Arizona State Names Dennis Erickson Head Football Coach
Dec. 11, 2006 Extras: Release in PDF Format | Live Web Cast | GALLERY
TEMPE, Ariz. - Dennis Erickson, a two-time national champion (1989 and 1991), a two-time winner of the Pac-10 Coach of the Year Award (1988 and 2000) and the Sporting News National Coach of the Year in 2000, was named the 22nd football coach at Arizona State University, Vice President of Athletics Lisa Love announced December 11. His 148 wins ranks him 11th among active coaches. "Dennis Erickson has proven both on the national level and in the Pac-10 that he can compete and win against the best," said Love. "When you start looking at his accomplishments, what stands out is his big-game experience. He has been to the top of the college football world with two national titles at a proven national power in south Florida, and then took a program that had not had a winning season in three decades on the other side of the country to a Bowl Championship Series win. He coached in one of the nation's best rivalry games when it was at its highest level. He has had great success against the nation's top-ranked teams and also handled the pressure of being No. 1. We are excited to work with Dennis Erickson." Coach Erickson, who is 148-65-1 (.694) in his 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, is known in the Pac-10 as the architect of one of college football's biggest turnarounds when he coached at Oregon State from 1999-2002. He led the Beavers, who had not had a winning season since 1970, to a 7-5 record in his first season and then grabbed the attention of the college football world with an 11-1 mark in 2000, which was punctuated by a 41-9 defeat of No. 10 Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2001, its first bowl win since the 1962 Liberty Bowl. Oregon State ended the season ranked fourth in the final AP poll and led the Pac-10 in scoring offense (32.6 points per game), scoring defense (18.5 point per game) and total defense (314.4 yards per game). Coach Erickson earned Sporting News National Coach of the Year while the Pac-10 coaches gave him conference honors. In addition to the Fiesta Bowl win over the tenth-ranked Irish, he led the Beavers to wins over eighth-ranked USC (first win over Trojans since 1967), at No. 23 UCLA (OSU's first road win over a ranked team since 1970) and vs. No. 5 Oregon in 2000 as well as a win over eighth-ranked Washington in 2001 (first win over Huskies since 1985). Since entering the head-coaching scene in 1982 at Idaho, he has shown the ability to beat the best, as Lou Holtz and Erickson are the only coaches in the past 20 seasons to win three games against the No. 1 ranked team in the Associated Press poll. He led unranked Washington State to a 34-30 win at top-ranked UCLA on Oct. 29, 1988, and then beat top-ranked Notre Dame 27-10 in his first year at Miami on Nov. 25, 1989, which stopped a 23-game win streak for the Fighting Irish. His Hurricanes then beat rival Florida State 17-16 on Nov. 16, 1991, in Tallahassee to end the Seminoles' 16-game win streak. Only three teams have won a road game at a top-ranked team since. He has been in the national picture since moving from Pullman, Wash., to Florida in 1989 and taking over the Miami head coaching job after Jimmy Johnson left to coach the Dallas Cowboys. As the 18th head coach of Miami, the 41-year old Erickson became just the second Division I head coach to win a national title in his first season at a school, leading the Hurricanes to an 11-1 record and the school's third national title in seven seasons which was capped by a 33-25 win over seventh-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. That team, led by Cortez Kennedy, boasted the nation's top defense as it led the nation in fewest yards allowed per game (216.5) and points per game (9.3). The Hurricanes didn't allow a touchdown during a 10-quarter stretch in the regular season and held six opponents without a touchdown. It was the springboard that would lead to a 63-9 record (.875) while in South Florida, the best record by a Hurricane coach. His 1990 squad went 10-2 and included a 46-3 win over third-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Miami finished third in the national polls behind a school-record 482.9 yards per game of total offense, with another school record set in passing yards per game (324.8). The defense allowed just 79.7 yards per game on the ground. That team also received mention as the national champion by the New York Times and the Jeff Sagarin Computer Ratings. The second national title for Coach Erickson came in 1991 as Miami went 12-0 as it won the Associated Press vote and Washington was the Coaches' Poll winner. The Hurricanes shut out Nebraska 22-0 in the Orange Bowl to finish the season and allowed just 100 points all year, as no opponent scored more than 20 and only five opponents reached double-digit points. Despite the national titles and the Oregon State turnaround, Erickson's finest coaching job might have been in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew ripped through South Florida, as several of Miami's coaches (including Erickson), staff and students were moved out of their homes to Vero Beach (200 miles away) to complete preseason drills. Top-ranked Miami, despite the adversity, won its first game, a 24-7 contest at Iowa, and went 11-0 during the year, defeating three Top-10 teams, including two on the road. It fell to second-ranked and undefeated Alabama 34-13 in the Sugar Bowl. Erickson earned Big East Coach of the Year while quarterback Gino Torretta earned the Heisman Trophy, just the second Hurricane to take home the honor, joining Vinny Testaverde in 1986. His first trip through the Pac-10 was in 1987 when he took over the Washington State job. The Cougars had been 7-14-1 the previous two seasons and Erickson's first squad went 3-7-1. One year later, the 1988 Cougars finished 9-3, won at top-ranked UCLA, won their first bowl game since 1931 (defeating No. 14 Houston 24-22 in the Aloha Bowl) and were 16th in the final Associated Press poll, its first Top-25 finish since 1972 (tied for 17th) and highest since 1951 (tied for 14th). The six-win improvement was tied for the best in the nation. All those numbers and goals were enough to make the University of Miami come calling. He got his start in coaching in the early 1980s at the University of Idaho, also where he coached in 2006. After being named head coach on Dec. 11, 1981, he took over a struggling program and one season later the Vandals were winning. He won more than 70 percent of his games in his four years and reached the Division I-AA playoffs twice. In his first season, he led the Vandals to the Division I-AA playoffs where they beat Montana 21-7 but lost to Eastern Kentucky 38-30. He made a return trip in 1985 but lost to Eastern Washington 42-38. He moved onto to Wyoming and went 6-6 in 1986 as the Cowboys won games at Air Force and at Wisconsin before Washington State offered him its head coaching job. He was as an assistant at San Jose State (1979-81), the offensive coordinator at Fresno State (1976-1978) and at Idaho (1974-1975), the offensive backfield coach at Montana State (1971-1973), Billings High School's head coach (1970) and a Montana State graduate assistant (1969) before earning the Idaho job prior to the 1982 season. Twice Erickson tried the NFL after excellent college performances. He took over the Seattle Seahawks in 1995 and went 31-33 in four seasons, competing against the eventual Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos twice a year. In 2003 and 2004 he coached the San Francisco 49ers and went 9-23 in two seasons. He graduated from Everett High School near Seattle (1965) and earned a bachelor's degree (1970) from Montana State where he was a two-time All-Big Sky quarterback. His family includes his wife, Marilyn, and sons Bryce and Ryan.
EDUCATION PLAYING CAREER
NOTES ON ERICKSON • Won his first 32 home games at Miami from Sept. 3, 1989 until falling to Washington on Sept. 24, 1994. Those 32 wins remain part of the longest home winning streak in college football history, as Miami won 58 straight from 1985 to 1994. Coach Erickson and his staff defeated seven ranked teams during the streak, including victories over No. 1 Notre Dame (Nov. 25, 1989), No. 2 Florida State (Oct. 6, 1990) and No. 3 Florida State (Oct. 3, 1992). • Coach Erickson's team have finished in the Associated Press Top 25 at the end of the year six times, with Miami earning the No. 1 ranking in 1989 and 1991 and also finishing third in 1990 and 1992. The Hurricanes were No. 15 in 1993 while Oregon State climbed all the way to fourth in 2001. • Has been the head coach twice in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 match up. His second ranked Hurricane squad won at top-ranked Florida State, 17-16, on Nov. 16, 1991, while second-ranked Alabama topped his top-ranked Hurricanes on Jan. 1, 1993, in the Sugar Bowl. • He is one of just two coaches to win Pac-10 Coach of the Year at two schools, as he shared the honor at Washington State with Larry Smith of USC in 1988 and then won it outright in 2000 while at Oregon State. ASU's Bruce Snyder, the 1996 winner, also won the honor in 1990 while he was at California. Coach Erickson also has been named Coach of the Year in the Big Sky and the Big East. • He has posted more victories over the No. 1 ranked team (three) than eight Pac-10 schools. Arizona has done it twice, while ASU, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington and Washington State all have done it once. Cal and Oregon have never done it, while USC has done it seven times and UCLA three. • Of his 18 teams, 14 have competed in postseason play and he has five bowl victories. ERICKSON'S COACHING CAREER Head Coach, University of Idaho - 2006 Head Coach, San Francisco 49ers (NFL) - 2003-05 Head Coach, Oregon State University - 1999-02 Head Coach, Seattle Seahawks (NFL) - 1995-98 Head Coach, University of Miami (Fla.) - 1989-94 Head Coach, Washington State University - 1987-88 Head Coach, University of Wyoming - 1986 Head Coach, University of Idaho - 1982-85 Assistant Coach, San Jose State University - 1979-81 Assistant Coach, Fresno State University (offensive coordinator) - 1976-78 Assistant Coach, University of Idaho (offensive coordinator) - 1974-75 Assistant Coach, Montana State University (offensive backfield coach) - 1971-73 Head Coach, Billings (Mont.) High School - 1970 Graduate Assistant Coach, Montana State University - 1969 COACHING AWARDS
Erickson's Year-by-Year As A College Head Coach:
Overall Pct. Conf. 9-4-0 .692 5-2-0 8-3-0 .727 4-3-0 6-5-0 .545 4-3-0 9-3-0 .750 6-1-0 6-6-0 .500 4-4-0 3-7-1 .318 1-5-1 9-3-0 .750 5-3-0 11-1-0 .917 10-2-0 .833 12-0-0 1.000 2-0-0 11-1-0 .917 4-0-0 9-3-0 .750 6-1-0 10-2-0 .833 7-0-0 7-5-0 .583 4-4-0 11-1-0 .917 7-1-0 5-6-0 .455 3-5-0 8-5-0 .615 4-4-0 4-8-0 .333 3-5-0 148-65-1 .694
Coach Erickson's Totals As A College Head Coach:
Yrs Overall Pct. Conf. 6 36-23-0 .610 22-14-0 1 6-6-0 .500 4-4-0 2 12-10-1 .543 6-8-1 6 63-9-0 .875 19-1-0 4 31-17-0 .646 18-14-0 18 148-65-1 .694
Most Career Victories for Active NCAA Coaches: Coach (Current School) Yrs Wins PerYr 1. Bobby Bowden (Florida State) 42 365 8.7 2. Joe Paterno (Penn State) 42 362 8.6 3. Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech) 26 198 7.6 4. Jim Tressel (Ohio State) 21 197 9.4 5. Chris Ault (Nevada) 22 185 8.4 6. Dennis Franchione (Texas A&M) 24 180 7.5 7. Mack Brown (Texas) 23 178 7.7 8. Dick Tomey (San Jose State) 26 169 6.5 9. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina) 17 156 9.2 10. Mike Price (UTEP) 25 150 6.0 11. Dennis Erickson (Arizona State) 18 148 8.2 COACH ERICKSON'S WINS AGAINST NO. 1 RANKED TEAMS November 16, 1991 - at Tallahassee, Fla. #2 Miami defeated #1 Florida State, 17-16 - Only three teams have beaten No. 1 on the road since this game November 25, 1989 - at Miami, Fla. October 29, 1988 - at Los Angeles, Calif. October 6, 1990 - at Miami, Fla. November 25, 1989 - at Miami, Fla. WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT COACH ERICKSON "Coach Erickson is a true players' coach. You love playing for him because he relates to his players well. He is an energetic and fun guy to be around. As a player, you appreciate him as a coach." ~ Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens Three-time All-American at the University of Miami and two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year "I don't just like Coach Erickson; I love him. The most important step in me getting to where I am now was probably him taking a chance on me at Oregon State. Most coaches won't take that kind of chance on a guy with just one year of eligibility. He had faith in me, and I'll always be grateful for that." "Dennis Erickson is a great coach and he also has a great deal of experience. He is a good person. What I saw from him is he is a players' coach with a personality and attitude that meshed well with his players. He is able to get the most out of his team." "Coach Erickson is the type of guy who strives for excellence. He expects a lot out of his players, but at the same time, he treats them like student-athletes and understands they're going to make mistakes. He's a guy who's big on second chances." "Out of all the coaches I have had, he is the only one that knows how to really relate to his players. He knows how to let players have fun, but yet have discipline. If you ever have any problems with school, football, family or whatever your problem is, you can go to Coach Erickson for help. When you go to his office, it is comfortable; you don't feel like an outsider. You feel like one of the family." "Coach Erickson is smart. He's an innovator. Offensively, he'll just cut you up." MAJOR AWARD WINNERS UNDER COACH ERICKSON Lombardi Award - DT Warren Sapp - 1994 - 12th-pick overall in 1995 NFL Draft Nagurski Award - DT Warren Sapp - 1994 - Finished sixth in Heisman voting Heisman Trophy - QB Gino Toretta - 1992 - Passed for 3,060 yards on year, 310 first-place votes Outland Trophy - DT Russell Maryland - 1990 - Top overall pick in 1991 NFL Draft Davey O'Brien - QB Gino Toretta - 1992 - Second Hurricane to win the award Johnny Unitas - QB Gino Toretta - 1992 - One of several national awards
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