December 13, 2004 By Michael Wallace [email protected] Dennis Erickson # Owns 40-53 overall record in NFL # Amassed 144-57-1 mark at six colleges OXFORD — Ole Miss is apparently trying to lure embattled San Francisco 49ers coach Dennis Erickson back to the college ranks, where he was one of the most successful coaches in NCAA history. Ole Miss officials have been privately courting Erickson for roughly a week, three different sources familiar with the search have told The Clarion-Ledger. The school's interest in Erickson came to light nationally on Sunday when ESPN's Chris Mortensen, citing "multiple sources," reported on the network's NFL Countdown show that Erickson has emerged as the "secret leading candidate." Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone, who has been reluctant to talk about candidates still in the running, would neither confirm nor deny if Erickson was in the mix when reached at his home Sunday. "We will maintain our same posture and refrain from commenting until we have a final candidate to present to our athletic committee," Boone said. "I apologize for (not saying much) about this coaching search, but we're going to continue to play it the same way we have been." Erickson, who guided his team to a 31-28 overtime win at Arizona Sunday, was in no mood to talk about anything after the game other than his team's performance. "I'm not going to talk about rumors that are out there, about meetings, about all the different things," Erickson said to open his post-game news conference. "I'm going to talk about this game and about how hard we played. But I'm not going to waste my time or your time talking about rumors." Ole Miss is in Day 13 of a search that began on Dec. 1 with the firing of David Cutcliffe, who was 44-29 in six seasons. Boone Ole Miss Chancellor Robert Khayat have interviewed Southern Cal assistant head coach Ed Orgeron and University of Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon last week. Orgeron and Shannon appear to be options if Ole Miss fails to land the big-name coach Boone and Khayat said they would pursue in an attempt to make a national statement. Ole Miss initially had targeted Urban Meyer, Ron Zook, Bobby Petrino and Tyrone Willingham. But Meyer, Zook and Willingham have accepted other jobs while Petrino has said he will stay at Louisville. Boone and Khayat told a school athletic committee on Saturday that they expect to have a coach in place by Wednesday. Last week, Erickson told Bay-area reporters he had not been contacted by Ole Miss. But that might have changed over the weekend. Prying Erickson away from the struggling 49ers, tied for an NFL-worst 2-11 record, could be difficult. San Francisco has three games remaining and Erickson is just two seasons into a five-year, $12.5 million contract. San Francisco general manager Terry Donahue has insisted that Erickson's job is not in jeopardy this season. Owner John York said Sunday the team planned to honor Erickson's contract. York would not confirm or deny if Ole Miss has made a pitch for Erickson. "Mississippi doesn't need my permission," he said. "New England needs it, Green Bay needs it, the Rams need it. Mississippi (a college team) does not." Erickson and the 49ers management have been at odds over the direction the team will take this offseason, including with Erickson's staff. York and Erickson will meet today to discuss the issue. "We need to evaluate things," York said. "I don't think it would be possible to have all of them back." Ole Miss is familiar with that predicament. Cutcliffe ended up out of a job with three years left on his contract after a similar dispute with Boone following a 4-7 season, the Rebels' worst in 10 years. Erickson's 23-year career as a head coach has been highlighted by success in the college ranks and haunted by struggles in the NFL. He is 9-20 in two seasons at San Francisco and is 40-53 overall, which includes a four-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks. Erickson has a 144-57-1 record in college, where he has coached at Oregon State, Miami, Washington State, Wyoming and Idaho. Erickson's best — and most controversial — work was done at Miami, which he guided to national titles in 1989 and 1991. The program was later hit by NCAA sanctions and Erickson, 57, resurfaced in the NFL. One other potential candidate appears to be no longer in the running. Ex-Washington coach Rick Neuheisel said Sunday he was approached about his interest in Ole Miss but has heard nothing recently. "I would have really been interested in the job," Neuheisel said. "But nothing ever came of it." The Oakland Tribune contributed to this story
