Tempe, AZ – Arizona State head football coach Dennis Erickson will not return next season.
Erickson will finish out the year and will coach Arizona State in its bowl game, which will be announced on Sunday. He is in his fifth season as head coach and has compiled a 31-30 record with the school.
The Sun Devils took themselves out of contention for the Pac-12 South division and playing in the inaugural Pac-12 title game by losing their final four games after a 6-2 start.
"We are grateful for the service Dennis and his staff provided for the past five years," ASU vice president for athletics Lisa Love said. "Even during the most difficult times, he represented ASU with dignity. As he pursued success at the highest level within the Pac-12 conference, he improved the overall competitive health of the Sun Devils by attracting tremendous players to the university. With the confidence earned by his remarkable career, he never doubted the capacity of ASU to compete for the Rose Bowl."
The 64-year-old Erickson won the Pac-10 Coach of the Year Award in his first season of 2007, leading the Sun Devils to a share of the conference title, a 10-win season and a trip to the Holiday Bowl.
Erickson has won 179 games at the collegiate level, sixth-most among active college coaches.
In 1982, Erickson began his long head coaching career at Idaho, reviving the school's program during a four-year stay. From there, he coached at Wyoming, Washington State, and Miami-Florida, where he won two national championships. He also coached for four seasons at Oregon State, where the Beavers won a share of the Pac-10 title in 2000, and defeated Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. Erickson had a second stint with the Vandals in 2006.
Erickson also spent six years coaching in the NFL, four with the Seattle Seahawks (1995-98) and two with the San Francisco 49ers (2003-04).
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