Dennis Erickson
A fiery offensive innovator who built college football powerhouses at Miami and Oregon State, winning two national titles with a relentless, attacking style.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American football coach·Birthday: March 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dennis Erickson's coaching career is a map of improbable turnarounds and high-octane offense. A quarterback from Montana, he cut his teeth as an assistant before landing his first head job at Idaho, where he immediately won a conference title. His nomadic path was defined by an ability to resurrect programs, most stunningly at the University of Miami. Taking over a talented but troubled team in 1989, he installed a sophisticated, one-back passing attack that overwhelmed opponents, capturing national championships in his first and third seasons. After a stint in the NFL, he performed another miracle in Corvallis, transforming Oregon State from a perennial loser into a Top-10 team and Fiesta Bowl winner in 2000. Erickson's teams played fast, aggressive football, and his coaching tree spread his offensive philosophies across the sport. His career, marked by both spectacular peaks and abrupt transitions, cemented him as a master tactician of the college game.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dennis was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dennis Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Dennis's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two national championships (1989, 1991) as head coach of the University of Miami Hurricanes.
- Led Oregon State University to an 11-1 season and a Fiesta Bowl victory in 2000, the best season in school history at the time.
- Is one of a small group of coaches to win conference championships at four different FBS schools (Idaho, Washington State, Miami, Oregon State).
Did You Know?
He was a college teammate of NFL quarterback and coach Jim Zorn at Montana State.
He coached future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon at the University of Idaho.
He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, inducted in 2019.
“If you're not scoring points, you're not winning games.”
