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SALT LAKE CITY — When the Salt Lake Stallions kick off their inaugural season Feb. 10 at Arizona, they will do so with a piece of college football royalty.
It may have taken far too long for even the most casual observer of college football over the past 30-plus years.
But when Dennis Erickson was named to the College Football Hall of Fame Monday morning by the National Football Foundation and ESPN, he spent the day much like he spent the rest of the days during his two-decade collegiate career: at practice.
The 71-year-old football coach was in San Antonio with the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football, leading the first-year pro football franchise in its third day of a league-wide training camp at Comalander Field in Texas.
"We have a great coaching staff," Stallions quarterback Josh Woodrum said after practice Sunday. "(Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano) and (head coach Dennis Erickson) are going to put us in positions to be successful, and they will use our skill sets and our strongest traits to the best advantage possible. I am really excited, and I think it’s going to be a great season."
In each of his stops, Erickson has been known as a players' coach — and that didn’t change Monday when he received college football’s highest honor.
Erickson led six different colleges as a head coach, beginning with a one-year stint at Wyoming in 1986. He went on to stops at three different Pac-12 schools and won two national championships with Miami among his teams’ nine finishes inside the Associated Press Top 25.
A Washington native, Erickson spent 19 seasons as a collegiate head coach, earning a winning record of 147-81-1 and leading The U. to national championships in 1989 and 1991 en route to a 63-9 record in six seasons.
Among the 14 other inductees into the 2019 hall of fame class are former Texas quarterback Vince Young, Arizona State quarterback Jake Plummer and Southern California safety Troy Polamalu — who currently sits as the Alliance of American Football’s head of player relations.
"We are extremely proud to announce the 2019 College Football Hall of Fame class," said Archie Manning, chairman of the National Football Foundation, in a statement. "Each of these men has established himself among the absolute best to have ever played or coached the game, and we look forward to immortalizing their incredible accomplishments. The class will be part of a momentous year as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football this season."
Before coaching the Stallions, Erickson was the co-offensive coordinator at the University of Utah in 2013 before overseeing the running backs until his departure in 2016.
But nowhere has been like his current stop, the upstart Alliance of American Football, a spring league dedicated to development and providing players with a way back to the NFL.
"It’s been a fun ride for me, but I’m having more fun with you guys right now," Erickson told his team during training camp in San Antonio. "This is the most fun I have had in a long time."
Added Memphis Express head coach Mike Singletary: "He’s a really class guy, and I know he’s a great coach. I’m very happy for him. It just adds credibility to what this league is trying to do, and what this league is about. Any type of honor or anything like that sheds light on what we are trying to do."
In addition to his varied coaching stops around college football, Erickson also spent time in the NFL as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks (1995-98) and San Francisco 49ers (2003-04). He went 40-56 in the NFL.
"It's a great opportunity for the Stallions and for the people in Salt Lake who know coach Erickson already; but the fact that he’s our coach in Salt Lake in a new venture like this, I think is outstanding," said Stallions general manager Randy Mueller of Erickson, who was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year at three different schools. "It kicks off our season with this honor."
Erickson and the Stallions are in San Antonio for the league-wide training camp at Comalander Field in Texas and will return to Utah prior to the team’s opener at Arizona. The Stallions' first home game will be Feb. 23 against the Arizona Hotshots.
And they will do so with a now Hall-of-Fame head coach.
"Erickson is one of my favorite coaches I have ever played for," said Dres Anderson, the former Utah wide receiver who recently signed with the Stallions. "Just being back reunited with him is a great thing. He knows how to take care of his players."
