Ron Erhardt

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For the Minnesota state legislator, see Ron Erhardt (politician).
Ron Erhardt
Biographical details
Born(1931-02-27)February 27, 1931
Bishop Ryan HS (ND)
1963–1965North Dakota State (assistant)
1966–1972North Dakota State
1973–1976New England Patriots (RB)
1977–1978New England Patriots (OC)
1978New England Patriots (interim co-HC)
1979–1981New England Patriots
1982–1990New York Giants (OC)
1991New York Giants (assistant)
1992–1995Pittsburgh Steelers (OC)
1996–1997New York Jets (OC)
1997–1998New York Jets (QB)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1968–1973North Dakota State
Head coaching record
Overall61–7–1 (college)
21–28 (NFL)
45–9–2 (high school)
Bowls3–1
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 NCAA College Division (1968–1969)
6 NCC (1966–1970, 1972)

As offensive coordinator:

Ronald Peter Erhardt (February 27, 1931 – March 21, 2012) was an American football coach at both the collegiate and professional levels. From 1979 to 1981 he served as head coach of the National Football League (NFL)'s New England Patriots.

Early life

A native of

Bishop Ryan High School in Minot
, where he was 20–6–1 from 1960 to 1962.

Early career

Erhardt's successes elevated him to the collegiate level, where he served as an assistant at North Dakota State University for three years beginning in 1963.[2] On February 10, 1966, he became head coach at the school, setting the stage for another strong tenure, in which he put together a record of 61–7–1 in his seven years. Erhardt also served as the Bison athletic director, winning a pair of college national championships. In 1970, he was awarded Blue Key National Honor Society's Distinguished Educator award for his dedication to the University.

National Football League career

New England Patriots

On March 14, 1973, Erhardt moved on to become backfield coach of the

University of Colorado. In response, the team suspended Fairbanks and made Erhardt and fellow assistant Hank Bullough co-coaches for the final game. The Patriots dropped that contest, then lost their opening round matchup to the Houston Oilers
.

Fairbanks was allowed to leave for Colorado, with Erhardt officially taking the reins of the team on April 6, 1979.[4][self-published source] Noting his .890 winning percentage at North Dakota State upon taking the position, Erhardt said, "I've never been a loser in football and I don't intend to start now." The Patriots underachieved to a 19–13 record in the 1979 and 1980 seasons, missing the playoffs by one game each year; the 441 points scored in 1980 was a club record not broken until 2007. But then the Patriots finished with a 2–14 record in 1981. Citing the fact that Erhardt "was just too nice a guy", owner Billy Sullivan dismissed him on December 22, two days after the conclusion of the season.[5]

New York Giants

Just over a month later, in January 1982, Erhardt was hired as offensive coordinator of the

Alex Webster in 1973.[6] During the latter portion of that first season, Perkins announced he was leaving to become head coach at the University of Alabama, with Bill Parcells
replacing him. Parcells had been Erhardt's linebackers coach with the Patriots in 1980, and kept his former boss in the same position.

That decision would prove to be the right one as the Giants went on to win two Super Bowls, with Erhardt working around a key injury during the run toward Super Bowl XXV. Quarterback Phil Simms had suffered a season-ending injury late in the season, but his replacement, Jeff Hostetler, navigated the team to the title.

Parcells retired after that game, with Ray Handley being promoted to head coach.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Handley then demoted Erhardt, which resulted in the latter's departure for a similar position with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992. Emphasizing the run, Erhardt ran the offense for four years, helping the team reach Super Bowl XXX in 1996. However, after the season, the conflict over the offensive philosophy between Erhardt and Steelers' head coach Bill Cowher resulted in Erhardt's resignation.

New York Jets

Erhardt then became offensive coordinator of the New York Jets under Rich Kotite. A disastrous 1–15 mark marked the end of Kotite's brief era, with Parcells replacing Kotite. Erhardt announced his retirement on January 12, 1998.

Head coaching record

College

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
North Dakota State Bison (North Central Conference) (1966–1972)
1966 North Dakota State 8–2 5–1 T–1st
1967 North Dakota State 9–1 6–0 1st L Pecan
1968 North Dakota State 10–0 6–0 1st W Pecan
1969 North Dakota State 10–0 6–0 1st W
Camellia
1970 North Dakota State 9–0–1 6–0 1st W
Camellia
1971 North Dakota State 7–2 4–2 T–2nd
1972 North Dakota State 8–2 6–1 T–1st
North Dakota State: 61–7–1 39–4
Total: 61–7–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

NFL

Team Year Regular Season Post Season
Won Lost Ties Win % Finish Won Lost Win % Result
NE^ 1978 0 1 0 .000 1st in AFC East – – – –
NE 1979 9 7 0 .563 2nd in AFC East – – – –
NE 1980 10 6 0 .625 2nd in AFC East – – – –
NE 1981 2 14 0 .125 5th in AFC East – – – –
NE Total 21 28 0 .429 – – –
Total[7] 21 28 0 .429 – – –

^ Co-coach with Hank Bullough

See also

References

  1. ^ "Ron Erhardt". Mandanhistory.org. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  2. ^ Goldstein, Richard (March 22, 2012). "Ron Erhardt, Super Bowl-Winning Offensive Coach, Dies at 81". The New York Times.
  3. ISBN 978-0-7864-9295-4
    .
  4. ISBN 978-1-4415-4778-1
    .
  5. ISBN 978-0-7867-5181-5
    .
  6. ^ White, Gordon S. (January 30, 1982). "Erhardt To Direct Offense Of Giants". The New York Times. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  7. ^ Ron Erhardt Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com
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