PORTLAND, Ore. — Former Oregon State head football coach Dennis Erickson will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, joining a short list of Oregon athletes and coaches who have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Erickson coached the Beavers from 1999-2002, compiling an overall record of 31-17. His best season was in 2000, when the Beavers went 11-1 and tied for first place in the Pac-10 with a 7-1 conference record.
The 2000 team, led by quarterback and current Beavers coach Jonathan Smith, and future NFL players Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh, beat Notre Dame in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl 41-9.
Erickson also coached at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami and Arizona State. He won two national championships with the University of Miami, in 1989 and 1991.
His career coaching record was 179-96-1.
Erickson had two unsuccessful stints in the NFL with the Seahawks and 49ers, where he amassed a record of 40-56.
Erickson will be officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 10, 2019.
There are 997 players and 217 coaches currently enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame, representing 308 schools. The class of 2019 includes 13 players and two coaches. Troy Polamalu, who played for Douglas High School in Winston, Oregon before an illustrious career at USC and with the Pittsburgh Steelers, is one of the inductees.
Here's a look at the other coaches and players from the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University and Linfield College that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Oregon (7)
Mike Bellotti
- Position: Coach
- Career: Coached Oregon from 1995-2008 ... Career record of 137-80-2, including 116-55 at Oregon ... Bellotti was the first coach in school history to start his career with nine winning seasons in a row ... Led the Ducks to 12 bowl games in 14 seasons ... Won the Fiesta Bowl with Oregon in 2001, finishing with a school-record 11 wins and a No. 2 national ranking.
- Inducted: 2014
Bobby Moore (Ahmad Rashad)
- Position: Running back
- Career: Played for Oregon from 1969-1971 ... Took the name of Ahmad Rashad during his pro career ... Made three consecutive all-conference teams ... Named first-team All-America his senior season, hen he was eighth in the nation in rushing yards ... Drafted in the first round of the NFL and played 11 seasons, being named to the Pro Bowl four times.
- Inducted: 2007
Mel Renfro
- Position: Halfback
- Career: Played for Oregon from 1961-1963 ... Earned All-West Coast recognition as a sophomore, junior and senior, leading the Ducks in rushing and scoring in all three seasons ... Rushed for 1,532 career yards ... Was named and All-American in 1962 and 1963 ... Played 14 seasons with the Cowboys in the NFL.
- Inducted: 1986
Len Casanova
- Position: Coach
- Career: Coached Oregon from 1951-1966 ... Had a career record of 104-94-11, including 82-73-8 with Oregon (then called the Webfoots) ... Led Oregon to appearances in the Rose, Liberty and Sun Bowls.
- Inducted: 1977
John Beckett
- Position: Tackle
- Career: Played for Oregon from 1913-1916 ... Led Oregon to an undefeated season in 1916, when he played offensive tackle, punter and sometimes halfback ... Helped Oregon beat Penn 14-0 in the Rose Bowl his senior season.
- Inducted: 1972
Johnny Kitzmiller
- Position: Halfback
- Career: Played for Oregon from 1928-1930 ... Nicknamed the "Flying Dutchman," Kitzmiller led Oregon to wins in 23 of the 30 games he played during his three seasons ... Played one season with the Giants in the NFL.
- Inducted: 1969
Norm Van Brocklin
- Position: Quarterback
- Career: Played for Oregon from 1946-1948 ... Led Oregon to a 9-2 record in 1948, his senior season ... Named a first-team All-American as a senior and placed sixth in the Heisman Trophy vote ... Played 12 seasons in the NFL with the Eagles, leading Philadelphia to a championship in 1960.
- Inducted: 1966
Oregon State (4)
Dennis Erickson
- Position: Coach
- Career: Coached the Beavers from 1999-2002 ... Career coaching record in college of 179-96-1, including 31-17 with Oregon State ... Led Oregon State to an 11-1 record in 2000, including a first-place finish in the Pac-10 and a win against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl ... Won two national championships, in 1989 and 1991, with the University of Miami.
- Inducted: 2019
William Enyart
- Position: Fullback
- Career: Played for the Beavers from 1966-1968 ... Bill "Earthquake" Enyart rushed for 2,155 yards and 25 touchdowns ... First team All-America as a senior ... Named All-Pac-8 Conference Player twice ... Selected with the first pick in the second round of the 1969 NFL draft ... Played three seasons for the Bills and Oakland Raiders.
- Inducted: 2011
James Prothro, Jr.
- Position: Coach
- Career: Coached the Beavers from 1955-1964 ... Also coached UCLA from 1965-1970, with a career coaching record of 104-55-5 ... In his 10 seasons with Oregon State, he had a 63-37-2 record ... He coached Terry Baker to the Heisman Trophy in 1962 ... Coached the Rams and Chargers in the NFL after he left UCLA.
- Inducted: 1991
Terry Baker
- Position: Quarterback
- Career: Played for the Beavers from 1960-1962 ... Won the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award and Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year Award in 1962, the only athlete in history to win all three in the same year ... Led the nation in offense and passing in 1962, and won the Liberty Bowl MVP award after his 99-yard touchdown run led the Beavers to a 6-0 win against Villanova ... Drafted No. 1 overall and played three seasons for the Rams in the NFL.
- Inducted: 1982
Portland State (1)
Neil Lomax
- Position: Quarterback
- Career: Played at Portland State from 1977-1980 ... Threw for 13,220 yards and 106 touchdowns ... Finished seventh in the Heisman voting in 1980, when he passed for 4,094 yards and 37 touchdowns ... He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals and he played nine seasons in Major League Baseball.
- Inducted: 1996
Linfield College (1)
Adolph Rutschman
- Position: Coach
- Career: Coached Linfield College from 1968-1991, winning three NAIA Division II championships in 1982, 1984 and 1986 ... Never had a losing record at Linfield, helping the college break the national record with 42 winning seasons in a row ... Had a career record of 183-48-4 and made the NAIA playoffs 12 times ... Rutschman's grandson, Adley, is a catcher for the Oregon State Beavers baseball team and was named MVP of the College World Series in 2018.
- Inducted: 1998
Source: College Football Hall of Fame
