The Erickson Brothers - The Road Less Travelled

[GoBlue2419]

[July 11, 2010]
Little did Chippewa Athletics Director Ed Flaherty know that when he needed to find a new men’s basketball coach as well as a new head football coach, he would find them within the same family. But that is exactly what has happened as Central Michigan University announces today that their new head football coach will be Carl Erickson, and their new head Men’s basketball coach will be his brother Joey Erickson.

“Had I known this would be the outcome of our coaching search, I would have just showed up at an Erickson family reunion, offered the jobs to both Carl and Joey there, and saved the school some long-distance and travel charges,“ Flaherty joked at today’s press conference.

“Seriously though, we strongly desire a family-like atmosphere amongst our athletic programs, and how better to do that then have brothers coaching two of our highest profile programs,” he continued.

Carl Erickson expressed his delight in being offered the head football job. “I have always wanted to be a head coach at the Division 1 college level, and I am extremely excited to be able to do that in my home state here at Central Michigan. Joey and I have joked about coaching at the same school, but never really thought it would happen. I’m thrilled at this opportunity!”

Joey also beamed with excitement. “To coach at the same school as my brother, while also getting my first college coaching gig, it’s hard to imagine anything better. But success for both programs is definitely what can make this even sweeter. Both Carl and I want to create winning programs here.”

Carl Erickson, 36 years old, comes to the Chippewas having served as the wide receivers coach for the Michigan Wolverines the past three years. Before that he was the head football coach for Gaylord High School, where in his 5 seasons he lead the Blue Devils to the playoffs in 3 of his 5 seasons. Carl has also been the quarterbacks coach for Northern Michigan University and Grand Valley State, and a graduate assistant for Michigan.

Prior to coaching, Carl was a quarterback for the University of Michigan, though he did not see any game action as a Wolverine. He graduated from Michigan in 1995 with a degree in business administration with a master’s degree in sports administration.

He attended Gaylord High School in Gaylord, Michigan, where he was an all-state quarterback, and a letter winner in basketball and baseball.

Carl and his wife Annie have three children, daughter Lauren (9), daughter Avery (7), and son Brendan (4).

Joey Erickson, 34 years old, was previously the head men’s basketball coach at Ludington High School, in Ludington, Michigan. He served at Ludington for 8 years, compiling a record of 160-40. Prior to that Joey was an assistant coach at his alma mater, Taylor University, in Upland, Indiana, for 3 years.

Before joining the coaching ranks, he was a four year letter winner at Taylor University, where he scored 942 points in his career. He was an all-district player in his senior season. He graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. He earned a Master of Education degree from Ball State University in 1999.

Joey graduated from Gaylord High School in Gaylord, Michigan, where he was a 3rd team all-state forward in basketball, an all-conference wide receiver in football, and an all-conference 3rd baseman in baseball.

Joey and his wife Emma, have two children, sons Kyle (7), and Taylor (5).

[GoBlue2419]

As a long-time follower of dynasties using a variety of text sims (BBCF, DDS:CB, DDS:PB, OOTP, FOF), I’ve often thought about starting my own, but never took that step . . . . until now.

I will be following the careers of brothers Carl and Joey Erickson. I will document the dual dynasty here, and then Carl’s football coaching career will be also documented at GreyDog Software's BBCF dynasty forum. Joey’s basketball coaching career will be chronicled at Wolverine Software’s DDS:CB dynasty forum.

If I can keep the dynasty going long enough, I hope to incorporate the dynasties of their sons as their athletic careers progress.

Additionally I will track the professional careers of Carl’s and Joey’s graduated players.

[GoBlue2419]

New CMU head football coach Carl Erickson announced today that he has filled the remaining openings on his coaching staff for the upcoming 2010 season. Due to the late nature of his hiring and desire to keep some continuity, Erickson has retained the previous regime’s offensive coordinator Gerald Walker (39 years old), defensive coordinator David Gaither (43 years old), and special teams coach Charles Flores (39 years old).

“Coach Walker’s offensive philosophy is very similar to mine. We want to run a pro-style offense here, focused on tough, physical running, and mix a little speed in there to balance.”

“On defense, while Coach Gaither prefers a 4-3 defense, and we will look to play more 3-4, generally our philosophies are similar. We want quick, fast, mobile defenders who can make plays and cause turnovers.”

[GoBlue2419]

A couple notes about this dynasty universe:

- I am starting this in 2010 with the Big 10, Pac 10, WAC, MWC re-alignments in place.

- A playoff has been instituted in what was the FBS division of college football.

- I will keep the dynasties in sync as far as a timeframe/timeline. October in the Carl Erickson football dynasty will be October in the Joey Erickson hoops dynasty.

[GoBlue2419]

Head Coach: Joey Erickson
Age: 35
Experience: 0

Contract per Year: $224,000
Contract Years Left: 3
Career Earnings: $0

Reputation: Below Average
Ambition: High
Academics: High
Discipline: Average
Temper: Average

Offense: 45
Defense: 55
Recruiting: 70
Scouting: 40
Player Development: 60

Central Michigan University Men's Basketball

Mascot: Chippewas
Location: Mount Pleasant, MI

Arena: CMU Events Center
Capacity: 5300
Facility Grade: B

Conference: Mid-American Conference
Conference Prestige: 44/100

Team Prestige: 42/100
Academics: C
Minimum SAT Score: 880

Starting Budget: $195,500
Assistant Coach Costs: $147,000
Recruiting Budget: $48,500

Top Team Goals:
1) Qualify for NIT Tournament
2) Win Conference Tournament
3) Win 15+ Games
4) Improve School Prestige

[GoBlue2419]

Central Michigan Head Men's Basketball Coach Joey Erickson announced today he has completed hiring his coaching staff. Filling some of the key roles will be:

Doug Edward, Recruiting Director - "Doug has proven himself to be a highly effective recruiter, and I will lean heavily on him as we look to bring in the types of kids we need here to make success the norm," Coach Erickson stated.

Michael Silva, Scouting - About Brown, Coach Erickson remarked, "Coach Silva was a very effective scout at the high school level, and I am confident he can make the transition to the collegiate level."

Corey Hempel, Practice/Development - "Corey will be working closely with me on a day-to-day basis as we put in the real work on the practice court," Erickson stated at today's press conference.

Getting Criddle to head up the recruiting for the Chippewas was a real coup for Coach Erickson, but the hiring of Silva and Hempel are somewhat puzzling. Neither have much in the terms of experience, but at this point we will give Erickson the benefit of the doubt.

[GoBlue2419]

New CMU head football coach Carl Erickson announced today that he has filled the remaining openings on his coaching staff for the upcoming 2010 season. Due to the late nature of his hiring and desire to keep some continuity, Erickson has retained the previous regime’s offensive coordinator Gerald Walker (39 years old), defensive coordinator David Gaither (43 years old), and special teams coach Charles Flores (39 years old).

“Coach Walker’s offensive philosophy is very similar to mine. We want to run a pro-style offense here, focused on tough, physical running, and mix a little speed in there to balance.”

“On defense, while Coach Gaither prefers a 4-3 defense, and we will look to play more 3-4, generally our philosophies are similar. We want quick, fast, mobile defenders who can make plays and cause turnovers.”

[GoBlue2419]

The Chippewas finished the 2009 season with a 3-9 record, which led to the previous coach’s firing. Some of the young players who saw action last season are a year older, so expectations are slightly higher this year, though most experts are predicting a middle of the pack finish in the MAC for CMU. This is still a young team though, with only 13 seniors on the roster, so new Coach Carl Erickson will have an opportunity to grow with this team, and give him plenty of time to teach and develop them and mold them into his desired image.

Offense
The Chippewas will strive to be fairly balanced this season, though the emphasis will be more on establishing a physical, tough ground game. “I really like what Coach Harbaugh has done at Stanford, with his old school style, and we will look to execute a similar style of offense. I am certainly a fan of the spread-type offenses, but I’m a Midwestern guy through and through, and want our offense to take on that style - not quite ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’, but of a similar ilk.”

QB
James Smith (Jr.) returns to start again this season. He made steady strides last year, and if he continues to move forward, the offense should be in steady hands. He does not have the strongest arm in the league, but his instincts are solid, and when needed, he can get out of the pocket and pick up some yards with his feet.

He will be backed up by junior John Arnold and sophomore Donald Daniels. Daniels provides some more options with his feet, so may get more playing time as the season progresses.

HB
True freshman James Williams appears to have the nod at the HB1 slot, though potentially four backs could see significant playing time. Hector Gonzalez is the most experienced returning back, though that is not saying much. Also expecting to see the field often are junior Gerald Byrd and sophomore Kristopher Thomas.

FB
Everett Silva (Sr.) returns at fullback, and will see the majority of the action. Sean Ritter (Jr.) will back him up.

WR
Good things are hoped for with true freshman Robert Hernandez, but unfortunately he will have to play more than desired this season, as options are somewhat limited at the wide receiver position. Starting opposite Hernandez will be junior Joe Anderson, if he can remain eligible. As of press time there were concerns about his academics. Also sure to get opportunities to catch the ball will be junior Clifford Ferguson and sophomore Ralph Dewitt.

TE
Tight End may be the deepest position in terms of quality for CMU this season. Returning starter John Dutton (Jr.) will be a key receiving option for QB Smith, and senior Gary Burkett will see the field often as well.

OL
Dustin Stewart (Soph) and Michael Francis (Jr.) will be the starting tackles, while juniors Marcus Trimble and Gary Brown will most likely start at the guard position. Senior co-captain Bradley Taylor returns to start for his 4th season at center, and his experience will be critical for this relatively young offensive line. Backups will include Scott Daniel (Sr) and freshman Jason Sheffield at tackle, Kevin Ratliff at guard, and George Ruiz may see action at any or all offensive line positions.

Defense
CMU will play a 3-4 defense this year, which is a good thing because depth at defensive line is weak.

DL
Senior co-captain Chris Johnston will anchor the defensive line as one of the defensive ends. Starting opposite him will be another true freshman, Todd Williams. The nose tackle will be returning starter senior Evan Jones. Depth, while limited, will be provided by Clifford Chapin, Anthony Carver, and Gerald Knight.

LB
The third of the co-captains, senior Ronald Bethea, returns to start again. He will be the key component of this defense, and will be relied upon to make big play after big play. The other outside backer position is up in the air, and could be filled by another true freshman, Michael Kennedy. Other options include Robert Shank (Jr), Aurelio Reese (Fr.), or Conrad Russell (Jr).

The inside linebackers will be Elmer Grove (Jr) and John Thomas (Soph). Also sure to see action are true freshman Rodney Jones, sophomore Justin Taylor, or sophomore Willie Billings.

CB/S
The secondary was a weak spot for the Chippewas last season, and does not look to be vastly improved this year. True freshman Charles Mock could potentially be a top cornerback in the MAC. But he is a true freshman, so he will see his share of ups and downs this season. Junior Erik Perkins returns to start at the other corner position. Senior Kenneth Cooper will see action as well.

CMU lost both starting safeties from a year ago, and has no returning players with much experience at all. The starter at free safety appears to be junior Linwood Mcleod, but another true freshman, Alfred Young, could see significant playing time early. At strong safety, the starter will be the one safety with any hint of prior playing time, senior Nicholas Proctor. Redshirt freshman Kenneth Cooper (no relation to the CB) will be the main backup.

K/P
Yet another true freshman, Shannon Thorpe, won the kicking job in fall practices, but CMU may end up going for it often on fourth down in the opponents’ territory. Other than tight end, punter looks to be the position with the most quality, as the Chippewas have two good punters in junior Christopher Sanderson and senior James Perkins.

KR/PR
Kick returning duties look to be handled by freshman Charles Mock. His speed and hands could make him a very dangerous threat. Last year’s top punt returner, Clifford Ferguson, returns this year, though he could be pushed by Mock here as well. Erik Perkins provides another option to return punts.

Overall, things should be improved for the Chippewas this season, but not by much. With playing time expected for a number of true freshmen from a recruiting class that only ranked 75th in the NCAA, concern is high for a lot of mistakes. Coach Erickson’s patience will surely be tested this season, and his ability to motivate and teach will be given every opportunity.

2010 CMU Schedule
9/4 – at Minnesota
9/11 – UAB
9/25 – at Akron
10/2 – at Toledo
10/9 – Ball State
10/16 – Eastern Michigan
10/30 – at Northern Illinois
11/13 – Western Michigan
11/20 – Army
11/27 – at UTEP

[GoBlue2419]

The 2010 NCAA FBS Preseason Top 25 poll was released today.

Media Poll

1. LSU SEC
2. USC Pac-12
3. Florida SEC
4. Georgia SEC
5. Oklahoma B12
6. Texas B12
7. Auburn SEC
8. Tennessee SEC
9. Ohio State B10
10. Alabama SEC
11. Missouri B12
12. Iowa B10
13. Oklahoma State B12
14. Michigan B10
15. Mississippi SEC
16. Mississippi State SEC
17. Kentucky SEC
18. Texas Tech B12
19. Kansas B12
20. Penn State B10
21. Purdue B10
22. Clemson ACC
23. Maryland ACC
24. South Carolina SEC
25. Arizona State Pac-12