ALL-TIME BOBCATS TOP 25: #20 Dennis Erickson
8/21/2022 12:30:00 PM | Football
One of college football's great coaches was MSU's best quarterback ever at the time of his graduation
Montana State's Top 125 Bobcats series continues with another quarterback who was considered the program's best ever at the completion of his career, Dennis Erickson...
Dennis Erickson, QB, 1966-68
ALL-TIME TEAM: 1969 Billings Gazette All-Time Team
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1968, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1967
A CLOSER LOOK: Dennis Erickson arrived at Montana State in the fall of 1965 on the heels of the program's first Big Sky Championship. He departed the Bobcat program after leading MSU to three straight titles himself.
In 1966 and 1967 Erickson shared the backfield with All-America running back Don Hass. In 1968, he was able to hand off to sophomore sensation Paul Schafer, another All-America. He laughs that his role was to "hand off and get out of the way," and his teammates marvel at how footballs he launched got to their destination.
And yet, they did. He threw for 3,181 career yards, then the most in school history by a wide margin, in his three varsity seasons, and his 1,819 yards in 1968 was dazzling in that time. He also rushed for 774 yards in his three seasons, and his coach Jim Sweeney repeatedly called him the best option quarterback in America.
For whatever one things of Erickson's statistics, his coaches and teammates and opponents always said the same thing. He had a "knack for coming up with big play in tight situations," as MSU's fine athletics publicist Ken Nicholson put it eloquently, while most just called him a "winner."
He moved into the starting lineup in his first moments of eligibility as a sophomore in 1966, leading MSU to wins in his first four varsity games. The Bobcats dropped a 35-23 decision at North Dakota State before winning four more in a row. The fourth was a 38-0 whitewashing of UM in Missoula. A season-ending 13-10 defeat at major college entry Tulsa terminated his sophomore campaign. He gained 412 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns and passed for 642 yards and six scores.
The 1967 season opened in disappointing fashion when NDSU beat the Bobcats in Great Falls and West Texas State nipped MSU in the Lone Star State. From that point, though, MSU rattled off seven straight wins before losing to national powr San Diego State in the season finale, 14-3 in San Diego. He rushed for 290 yards and eight touchdowns, throwing for 720 and three scores.
His most important and intriguing milestone came the week before that San Diego State game. The Bobcats beat UM 14-8 in a jam-packed Gatton Field to extend MSU's win streak against the Grizzlies to five games. Yet that one was unique, as the starting Bobcat quarterback was playing against his father. Pink Erickson, in 1967, began a period as an assistant coach at UM.
Interestingly, it wasn't the first time the two faced each other as adversaries. When the Erickson family resided in Everett Washington, Pink Erickson moved from Everett High to become the first head coach at Cascade High. That move coincided with Dennis' time as Everett's starting quarterback, because the family resided in that school district.
As a senior, Erickson led the Cats to a share of the program's third straight Big Sky title and also to a sixth straight win against the Grizzlies. That game will always be remembered for Paul Schafer's heroics, but Erickson and receiver Ron Bain - who's brother played for UM - ignited MSU's thrilling comeback through the air. By season's end, Erickson held the Bobcat record with 1,819 passing yards and Bain had an unthinkable 1,110 receiving yards. Erickson led the Bobcats to three Big Sky titles, and at that point in time Montana State claimed trophies from four of the league's six football seasons. It was truly an era of football glory at Montana State.
From that point, Erickson's life in football would truly blossom. He began his coaching career at Billings Central, returned to MSU, then joined Sweeney at Washington State. He built a strong reputation as an assistant, then became a championship coach in 1982 when Idaho hired him as its head coach. The Vandals shared the league titles (with MSU and UM) that year and again in 1985, finishing in the top three in the other two seasons. He spent a brief time at Wyoming, returned to Washington State, then built his Hall of Fame resume by leading Miami to national championships.
Erickson also coached Seattle and San Francisco in the NFL, returned to the college ranks as head coach at Idaho and Arizona State, and closed his career with time as a college offensive coordinator and coach in a startup professional league.
Erickson has filled many roles in his football career, and has enjoyed success at every stop along the way. But he has always maintained one central part of his identity.
"I'll always be a Bobcat," he has said repeatedly.
FROM BOBCAT TEAMMATE AND NFL HALL OF FAMER JAN STENERUD: "I didn't know that much about football when I got started here, but it seemed to me he was like a coach on the field. He grew up around football because of his dad, and he knew everything. He downplays his role as a passer but but he could get the ball to the reciever. (MSU ran) a lot of options, a lot of running the football, and he knew football. When the coach sent in the play he could change, he could do things, and he was really, really good. He got the job done and we won a lot of football games, and he was probably the biggest part of the whole team - although we had a pretty good running back called Don Hass. (laughs) But Dennis was an absolute general on the field. He always downplays how good he was, but he was darn good."
Dennis Erickson, QB, 1966-68
ALL-TIME TEAM: 1969 Billings Gazette All-Time Team
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1968, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 1967
A CLOSER LOOK: Dennis Erickson arrived at Montana State in the fall of 1965 on the heels of the program's first Big Sky Championship. He departed the Bobcat program after leading MSU to three straight titles himself.
In 1966 and 1967 Erickson shared the backfield with All-America running back Don Hass. In 1968, he was able to hand off to sophomore sensation Paul Schafer, another All-America. He laughs that his role was to "hand off and get out of the way," and his teammates marvel at how footballs he launched got to their destination.
And yet, they did. He threw for 3,181 career yards, then the most in school history by a wide margin, in his three varsity seasons, and his 1,819 yards in 1968 was dazzling in that time. He also rushed for 774 yards in his three seasons, and his coach Jim Sweeney repeatedly called him the best option quarterback in America.
For whatever one things of Erickson's statistics, his coaches and teammates and opponents always said the same thing. He had a "knack for coming up with big play in tight situations," as MSU's fine athletics publicist Ken Nicholson put it eloquently, while most just called him a "winner."
He moved into the starting lineup in his first moments of eligibility as a sophomore in 1966, leading MSU to wins in his first four varsity games. The Bobcats dropped a 35-23 decision at North Dakota State before winning four more in a row. The fourth was a 38-0 whitewashing of UM in Missoula. A season-ending 13-10 defeat at major college entry Tulsa terminated his sophomore campaign. He gained 412 yards on the ground and 10 touchdowns and passed for 642 yards and six scores.
The 1967 season opened in disappointing fashion when NDSU beat the Bobcats in Great Falls and West Texas State nipped MSU in the Lone Star State. From that point, though, MSU rattled off seven straight wins before losing to national powr San Diego State in the season finale, 14-3 in San Diego. He rushed for 290 yards and eight touchdowns, throwing for 720 and three scores.
His most important and intriguing milestone came the week before that San Diego State game. The Bobcats beat UM 14-8 in a jam-packed Gatton Field to extend MSU's win streak against the Grizzlies to five games. Yet that one was unique, as the starting Bobcat quarterback was playing against his father. Pink Erickson, in 1967, began a period as an assistant coach at UM.
Interestingly, it wasn't the first time the two faced each other as adversaries. When the Erickson family resided in Everett Washington, Pink Erickson moved from Everett High to become the first head coach at Cascade High. That move coincided with Dennis' time as Everett's starting quarterback, because the family resided in that school district.
As a senior, Erickson led the Cats to a share of the program's third straight Big Sky title and also to a sixth straight win against the Grizzlies. That game will always be remembered for Paul Schafer's heroics, but Erickson and receiver Ron Bain - who's brother played for UM - ignited MSU's thrilling comeback through the air. By season's end, Erickson held the Bobcat record with 1,819 passing yards and Bain had an unthinkable 1,110 receiving yards. Erickson led the Bobcats to three Big Sky titles, and at that point in time Montana State claimed trophies from four of the league's six football seasons. It was truly an era of football glory at Montana State.
From that point, Erickson's life in football would truly blossom. He began his coaching career at Billings Central, returned to MSU, then joined Sweeney at Washington State. He built a strong reputation as an assistant, then became a championship coach in 1982 when Idaho hired him as its head coach. The Vandals shared the league titles (with MSU and UM) that year and again in 1985, finishing in the top three in the other two seasons. He spent a brief time at Wyoming, returned to Washington State, then built his Hall of Fame resume by leading Miami to national championships.
Erickson also coached Seattle and San Francisco in the NFL, returned to the college ranks as head coach at Idaho and Arizona State, and closed his career with time as a college offensive coordinator and coach in a startup professional league.
Erickson has filled many roles in his football career, and has enjoyed success at every stop along the way. But he has always maintained one central part of his identity.
"I'll always be a Bobcat," he has said repeatedly.
FROM BOBCAT TEAMMATE AND NFL HALL OF FAMER JAN STENERUD: "I didn't know that much about football when I got started here, but it seemed to me he was like a coach on the field. He grew up around football because of his dad, and he knew everything. He downplays his role as a passer but but he could get the ball to the reciever. (MSU ran) a lot of options, a lot of running the football, and he knew football. When the coach sent in the play he could change, he could do things, and he was really, really good. He got the job done and we won a lot of football games, and he was probably the biggest part of the whole team - although we had a pretty good running back called Don Hass. (laughs) But Dennis was an absolute general on the field. He always downplays how good he was, but he was darn good."
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