Ron Erhardt facts for kids
Ronald Peter Erhardt (February 27, 1931 – March 21, 2012) was a well-known American football coach. He coached both college teams and professional teams. He was even the head coach for the National Football League (NFL)'s New England Patriots from 1979 to 1981.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 27, 1931 Mandan, North Dakota, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 2012 (aged 81) Boca Raton, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Jamestown |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956 | Williston HS (ND) (assistant) |
| 1957–1959 | St. Mary's HS (ND) |
| 1960–1962 | Bishop Ryan HS (ND) |
| 1963–1965 | North Dakota State (assistant) |
| 1966–1972 | North Dakota State |
| 1973–1976 | New England Patriots (RB) |
| 1977–1978 | New England Patriots (OC) |
| 1978 | New England Patriots (interim co-HC) |
| 1979–1981 | New England Patriots |
| 1982–1990 | New York Giants (OC) |
| 1991 | New York Giants (assistant) |
| 1992–1995 | Pittsburgh Steelers (OC) |
| 1996–1997 | New York Jets (OC) |
| 1997–1998 | New York Jets (QB) |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1968–1973 | North Dakota State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 61–7–1 (college) 21–28 (NFL) 45–9–2 (high school) |
| Bowls | 3–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 NCAA College Division (1968–1969) 6 NCC (1966–1970, 1972) As offensive coordinator:
|
|
Contents
Early Life and High School Coaching
Ron Erhardt was born in Mandan, North Dakota. He played football and graduated from Jamestown College in 1953. After college, he spent two years serving in the military.
In 1956, he started his coaching career as an assistant at Williston High School. The next year, he became a head coach at two Catholic high schools in North Dakota. From 1957 to 1959, his teams at St. Mary's had a great record of 25 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie. Then, from 1960 to 1962, he coached at Bishop Ryan High School in Minot, where his teams won 20 games, lost 6, and tied 1.
College Coaching Success
Because of his success in high school, Erhardt moved on to coach at the college level. In 1963, he became an assistant coach at North Dakota State University.
On February 10, 1966, he became the head coach at North Dakota State. He had an amazing seven years there, with a record of 61 wins, 7 losses, and 1 tie. Erhardt also worked as the school's athletic director. During his time, his teams won two national championships in college football. He was even given an award for being a "Distinguished Educator" because of his hard work for the university.
Coaching in the NFL
New England Patriots Journey
On March 14, 1973, Ron Erhardt joined the New England Patriots as their backfield coach. He coached in this role for four years. Then, on February 1, 1977, he was promoted to offensive coordinator.
In 1978, the Patriots looked like they might make it to the Super Bowl. But before their last game, the head coach, Chuck Fairbanks, announced he was leaving. The team then made Erhardt and another assistant, Hank Bullough, co-coaches for the final game. The Patriots lost that game and their first playoff game.
After Fairbanks left, Erhardt officially became the Patriots' head coach on April 6, 1979. He had a very high winning percentage from his college coaching days. He famously said, "I've never been a loser in football and I don't intend to start now."
Under Erhardt, the Patriots had a 19-13 record in 1979 and 1980, just missing the playoffs each year. In 1980, they scored 441 points, which was a club record at the time. However, in 1981, the team finished with only 2 wins and 14 losses. The team owner, Billy Sullivan, decided to let Erhardt go, saying he "was just too nice a guy."
New York Giants and Super Bowl Wins
In January 1982, Ron Erhardt was hired as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He joined head coach Ray Perkins, who had also been an assistant with the Patriots. When Perkins left later that year, Bill Parcells became the new head coach. Parcells had worked with Erhardt before and kept him as the offensive coordinator.
This turned out to be a great decision! The Giants went on to win two Super Bowls with Erhardt as their offensive coordinator. During the run to Super Bowl XXV, their starting quarterback, Phil Simms, got injured. But his replacement, Jeff Hostetler, led the team to victory.
After that Super Bowl win, Parcells retired. Ray Handley was promoted to head coach.
Pittsburgh Steelers and Offensive Style
Ray Handley changed Erhardt's role, so Erhardt left to join the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992 as their offensive coordinator. Erhardt focused on a strong running game for the Steelers' offense. He helped the team reach Super Bowl XXX in 1996. However, after that season, Erhardt and Steelers' head coach Bill Cowher disagreed on how the offense should be run, and Erhardt resigned.
New York Jets and Retirement
Erhardt then became the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets under Rich Kotite. The team had a very tough season, winning only 1 game and losing 15. After that, Parcells replaced Kotite as head coach. Ron Erhardt announced his retirement from coaching on January 12, 1998.
Coaching Records
College Head Coaching Record
| 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 Head Coaching Record
| 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 | 21 | 28 | 0 | .429 | – | – | – | |||
^ Co-coach with Hank Bullough
