Dennis Erickson retires from coaching

By The Sports Xchange

Former Arizona State head football coach Dennis Erickson. UPI/Jim Ruymen

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Dennis Erickson, who won two national championships as Miami's coach, retired from coaching on Friday.

Erickson, 69, spent the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Utah. The school announced his retirement and the firing of co-offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick.

"Dennis is one of the most respected coaches in the history of college football and the opportunity to work side by side with him and learn from him has been an invaluable experience," Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said in a statement.

Erickson went 179-96-1 in 23 seasons as a college head coach at Idaho (1982-85, 2006), Wyoming (1986), Washington State (1987-88), Miami (1989-94), Oregon State (1999-2002) and Arizona State (2007-11).

Erickson went 63-9 in a six-season stint with the Hurricanes, winning the national title in 1989 and 1991.

Erickson also spent six seasons as an NFL head coach -- four with the Seattle Seahawks (1995-98) and two with the San Francisco 49ers (2003-04) -- but compiled just a 40-56 record.

Meanwhile, Roderick spent the past 12 seasons on the Utah staff. He served as co-offensive coordinator two different times during his tenure, including the past two seasons.