroxelEd Troxel was a high school and college football coach in Idaho and eastern Washington. His most notable coaching stops were at Borah High School in Boise, the University of Idaho, and Kennewick High School....
, and stayed for two seasons.
When Erickson's college coach
Jim SweeneyJim Sweeney is a former college football coach from Butte, Montana most noted for his success as a head coach at Fresno State. Sweeney is the father of Kevin Sweeney, whom he coached while at Fresno State....
resigned from neighboring
Washington StateThe Washington State Cougars football team is the interscholastic football team of the Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific Ten Conference....
after the 1975 season, then hired at
Fresno StateThe Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno and the California Central Valley, especially the San Joaquin Valley, in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Bulldogs proudly display a green “V” on their helmets, uniforms, and on the field symbolizing the...
in 1976, Erickson followed him to
FresnoFresno is a city in California, USA, the county seat of Fresno County. As of February 27, 2009, the population was estimated at 500,017, making it the fifth largest city in California and the 36th largest in the nation...
be the offensive coordinator for Sweeney's first three seasons. When
Jack ElwayJohn Albert "Jack" Elway, Sr. was an American football coach, and the father of the Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway....
, a former Sweeney assistant at WSU, was hired at
San Jose StateThe San Jose State Spartans represent San Jose State University and the Silicon Valley in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Spartans play all home games in Spartan Stadium, which offers a seating capacity of over 30,000...
in 1979, Erickson joined him for three seasons, again as the offensive coordinator. Erickson was a finalist for the Weber State job after the 1980 season, but lost out to his high school teammate and friend,
Mike PriceMike Price is a college football coach, currently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso . He formerly coached at Washington State University, Weber State University, and the University of Alabama, where he was fired before coaching a game.-Early years:Price grew up in Everett,...
. Erickson would finally get his head coaching chance following the next season.
Idaho
Erickson's head coaching career began at age 34 at the
University of IdahoThe Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. The Vandals participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
. He was hired on December 11, 1981, succeeding
Jerry DavitchJerry Davitch is a former college football coach. Since 2004 he has served as the superintendent of schools in Richland Township, just northeast of Johnstown, Pennsylvania. He served in a similar capacity for eight years in nearby Conemaugh Township in Davidsville...
, who had been fired just days before the final game (a one-point home loss against rival
Boise StateThis page discusses the Boise State football program. For more Boise State athletics, see Boise State Broncos.The Boise State Broncos football program represents Boise State University in the Western Athletic Conference...
). A pre-season playoff pick, Idaho finished the 1981 season with eight consecutive losses, winless in the Big Sky conference.
Building on his reputation as an offensive innovator, Erickson became Idaho's all-time winningest head coach in just four seasons with the
VandalsThe Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. The Vandals participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
(1982-85), taking them to the I-AA playoffs in his first and fourth seasons. In his first season, Erickson took a 3-8 team in 1981 and immediately turned it into a 8-3 playoff team, led by
decathleteThe decathlon is an athletic event consisting of ten track and field events. Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved...
quarterback
Ken HobartKenneth Charles "Ken" Hobart is a former all-star quarterback in the CFL, playing in Canada from 1985-90.Hobart played college football at the University of Idaho from 1981-83, the final two seasons for the Vandals under new head coach Dennis Erickson...
. Erickson's overall record with the Vandals was 32-15 (.680): 31-13 (.704) in the regular season and 1-2 in post season. He went 4-0 against rival Boise State, a team which had dominated the series by winning the previous five games. (The winning streak against the Broncos continued through 1993, reaching 12 games.)
His most notable recruits at Idaho were his quarterbacks: future
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
head coach
Scott LinehanScott Thomas Linehan is an American football coach, currently the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the St...
(who had future Oakland Raiders coach
Tom CableThomas Lee Cable, Jr, is an American football coach, currently the head coach of the Oakland Raiders of the NFL.-Education:Tom Cable played high school football in Snohomish, Washington, northeast of Seattle...
blocking for him) and future college football hall of famer
John FrieszJohn Melvin Friesz is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots.-Early life:...
(who had
Mark SchlerethMark Frederick Schlereth is a former professional football player and current television sportscaster. Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN on NFL Live, Sportscenter, and other programs...
blocking for him). Erickson had revived Vandal football, quickly turning it into a top I-AA program, whose success was continued for another decade by former assistants
Keith GilbertsonKeith Gilbertson, Jr. is an American football coach, formerly the head coach of three college football programs at Idaho, California, and Washington.-Early life:...
(1986-88) and
John L. SmithJohn L. Smith is a college football coach, currently the special teams coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, under head coach Bobby Petrino...
(1989-94).
Wyoming
He took his "Air Express" form of the spread offense with him to Division I-A
WyomingThe Wyoming Cowboys are a college football team that represents the University of Wyoming They compete in the Mountain West Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I. The team has won 15 conference titles...
in 1986 for a single 6-6 season. He moved on from Wyoming after accepting the head coaching job at Washington State.
Washington State
When he returned to the
PalouseThe Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of eastern Washington, northern Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major wheat-producing agricultural area...
with
Washington StateThe Washington State Cougars football team is the interscholastic football team of the Washington State University. The team is a member of the Pacific Ten Conference....
of the
Pac-10The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
for the
1987The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second National Championship during the 80's in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
season, he went 3-7-1 in his first year. Erickson turned around the Washington State program quickly, going 9-3 in the
1988The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the National Championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona....
season and leading the normally average Cougars to a win in the
Aloha BowlThe Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in [[ʻAiea, Hawaii]] at Aloha Stadium. Played on Christmas Day except for games in 1983 to 1986, the Aloha Bowl was sponsored by Jeep Corporation...
, their first bowl win since 1931. This success led to his hiring by the
University of MiamiThe Miami Hurricanes football program, sometimes referred to as "The U", represents the University of Miami in interscholastic college football competition. The team competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program began in 1926...
following the 1988 season.
Miami
Expectations were very high at Miami, as Erickson replaced the successful
Jimmy JohnsonJames William "Jimmy" Johnson is a former American football coach who currently appears on Fox NFL Sunday, the Fox network's NFL pregame show. He was the first football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl. In 1993, Johnson wrote Turning The Thing...
, who had led the
HurricanesThe Miami Hurricanes football program, sometimes referred to as "The U", represents the University of Miami in interscholastic college football competition. The team competes as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The program began in 1926...
to 10-win season in the previous four seasons as well as a national championship before departing for the NFL's
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . They are headquartered in suburban Irving, Texas, which lies between Fort Worth and Dallas...
. Erickson led Miami for six seasons (1989-94), winning two national championships in 1989 and 1991 giving Erickson more national championships then any other Miami coach. Erickson's .875 winning percentage (63-9) at Miami remains the highest in the history of the program. However, he was receiving heat from many Miami fans near the end of his tenure. His 1993 team went 9-3 - the first season with fewer than 10 wins for Miami since 1985 - and lost its bowl game 29-0 to Arizona. In September 1994, the Hurricanes lost 38-20 to Washington at the Orange Bowl, snapping the Canes' NCAA record 58-game home win streak. Moreover, the Hurricanes were found to have broken NCAA rules on Pell Grants due to a member of the financial aid office, and were placed on three years' probation not long after Erickson left the school for 'lack of institutional controls.'
Seattle
Erickson was then hired as an
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
head coach. He was with the
Seattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington, USA. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, joined the NFL in 1976 as...
for four seasons (1995-98). In his first season he switched QBs from 1993 #2 Overall Draft Pick
Rick MirerRichard Franklin Mirer is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. After a successful collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame, Mirer was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with the second pick in the 1993 NFL Draft...
and went to
John FrieszJohn Melvin Friesz is a former professional American football quarterback in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots.-Early life:...
who would guide the Hawks to their biggest comeback win ever in a game (rallying from 20-0 down at the half with Mirer starting) and taking the Hawks to the final week of the season with a playoff berth on the line only to lose to Kansas City and finish 8-8. In 1996 the Seahawks faltered but finished 7-9 (Erickson's worst record in Seattle). 1997 saw the Hawks turn into one of the best passing offenses in the league only to finish 8-8 due to bad Special Teams play. After the season the Hawks forced Erickson to fire longtime friend and assistant the Special Teams Coach
Dave ArnoldDave Arnold grew up in the New York area and began tinkering with restaurant equipment after earning his MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts. For an art project that required a 360-degree view of the inside of an oven he re-fabricated a traditional range with glass walls...
and replace him with
Pete RodriguezPete Rodriguez is an American football coach. He is currently the special teams coach for the New York Sentinels of the United Football League.-College coaching career:...
. With a revamped lineup led by 1997 passing leader
Warren MoonHarold Warren Moon is a former American and Canadian football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
the Hawks flew out of the gate with 3 game winning streak (including a Kickoff Weekend shutout of the Eagles at
Veterans StadiumPhiladelphia Veterans Stadium was a professional sports facility located at the northeast corner of Broad Street and Pattison Avenue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
) but stumbled and lost their next three games. Later in the year with the team playing at .500 he turned to
Jon KitnaJon K. Kitna is an American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
to lead the offense and they responded with a close win at home vs the Tennessee Oilers (now Titans) before going on the road to New York to play the Jets. In a hotly contested game that many viewed as the best combined offensive performances of 1998 the game came down to an officiating call in the by Phil Luckett and Ernie Frantz (Referee and Back Judge) cost the Seahawks the game and would eventually knock them out of the playoffs. Many Seahawks fans argue his fate may have been different had Seattle won that game, this game would be cited as one of the main reasons the NFL would bring back Instant Replay for the 1999 Season.
Oregon State
In 1999, Erickson made an immediate "u-turn" back to the college ranks. Except this campaign was with a team who had long since dropped off the radar of desirable coaching opportunities. The
Oregon State BeaversThe Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team first fielded an organized football team in 1893 and is currently a member of the Pacific Ten Conference. The head coach is Mike Riley, with Danny Langsdorf as the offensive...
had become one of three perennial "cellar dwellers" in the
Pac-10The Pacific-10 Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I; its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of NCAA Division I football competition...
conference. Expectations were so low that Erickson's predecessor,
Mike RileyMichael Joseph Riley is an American football coach and the current head coach of the Oregon State Beavers. Riley has also coached in several professional leagues, and is a former head coach of the San Diego Chargers of the NFL and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League .-Early...
, was promoted to an NFL head coaching position with the
San Diego ChargersThe San Diego Chargers are an American Professional Football team based in San Diego, California. They are currently members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . The club began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League...
after leading the Beavers to a 5-6 record.
In his first season, Erickson directed the Beavers to a 7-5 record, the program's first winning season in 29 years.
The following year, Oregon State went 11-1, snapped a 33-year losing streak to the USC Trojans, and earned a share of the Pac-10 conference championship for the first time since the conference expanded to 10 teams in 1978. It was the first time the Beavers won at least a share of a conference championship since 1964, when they were part of the Pac-8 conference. Oregon State began to develop a national reputation for its high-powered offense and a swarming defense. In fact, the team barely missed an invitation to play in the national BCS title game due to a late-in-the-game missed field goal against
WashingtonUniversity of Washington, founded in 1861, is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. UW is the largest university in the northwestern United States and one of the oldest public universities on the west coast. The university has three campuses, with its flagship campus...
. The win over USC did, however, help Erickson's crew clinch a spot in the
2001 Fiesta BowlThe 2001 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, played on January 1, 2001, was the 30th edition of the Fiesta Bowl. The game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona between the Oregon State Beavers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish .In the game, Oregon State quarterback Jonathan Smith threw for 305 yards...
against the
Notre Dame Fighting IrishThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a private Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, Indiana, USA....
. Oregon State won the bowl game 41-9, in what is generally considered to be one of Erickson's crowning career achievements.
At the close of the 2000 bowl games, the Beavers were ranked fourth nationally in the Associated Press top 25 College Football Poll with some national media stating that Oregon State would have been a favorite to win the
Bowl Championship SeriesThe Bowl Championship Series is a selection system designed to give the top two teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision an opportunity to compete in a "national championship game"...
(2000-2001 Orange Bowl) had they been in a position for selection.
Before the 2001 season,
Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
ranked Oregon State as the number one team in the nation. However, a lack of returning talent from the 2000 team took its toll, and the Beavers went 5-6. Among the players who hail from Erickson's high-octane 2000 team are
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
stars
Chad JohnsonChad Javon Ochocinco is an American football wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State.Ochocinco has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times and...
and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Both were selected in the
2001 NFL DraftThe 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the
Cincinnati BengalsThe Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Their first two seasons, 1968 and 1969, were as an American Football League franchise...
.
Erickson was named Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000. His name also came up for several high-profile college football positions.
In late 2000, Erickson was a primary choice to fill the vacant position at the
University of Southern CaliforniaThe University of Southern California is a private, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, USA...
, however he spurned a $7.2 million, five year contract to remain with the Beavers; the position would eventually go to
Pete CarrollPeter Clay Carroll is an American football coach, former National Football League head coach, and the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans football team, having held that position since 2001...
.
Erickson remained coach at Oregon State for four seasons (1999-2002) before accepting another coaching position in the NFL. His early departure left some OSU fans angry with him for not finishing-out his contract, but he is still credited with playing a leading role in resurrecting the Beavers.
San Francisco
He chose to return to the
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
in 2003 with the
San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team. The team plays its home games in San Francisco, California, while the club's headquarters and practice facility are located in Santa Clara...
, a team with salary cap problems, and lasted just two seasons before being fired along with
general managerGeneral manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Terry DonahueTerry Donahue is a former college football coach and NFL general manager, and a current football analyst.-Player:...
, going 2-14 in 2004. The hiring of Erickson was very surprising and highly criticized. The 49ers had three defensive-minded head coaches as finalists for their head coaching vacancy, but the offensive-minded Erickson ended up being hired. The 49ers' offense had mostly players who specialized in the
West Coast OffenseIn American football, "West Coast Offense" is one of two similar but distinct offensive-strategic-systems of play: the "Air Coryell" system; or more commonly the pass play system popularized by Bill Walsh...
that the previous head coach,
Steve MariucciSteve Mariucci is a former National Football League coach, most recently for the Detroit Lions.-Early career:Mariucci was born and raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan, and was a three-time All-America quarterback at Northern Michigan University in Marquette...
, ran. But the aggressive style of offense that Erickson is known for deviated greatly from that scheme and the hybrid scheme that Erickson employed in order to maintain parts of the West Coast Offense never worked out. Erickson did not coach during the 2005 season.
Return to Idaho
On February 8, 2006, the
University of IdahoThe University of Idaho is the state of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state. UI is the state's land-grant and primary research university...
announced the re-hiring of Dennis Erickson as its head football coach. Erickson won 32 games in his first four seasons as a head coach (1982-85), then a I-AA program in the
Big SkyThe Big Sky Conference is an intercollegiate college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I, with football competing in the division I Football Championship Subdivision. The BSC was founded in 1963...
. Idaho moved up to Division I-A in 1996. The previous head coach,
Nick HoltNick Holt is an American football coach, currently the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Washington Huskies...
, resigned after just two seasons to take an assistant's job with the
NFL'sThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
St. Louis RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team has won three NFL Championships, including one Super Bowl.The Rams began...
, then took another job a few days later at USC. The 2006
VandalsThe Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Idaho. The Vandals participate in the NCAA's Division I FBS in the Western Athletic Conference ....
were at 4-3 after seven games, then lost five straight to finish at 4-8.
http://cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_game_by_game.php?coachid=711&year=2006
Arizona State
Erickson left to join a BCS school again in December 2006, after just ten months at Idaho.
Arizona StateThe Arizona State Sun Devils' football program competes in NCAA Division I-A as part of the Pacific Ten Conference.The Sun Devils had their greatest success in the 1960s and 1970's under head coach Frank Kush. In that 22-year stretch, they compiled a 176–54–1 record, putting Arizona...
athletic director Lisa Love hired Erickson to replace
Dirk KoetterDirk Koetter is an American football coach currently serving as the offensive coordinator of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.-Arizona State Head Coach:...
on December 9, 2006. Arizona State is the third Pac-10 Conference program that he has coached.
Arizona State paid
Dirk KoetterDirk Koetter is an American football coach currently serving as the offensive coordinator of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars.-Arizona State Head Coach:...
$2.8 million and a $150,000 buyout to Idaho to complete the hiring of Erickson. He immediately paid dividends at ASU, leading the Sun Devils to a 10-3 record, a share of the Pac-10 title and a berth in the Holiday Bowl in 2007. Erickson was named the Pac-10 Coach of the Year, becoming the first man to ever win the award at three different Pac-10 schools. He also coached another major award winner, as his kicker, Thomas Weber, was named the Lou Groza Award winner. However, the following year, the Sun Devils posted a disappointing 5-7 record, earning neither a bowl berth nor the
Territorial CupThe Territorial Cup is a trophy that is awarded annually to the winner of the college football game between the Arizona State University Sun Devils and the University of Arizona Wildcats and has also served as the symbol of the long standing rivalry between the two schools...
, which returned to Tucson for the first time since 2004 after a 31-10 victory by
ArizonaThe Arizona Wildcats football team is the football team of the University of Arizona, located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific Ten Conference at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level.-Conference Titles:...
.
Head coaching records
Further reading
"Out of Everett,"
The Seattle Times'The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" whereby...
Pacific Magazine, Sunday, August 13, 1995, p.12-17.
External links
- http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/erickson_dennis00.html Erickson Coaching bio - Arizona State Sun Devils
- http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1959782 - Erickson fired with three years left on deal - 6-January-2005
- College Football Data Warehouse - Dennis Erickson - college coaching record
- Dennis Erickson profile at NNDB
- Pro coaching record - Dennis Erickson
- Seahawks owe big debt to Erickson - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington and the surrounding area...
11-Oct-2003
- Ex-Rainbow Beaver couldn’t be happier Honolulu Star-Bulletin
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, based in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, is the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and a sister publication called MidWeek, is owned by Black Press of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada...
, Steven Welsh, 24-Dec-1999
- Life with Riley, Act II - College Football - The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, 31-March-2003
- Oregon State flies high after years of futility - Oregon Daily Emerald
The Oregon Daily Emerald is an independent daily newspaper published at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, United States. The paper, which has been published for more than 100 years, has trained many now-prominent writers and journalists and has made important contributions to journalism...
, 17-Nov-2000
- Oregon State Football Arcadia Publishing
Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of local history. It was founded in Dover, New Hampshire in 1993 by United Kingdom-based Tempus Publishing, but became independent in 2004....
, Kip Carlson, Published 2006
- Erickson not done yet Arizona Republic, Jeff Metcalfe, 8-Apr-2007
- Pac-10 football: The best teams of the past 20 years Mercury News, Jon Wilner, 6-June-2007
- Oregon State Football History Database - NCAA updated periodically
- Remembering 2000: the season of the Big Five - college football - The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, Tom Dienhart, 15-Jan-2001
- Fiesta Bowl (Recap) - USA TODAY
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
By Greg Boeck, 2-Jan-2001
- Notre Dame can't handle Oregon St.'s team speed - Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
1-Jan-2001
- Beavers stuff Notre Dame in Fiesta rout - Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
1-Jan-2001
- Erickson a competitor to coach - Portland Tribune
The Portland Tribune is a free weekly newspaper published each Thursday in Portland, Oregon, United States.The Tribune is part of the Pamplin Media Group, which publishes a number of community newspapers in the Portland metropolitan area, and also owns and operates the talk radio station KPAM, and...
19-June-2001
- Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll - Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
4-Jan-2001
- OSU vs USC game story - USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth...
30-Sept-2000
- Pac(-10) mentality - Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
, Stewart Mandel, 18-Aug-2003
- Pac-10's 2000 success has East Coast media taking notice - Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
14-Aug-2001
- Missing Link (2001 BCS Championship Recap) - AP
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
4-Jan-2001
- Getting the job done (2001 BCS Championship Recap) - AP
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
4-Jan-2001
- After going 11-1 last year, the even-better Beavers are eager to take a shot at the title Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports magazine owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. It has over 3 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men, 19% of the adult males in the United States. It was the first magazine with circulation over one...
Austin Murphy 13-Aug-2001
- University of Idaho athletics - Press release 08-Feb-2006
- Erickson back for another Idaho go - The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" whereby...
- 09-Feb-2006
- Erickson comes full circle - The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" whereby...
- 19-Apr-2006
- Erickson Era II off to solid start - The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" whereby...
- 07-Sep-2006
- Erickson to Arizona State - Idaho Statesman
The Idaho Statesman is a U.S. daily newspaper serving the Boise, Idaho metropolitan area. The paper has a circulation of 61,000 daily, 83,038 Sunday, and employs about 300 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company....
- 10-Dec-2006
- Arizona State University athletics - press conference transcript - 11-Dec-2006
- Wanderlust calls... - Tacoma News Tribune
The News Tribune is a daily newspaper in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States.-History:It can trace its origins back to the founding of the weekly Tacoma Ledger by R.F. Radabaugh in 1880. The next year, H.C. Patrick founded The News, another weekly. Both papers became dailies in 1883. In 1898,...
, by John McGrath, 11-Dec-2006
- Erickson buries one more... - The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, USA. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. From 1983 to 2009, the Times and Seattle's other major paper, the Hearst-owned Seattle Post-Intelligencer, were run under a "Joint Operating Agreement" whereby...
, by Bud Withers - 12-Dec-2006
- Erickson violates Idaho's trust - Seattle Post Intelligencer, by Jim Moore - 12-Dec-2006
- "Can Akey make jilted Vandals true Believers?" - Tacoma News Tribune
The News Tribune is a daily newspaper in Tacoma, Washington, in the United States.-History:It can trace its origins back to the founding of the weekly Tacoma Ledger by R.F. Radabaugh in 1880. The next year, H.C. Patrick founded The News, another weekly. Both papers became dailies in 1883. In 1898,...
- 26-Jan-2007
- The 9 coaching lives of Dennis Erickson - The Seattle Times - 11-Oct-2007