SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – Dennis Erickson was hired Tuesday by the San Francisco 49ers to replace Steve Mariucci as coach in a surprising end to a search that stretched nearly four weeks.
Erickson will be introduced as the 49ers’ 14th head coach at a news conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. The former Seattle Seahawks coach leaves Oregon State, where he went 31-17 over the last four seasons.
Mariucci, fired by owner John York on Jan. 15 despite leading San Francisco to four playoff berths in six seasons, signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Lions last week.
Erickson, who turns 56 next month, is an unexpected choice for San Francisco, which concentrated its search on NFL defensive coaches since York surprised his front office by firing Mariucci.
After wowing York and general manager Terry Donahue in a weekend interview, Erickson got a five-year contract worth $12.5 million – half of what Mariucci will make in Detroit.
Erickson is charged with continuing the winning tradition established by Bill Walsh, George Seifert and Mariucci.
“We have found what we were looking for in a new coach: a leader, a motivator, a teacher, an individual with exceptional skills in coaching,” Donahue said. “Dennis Erickson has a long history of coaching winning teams, and I’m confident he’ll succeed in San Francisco.”
The search was praised by the candidates as deliberate and thorough, though Pro Bowl quarterback Jeff Garcia called it “embarrassing” for its apparent lack of direction. New York Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell was the leading candidate until last weekend.
Donahue always said he planned to consider college head coaches. Earlier, several college coaches said they weren’t interested, including Washington’s Rick Neuheisel and Southern California’s Pete Carroll.
Donahue and Erickson didn’t immediately return cell phone calls Tuesday. Erickson was expected to address his players in Corvallis on Tuesday.
Erickson is just the 49ers’ fourth coach since 1979, following Walsh and Seifert – who both won Super Bowls – and Mariucci. Erickson also is the first coach with prior NFL head coaching experience to take over the 49ers since Norman “Red” Strader in 1955.
Erickson coached the Seahawks from 1995-98, going 31-33 – the same record of current Seattle coach Mike Holmgren, who briefly was thought to be a candidate for the 49ers’ job.
Mariucci was fired despite four 10-win seasons with a remarkably brief rebuilding period in between. York had a difference in philosophy with Mariucci, who led the 49ers to a 10-6 record, the NFC West title and a playoff victory over the New York Giants this past season.
