BFS Story Archive

ERICKSON LEAVES THE BEAVERS TO TAKE OVER AS THE 49'ers NEW HEAD COACH

It is a sad day for Beaver Nation. The man who turned around the Beavers football program and raised us back into national spotlight has left us to take the job as the San Francisco 49'ers new head coach.

The news is a blow to all who love the Beavers and frankly a shock to all. I believed that Dennis would stay with the Beavers for years. After all, the reasons for Dennis staying seemed to be smart choices.

1. He is a Northwest guy
2. He is making good money in a state with low cost of living.
3. He is having fun
4. The school and fans love him
5. If he continued to win he could have the field named after him
6. He had already done it all

Well I guess that last statement was not correct. He had not won a superbowl, and I believe that is the reason he is leaving more so then the money or any other reason. Dennis is taking over a program that is healthy and in good condition to make a run for a super bowl title next season. He will have to do little to make the team better and take it to the super bowl.

After all, with a super bowl ring, Dennis Erickson moves into a very elite group of coaches who have both NCAA and NFL championship rings.

So even though my Beaver heart is crushed, I can understand the reason he would take this job. If it had been the Lions or the Bengals, I doubt that he would have taken the job. And since I have been a long time Niners and Giants fan from growing up in Fresno, I can still cheer for Erickson and imagine him still wearing orange and black. So good luck Dennis and thanks for the memories the last 4 years, I hope you find what you are looking for.

With that said, it is time to turn our attention to what needs to be done to continue the new tradition of winning at Oregon State. Who should we hire as our new head coach? Some names have already surfaced as candidates today.

• Tim Lapano the Beavers Offensive Coordinator
• Pat Hill, Fresno State Head Coach
• Mike Riley, former OSU Head Coach, San Diego Chargers Head Coach, and current New Orleans Saints Assistent
• Dan Hawkins, Boise State Head Coach

So lets take a look at these men

Tim Lapano - already wears orange - knows the program and the offense - knows the recruits

Pat Hill - Has beat us more then once - consistently in bowl games - fun to watch get mad - red is close to orange

Mike Riley - got the ball rolling at osu - people love him - good football coach - oregon boy - has hairline like a football - likes to wear orange

Dan Hawkins - turned around Boise State to a top 15 team this year - already wears orange

So now the wait begins. I am sure we will all be talking about this for some time. I only hope it does not take to long to pick a new coach and that our recruits will stay with the Beavers.

Let's go Beaver Fans and get behind our new coach whoever it may be.

BFS