Former Utah OC Dennis Erickson Selected To College Football Hall Of Fame
Jan 7, 2019, 9:47 AM | Updated: 10:10 am
Assistant football coach, Dennis Erickson, of the Utah Utes, watches his players warm-up before a game against the Washington Huskies at Rice-Eccles Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
(Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former Utah offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson has been selected to the National Football Foundation (NFF) and the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
Erickson started coaching in college football back in 1969 with Montana State as a graduate assistant. After one year in the high school ranks, Erickson returned to Montana State as an assistant coach until 1973.
Head coach Dennis Erickson of the Arizona State Sun Devils checks a video replay during the game with the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on November 5, 2011 in Pasadena, California. UCLA won 29-28. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
He was the offensive coordinator for Idaho, Fresno State and San Jose before getting his first head coaching job in 1982 with Idaho. Erickson held that position for four seasons, he went to be the head coach of Wyoming for one season. In 1987, he was the head coach for Washington State for two seasons.
Erickson headed to Miami to coach the Hurricanes for six seasons, winning two national championships. He became the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks for four seasons before going to Oregon State, San Francisco 49ers, Idaho and Arizona State from 1995-2011.
After his stint with the Sun Devils, he was out of coaching for two seasons before coming to Salt Lake City to be an offensive coordinator for the Utes for one season and then assistant head coach and running backs coach from 2014-16. He retired from coaching before being named the head coach of the Salt Lake Stallions with the American Alliance of Football that will begin their inaugural season in February.
Head coach Dennis Erickson of the San Francisco 49ers watches the game against the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome on September 19, 2004 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints won 30-27. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Through Erickson’s NFL coaching career, he compiled a 40-56 record. In college, he went 179-96-1 while winning two national titles with Miami, a Big Sky conference championship in 1985, two Pac-10 titles with Arizona State, three Big East championships. He won coach of the year by Sporting News twice, Pac-10 and Big East Coach of the Year each three times.
Coach Erickson is headed to the College Football Hall of Fame!
Erickson becomes the fourth Miami coach and 12th Hurricane overall to be enshrined into the @cfbhall. https://t.co/Ugfi8in9mM
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) January 7, 2019
Erickson joins a group of fantastic players and coaches in college football history. He will be inducted with former Texas quarterback Vince Young, former Notre Dame returner and receiver Raghib “Rocket” Ismail, former Ole Miss linebacker Patrick Willis, Florida State defensive back Terrell Buckley and Oklahoma defensive back Rickey Dixon.
Others include former John Carroll linebacker London Fletcher, Texas A&M defensive lineman Jacob Green, former North Carolina State wide receiver Torry Holt, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer, USC defensive back Troy Polamalu, former Wisconsin offensive lineman Joe Thomas and Michigan State running back Lorenzo White.
Erickson is one of two coaches to be selected to the Hall of Fame, the other coach is Joe Taylor who coached at Howard, Virginia Union, Hampton and Florida A&M.
All honorees will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on December 10 in New York.
