Dennis Erickson won two national titles at Miami, and I thought he rode off into the sunset after getting the axe at Arizona State.
I was (surprise!) mistaken. Erickson is in Utah, coaching Ute running backs.
From AP.com:
The 68-year-old Erickson is perfectly content despite those on the outside wondering why a man who won two titles at Miami, is the only person named Pac-10 coach of the year at three schools and led two NFL teams would coach running backs at a growing program.
"I'm not big on titles or anything like that," Erickson said. "I don't have an ego, basically. I never got into the game or played the game or coached to win a national championship. ... My goal when I was in college was to be a high school coach and that's where I started. I could have been happy doing that all my life because I like being around the players."
Erickson's career seemed to be at an end after being fired from Arizona State in 2011. He was named conference coach of the year after going 10-3 in 2007, but that was his lone winning season with the Sun Devils. Erickson used the year after his dismissal to travel and play golf, but that got old in, "probably about two days." So, when Utah's Kyle Whittingham called, Erickson was ready.
Seems to be working out swimmingly for both parties. Erickson gets to scratch his coaching itch and the Utes hold the nation's 24th-ranked rushing attack.
Erickson will get a chance at revenge this Saturday too, when his old team, the Arizona State Sun Devils, come to town for a Pac-12 banger.
Source: @KyleRowland
