Dennis Erickson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dennis Erickson | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Title | Head Coach | |
| College | Arizona State | |
| Sport | Football | |
| Team record | 10–2 | |
| Born | March 24, 1947 | |
| Place of birth |  Everett, WA |
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| Career highlights | ||
| Overall | 158–67–1 | |
| Coaching stats | ||
| College Football DataWarehouse | ||
| Championships | ||
| 1989, 1991 NCAA Division I-A | ||
| Playing career | ||
| 1966-1968 | Montana State | |
| Position | Quarterback | |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||
| 1982-85 1986 1987-88 1989-94 1995-98 1999-2002 2003-04 2006 2007-present |
Idaho (I-AA) Wyoming Washington State Miami Seattle Seahawks (NFL) Oregon State San Francisco 49ers (NFL) Idaho Arizona State |
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Dennis Erickson (born March 24, 1947, in Everett, Washington) is the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team. He has been the head coach of six college football programs and two NFL franchises.
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[edit] Early life
Erickson was raised in Ferndale, WA, 100 miles north of Seattle, and in Everett, twenty five miles north of Seattle. His father, Robert "Pinky" 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 quarterback at the rival Everett High, 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 Price, 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 State in 1989, he recommended Mike Price as his replacement, who got the job, and rented Erickson's Pullman home. Erickson had beaten out Price for the job in 1987. Six years earlier in 1981, Price had beaten Erickson out for the job at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. While at Idaho, Erickson was 2-2 vs. Price's Weber teams. At Oregon State, Erickson was 2-1 against Price's Washington State teams, not playing in 2002.
In 1965, Erickson graduated from Everett High School and accepted a football scholarship to Montana State in Bozeman to play for head coach Jim Sweeney. There he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Erickson was an effective undersized quarterback (quick feet, marginal arm) from 1966-68, earning all-conference honors in the Big Sky. Immediately after his senior season, he began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Bobcats in 1969. In 1970, at age 23, Erickson became the head coach at Billings Central Catholic High School, staying for just a single season.
[edit] Assistant coaching
From 1971-81, Erickson was a collegiate assistant coach, working with the offense. Beginning at his alma mater, Montana State, in 1971 under Sonny Holland, he became an offensive coordinator in 1974 at Idaho under newly promoted head coach Ed Troxel, and stayed for two seasons.
When Erickson's college coach Jim Sweeney resigned from neighboring Washington State after the 1975 season, then hired at Fresno State in 1976, Erickson followed him to Fresno be the offensive coordinator for Sweeney's first three seasons. When Jack Elway, a former Sweeney assistant at WSU, was hired at San Jose State 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 Price. Erickson would finally get his head coaching chance following the next season.
[edit] Head coaching
[edit] Idaho (I)
Erickson's head coaching career began on December 11, 1981, when he was hired at the University of Idaho at age 34, succeeding Jerry Davitch.
Building on his reputation as an offensive innovator, Erickson became Idaho's all-time winningest head coach in just four seasons with the Vandals (1982-85), taking them to the I-AA playoffs in his first and fourth seasons. His overall record was 32-15 (.680): 31-13 (.704) in the regular season and 1-2 in post season. His most notable recruits at Idaho were his quarterbacks: future NFL head coach Scott Linehan and future college football hall of famer John Friesz. Erickson had revived Vandal football, turning it into a top I-AA program, whose success was continued for another decade by former assistants Keith Gilbertson and John L. Smith.
[edit] Wyoming and Washington State
He took his "Air Express" form of the spread offense with him to Division I-A Wyoming in 1986 for a single season. While at Laramie, he promised the fans of Wyoming a long tenure, then immediately accepted the head coaching job at Washington State. When he returned to the Palouse with Washington State of the Pac-10 for the 1987 season, he went 3-7-1 in his first year. Erickson turned around the Washington State program quickly, going 9-3 in the 1988 season and leading the normally average Cougars to a win in the Aloha Bowl, their first bowl win since 1931. This success led to his hiring by the University of Miami the following season.
[edit] Miami
Expectations were very high at Miami, as Erickson replaced the successful Jimmy Johnson, who had led the Hurricanes to 10-win season in the previous four seasons as well as a national championship before departing for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. Erickson led Miami for six seasons (1989-94), winning two national championships in 1989 and 1991. 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 many NCAA rules, and were placed on three years' probation not long after Erickson left the school.
[edit] NFL (I) - Seattle
Erickson was then hired as an NFL head coach. He was with the Seattle Seahawks for four seasons (1995-98). In his first season he switched QBs from 1993 #2 Overall Draft Pick Rick Mirer and went to John Friez 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 birth 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 ST Coach Dave Arnold and replace him with Pete Rodriguiz. With a revamped lineup led by 1997 passing leader Warren Moon the Hawks flew out of the gate with 3 game winning streak (including a Kickoff Weekend shutout of the Eagles at Veterans Stadium) but stumbled and lost their next three games. Later in the year with the team playing at .500 he turned to Jon Kitna to lead the offense and they responded with ac close win at home vs the Tennesee 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 preformances 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 in Seattle argue his fate may have been different had Seattle won that game.
[edit] 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.[1] The Oregon State Beavers had become one of three perennial "cellar dwellers" in the Pac-10 conference.[2][3][4] Expectations were so low that Erickson's predecessor, Mike Riley, was promoted to an NFL head coaching position with the San Diego Chargers 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 28 years. The milestone was an impressive accomplishment for Erickson, but it is important to note he did so with many of Mike Riley's recruits.
The following year, Oregon State posted their best season in the program's 105 year history.[5] The team went 11-1, snapped a 26-year losing streak to the USC Trojans, and earned a share of the Pac-10 conference championship for the first time since 1964. Oregon State began to develop a national reputation for its high-powered offense and a swarming defense.[6] 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 Washington. The win over USC did, however, help Erickson's crew clinch a spot in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Oregon State won the bowl game 41-9, in what is generally considered to be one of Erickson's crowning career achievements.[7][8] [9] [10] It was also one of the most humiliating nights ever for one of college football's most storied programs.[11] [12]
At the close of the 2000 bowl games, the Beavers were ranked fourth nationally in the Associated Press top 25 College Football Poll[13] with some national media stating that Oregon State would have been a favorite to win the Bowl Championship Series (2000-2001 Orange Bowl) had they been in a position for selection.[14][15] [16] [17]
Before the 2001 season, Sports Illustrated ranked Oregon State as the number one team in the nation.[18] 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 NFL stars Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Both were selected in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite Erickson's success while coaching at Oregon State, his tenure with the program was far from spotless. Local critics coined Oregon State an "outlaw program" after two players were arrested for battery. The team also racked up a record number of penalties while on the field during the 2000 season.[19]
Aside from his shortcomings as a disciplinarian, Erickson was named Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000. His name also came up for several high-profile college football positions, including the head coaching position at USC.[20] [21]
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 righting a sunken ship.
[edit] NFL (II) - San Francisco
He chose to return to the NFL in 2003 with the San Francisco 49ers, a team with salary cap problems, and lasted just two seasons before being released along with general manager Terry Donahue, 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 Offense that the previous head coach, Steve Mariucci, 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.
[edit] Idaho (II)
On February 8, 2006, the University of Idaho 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 Sky. Idaho moved back up to Division I-A in 1996. The previous head coach, Nick Holt, resigned after just two seasons to take an assistant's job with the NFL's St. Louis Rams, then took another job a few days later at USC. The 2006 Vandals were at 4-3 after seven games, then lost five straight to finish at 4-8. [1]
[edit] Arizona State
Erickson jumped ship again in December 2006 after just ten months at Idaho, where he had signed a five-year deal in February. Arizona State athletic director Lisa Love hired Erickson to replace Dirk Koetter as the head football coach on December 9, 2006. The Arizona State job is the third program in the Pac-10 Conference that he has coached.
Arizona State paid Dirk Koetter $2.8 million and a $150,000 buyout to Idaho to complete the hiring of Erickson. Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said he was "very disappointed" in the coach's decision, stating he would have "never gone down that road" had he known Erickson was going to leave after just one season.[2] Spear hired Robb Akey on December 20, 2006; Akey's buyout is $1 million during the first two seasons of his contract.
[edit] Head coaching records
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Vandals (Big Sky Conference) (1982 – 1985) | |||||||||
| 1982 | Idaho | 9–4 | 5–2 | T-2nd | 1-1 Div I-AA Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1983 | Idaho | 8–3 | 4–3 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1984 | Idaho | 6–5 | 4–3 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1985 | Idaho | 9–3 | 6–1 | 1st | 0-1 Div I-AA 1st Round | ||||
| Idaho: | 32–15 | 19–9 | |||||||
| Wyoming Cowboys (Western Athletic Conference) (1986 – 1986) | |||||||||
| 1986 | Wyoming | 6–6 | 4–4 | NR | NR | ||||
| Wyoming: | 6–6 | 4–4 | |||||||
| Washington State Cougars (Pacific 10 Conference) (1987 – 1988) | |||||||||
| 1987 | Washington State | 3–7–1 | 1–5–1 | 9 | NR | NR | |||
| 1988 | Washington State | 9–3 | 5–3 | 3-T | W Aloha | NR | NR | ||
| Washington State: | 12–10–1 | 6–8–1 | |||||||
| Miami Hurricanes (Independent) (1989 – 1990) | |||||||||
| 1989 | Miami | 11–1 | W Sugar | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 1990 | Miami | 10–2 | W Cotton | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Miami: | 21–3 | ||||||||
| Miami Hurricanes (Big East Conference) (1991 – 1994) | |||||||||
| 1991 | Miami | 12–0 | 2–0 | 1st | W Orange | 2 | 1 | ||
| 1992 | Miami | 11–1 | 4–0 | 1st | L Sugar | 3 | 2 | ||
| 1993 | Miami | 9–3 | 6–1 | L Fiesta | 15 | 15 | |||
| 1994 | Miami | 10–2 | 7–0 | 1st | L Orange | 6 | 6 | ||
| Miami: | 42–6 | 19–1 | |||||||
| Oregon State Beavers (Pacific Ten Conference) (1999 – 2002) | |||||||||
| 1999 | Oregon State | 7–5 | 4–4 | 5 | L Oahu Classic | NR | NR | ||
| 2000 | Oregon State | 11–1 | 7–1 | 1 - T | W Fiesta † | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2001 | Oregon State | 5–6 | 3–5 | 7 | NR | NR | |||
| 2002 | Oregon State | 8–5 | 4–4 | 4-T | L Insight | NR | NR | ||
| Oregon State: | 31–17 | 18–14 | |||||||
| Idaho Vandals (Western Athletic Conference) (2006 – 2006) | |||||||||
| 2006 | Idaho | 4–8 | 3–5 | 6 | NR | NR | |||
| Idaho: | 4–8 | 3–5 | |||||||
| Arizona State Sun Devils (Pacific Ten Conference) (2007 — present) | |||||||||
| 2007* | Arizona State | 10-3 | 6–2 | 1-T | L Holiday Bowl | 11 | 12 | ||
| Arizona State: | 10-3 | 6–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 158–68–1 | ||||||||
| National Championship Conference Title Conference Division Title | |||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. °Rankings from final AP Poll of the season. |
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[edit] References
- ^ "Ex-Rainbow Beaver couldn’t be happier", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Steven Welsh, 24-Dec-1999
- ^ "Life with Riley, Act II - College Football" - The Sporting News, 31-March-2003
- ^ "Another sad state of affairs: Oregon State scorned after loss to Montana", Los Angeles Daily News, 1996
- ^ "Erickson not done yet", Arizona Republic, Jeff Metcalfe, 8-Apr-2007
- ^ "Oregon State Football History Database", NCAA Database, updated periodically
- ^ "Pac-10 football: The best teams of the past 20 years" Mercury News, Jon Wilner, 6-June-2007
- ^ "Fiesta Bowl (Recap)" USA TODAY, By Greg Boeck, 2-Jan-2001
- ^ "Beavers stuff Notre Dame in Fiesta rout" Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- ^ "Notre Dame can't handle Oregon St.'s team speed" Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- ^ "Notre Dame can't handle Oregon St.'s team speed" Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- ^ "Beavers stuff Notre Dame in Fiesta rout" Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- ^ "Notre Dame can't handle Oregon St.'s team speed" Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- ^ "Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll" Sports Illustrated 4-Jan-2001
- ^ Pac(-10) mentality - Sports Illustrated, Stewart Mandel "Sports Illustrated" 18-Aug-2003
- ^ "Pac-10's 2000 success has East Coast media taking notice" Sports Illustrated 14-Aug-2001
- ^ "Missing Link (2001 BCS Championship Recap)" AP 4-Jan-2001
- ^ "Getting the job done (2001 BCS Championship Recap)" AP 4-Jan-2001
- ^ "After going 11-1 last year, the even-better Beavers are eager to take a shot at the title" Sports Illustrated Austin Murphy 13-Aug-2001
- ^ "Content in Corvallis" Portland Tribune 19-June-2001
- ^ "Erickson a competitor to coach" Portland Tribune 19-June-2001
- ^ David Wharton, "All Signs Point to Carroll", Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2000.
[edit] External links
- College Football Data Warehouse - Dennis Erickson - college coaching record
- Pro coaching record - Dennis Erickson
- Seahawks owe big debt to Erickson - Seattle Post-Intelligencer 11-Oct-2003
- Ex-Rainbow Beaver couldn’t be happier Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Steven Welsh, 24-Dec-1999
- Life with Riley, Act II - College Football - The Sporting News, 31-March-2003
- Oregon State flies high after years of futility - Oregon Daily Emerald, 17-Nov-2000
- Oregon State Football Arcadia Publishing, 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, Tom Dienhart, 15-Jan-2001
- Fiesta Bowl (Recap) - USA TODAY By Greg Boeck, 2-Jan-2001
- Notre Dame can't handle Oregon St.'s team speed - Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- Beavers stuff Notre Dame in Fiesta rout - Sports Illustrated 1-Jan-2001
- Content in Corvallis - Portland Tribune - 19-June-2001
- Erickson a competitor to coach - Portland Tribune 19-June-2001
- Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll - Sports Illustrated 4-Jan-2001
- OSU vs USC game story - USA Today 30-Sept-2000
- Pac(-10) mentality - Sports Illustrated, Stewart Mandel, 18-Aug-2003
- Pac-10's 2000 success has East Coast media taking notice - Sports Illustrated 14-Aug-2001
- Missing Link (2001 BCS Championship Recap) - AP 4-Jan-2001
- Getting the job done (2001 BCS Championship Recap) - AP 4-Jan-2001
- After going 11-1 last year, the even-better Beavers are eager to take a shot at the title Sports Illustrated Austin Murphy 13-Aug-2001
- University of Idaho athletics - Press release 08-Feb-2006
- Erickson back for another Idaho go - The Seattle Times - 09-Feb-2006
- Erickson comes full circle - The Seattle Times - 19-Apr-2006
- Erickson Era II off to solid start - The Seattle Times - 07-Sep-2006
- Erickson to Arizona State - Idaho Statesman - 10-Dec-2006
- Arizona State University athletics - press conference transcript - 11-Dec-2006
- Wanderlust calls... - Tacoma News Tribune, by John McGrath, 11-Dec-2006
- Erickson buries one more... - The Seattle Times, 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 - 26-Jan-2007
- The 9 coaching lives of Dennis Erickson - The Seattle Times - 11-Oct-2007
[edit] References
"Out of Everett," The Seattle Times' Pacific Magazine, Sunday, August 13, 1995, p.12-17.
| Preceded by Jerry Davitch |
University of Idaho Head Football Coach 1982–1985 |
Succeeded by Keith Gilbertson |
| Preceded by Al Kincaid |
University of Wyoming Head Football Coach 1986 |
Succeeded by Paul Roach |
| Preceded by Jim Walden |
Washington State University Head Football Coach 1987–1988 |
Succeeded by Mike Price |
| Preceded by Jimmy Johnson |
University of Miami Head Football Coach 1989–1994 |
Succeeded by Butch Davis |
| Preceded by Tom Flores |
Seattle Seahawks Head Coach 1995–1998 |
Succeeded by Mike Holmgren |
| Preceded by Mike Riley |
Oregon State University Head Football Coach 1999–2003 |
Succeeded by Mike Riley |
| Preceded by Steve Mariucci |
San Francisco 49ers Head Coach 2003–2005 |
Succeeded by Mike Nolan |
| Preceded by Nick Holt |
University of Idaho Head Football Coach 2006 |
Succeeded by Robb Akey |
| Preceded by Dirk Koetter |
Arizona State University Head Football Coach 2007–Present |
Succeeded by current Head Coach |
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