Dennis Erickson Returns To Salt Lake City To Coach New Alliance Team

Dennis Erickson Returns To Salt Lake City To Coach New Alliance Team

SALT LAKE CITY-(Salt Lake Tribune)-Per a report from Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune, long time head football coach Dennis Erickson has returned to the gridiron to coach Salt Lake City’s new franchise in the Alliance of American Football League.

Erickson, who was most recently in coaching as the offensive coordinator/assistant head coach/running backs coach of the Utah Utes (2013-16) is what you’d call a football lifer.

Ever since his college playing days as a quarterback for the Montana State Bobcats (1966-1968), he has been in coaching in some capacity or another.

In 1969, he joined head coach Jim Sweeney’s staff as a graduate assistant at Montana State. Since then, he has been either an assistant or head coach in NCAA Division I football or the NFL.

As a head coach at Idaho (1982-1985; 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-1988), Miami (Fla.), (1989-1994), Oregon State (1999-2002) and Arizona State (2007-2011), he has a record of 179-96-1 (.650). While coaching the Miami Hurricanes, Erickson’s squad was ranked #1 in the polls in 1989 and 1991 at the end of the season thereby giving him a pair of national championships.

In the NFL, while at the helm of the Seattle Seahawks (1995-1998) and the San Francisco 49ers (2003-2004), he has a record of 40-56 (.416).

Thus, when the 71-year-old Erickson retired to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho last year, he figured he’d return to coaching when the Alliance of AFL gave him the chance to come back, saying “golf gets old after a while.”

This promises to be the most unique challenge of Erickson’s career as he joins the eight-team league. Franchises have been announced for Memphis, Orlando, Atlanta and Phoenix in addition to Salt Lake City.

The league’s 10-week schedule is expected to commence February 9, 2019 and run through late April. It also features a TV deal with CBS.

Erickson told the Tribune he is impressed with its structure, saying “I’ve had opportunities to coach in leagues like this, but this is by far the best and most organized.”

The league’s leadership consists of football stalwarts such as former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and former Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers executive Bill Polian.

However, during a Wednesday press conference at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Alliance football operations head J.K. McKay declined to discuss specifics as to how things would work in regard to the league’s financial backings.

All of the league’s games will either be television broadcasts or streamed online and McKay suggested in-game wagering may be possible when asked about the Supreme Court’s decision to make sports gambling a state issue Tuesday.

Presently, league officials have not finalized their player pool or even how rosters will be constructed.

In certain cases, McKay said, players will be allocated to certain markets predicated on their alma maters. For instance, certain BYU and Utah alums would likely be allocated to Salt Lake City.

Erickson stated he was most enticed by this league’s commitment to players, which consists of a scholarship and jobs program.

He was also attracted to the idea of returning to Utah, speaking of Rice-Eccles Stadium: “there’s no better place than this football stadium.”