Former Miami Football Coach Dennis Erickson named to CFB Hall of Fame

Erickson who led the Miami Football Program from 1989-94 and led the Hurricanes to National Championships in 1989 and ’91 has been announced as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame Class of 2019.

Erickson becomes the fourth Head Coach from the Miami Football program and the ninth inductee with ties to the Hurricanes to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Erickson had a 63-9 record during his Miami tenure. His .875 winning percentage is the best in school history.

Erickson joins Jack (listed as John Joseph by the CFB HoF) Harding, Andy Gustafson and Jimmy Johnson as the other Miami Head Coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Five former Miami players are inducted.

Two of Erickson’s former players are enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. Quarterback Gino Torretta won the 1992 Heisman Trophy and was inducted into the CFB HoF in 2009. Former Miami defensive tackle Russell Maryland was inducted in 2013.

Ted Hendricks is the only Miami football Alum inducted into both the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame. It’s inexcusable several of the others are not enshrined into the CFB HoF. Michael Irvin, Cortez Kennedy, Ray Lewis and Warren Sapp certainly belong in the College Football Hall of Fame as do several other Hurricanes.

Sapp and Lewis were both recruited by and played under Erickson at Miami. Sapp was a unanimous All-American and the Nagurski and Lombardi Trophy Award Winners during the 1994 season. With Lewis and Sapp leading the Miami defense the Hurricanes finished 1994 10-2 with a loss to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Nine players in total were named All-Americans at Miami under Erickson. That included Sapp and Torretta. Torretta also won the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards in 1992. Maryland was the 1990 Outland Trophy winner.

Generated 1/7/2019.