Dennis Erickson Fired by 49ers

[uolj]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/s...C-DT9705204233

I won't post the story since it will change as the day moves on. Rumor is that Terry Donahue might step down also.

[VF21]

I'm pretty sure he had his bags packed. The handwriting was pretty much on the wall when they started sniping at his coaching staff.

I just don't think firing the coach is going to solve the problems.

[crypticone]

Here is the official story from Yahoo. I say NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA Hey Hey Hey GoodBye. I do have a new found respect for York. I still think that he is more concerned with money than fielding a competitve team, but, with that being said, he will take a pretty hefty loss on these two because of their remaining contract. I just hope that he picks up a good coach and not some second rate person.



SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The San Francisco 49ers (news) fired coach Dennis Erickson and dismissed general manager Terry Donahue on Wednesday, cleaning house just three days after the once-proud franchise finished with the NFL's worst record.

Owner John York announced the changes to his team, which went 2-14 to match the worst record in San Francisco history.

Erickson went 9-23 in two seasons as Steve Mariucci's successor, never reaching the postseason. He won two national championships at the University of Miami during a successful college coaching career, but is 40-56 in six seasons as an NFL head coach in San Francisco and Seattle.

Donahue, the longtime UCLA coach, was the hand-picked successor to Bill Walsh, who returned to the team five years ago to rebuild from a similar funk. Since taking over from Walsh in 2001, Donahue has been criticized for mediocre drafts and unorthodox strategies, from his difficult salary cap relief plan to his reliance on unusual player evaluation methods.

After last Sunday's 21-7 loss to New England, York spent the past two days interviewing Erickson and Donahue while he mulled his decision.

The 49ers won five championships from 1981-94, but since York and his wife took over the team in 1999, they've had just two winning seasons and won just one playoff game.

Erickson has three years and $7.5 million remaining on the contract he signed in 2003, while Donahue received a four-year contract extension last September worth an estimated $5 million. The hefty financial packages were thought to be the biggest obstacle to York's desire to make changes, but the owner decided to shoulder the expense.

Last month, York said he was extremely disappointed with the 49ers' season, and he expected to make big changes to the organization. Erickson will be the second coach fired by York in slightly less than two years, following his abrupt dismissal of Mariucci just days after a second-round playoff loss at Tampa Bay.

While Erickson took much of the heat for the 49ers' record, many of their shortcomings were due to a stripped-down roster assembled by Donahue, who waived several veterans and pared the payroll last summer in an effort to rid the 49ers of the "dead money" — being paid to players no longer with the team — on their salary cap.

The 49ers knew they would struggle this season with that young, inexpensive roster, but few expected them to match the 2-14 marks set by the club in 1978 and 1979.

Many of San Francisco's best players missed much of the year with injuries, including center Jeremy Newberry, linebacker Julian Peterson and quarterback Tim Rattay, who started just nine games. Eleven players finished the season on injured reserve, and San Francisco won't have a representative in the Pro Bowl.

Erickson, the 14th coach in San Francisco history, is 144-57-1 as a head coach at five universities, most recently presiding over the dramatic revival of Oregon State from 1999-02. But he never had a winning season in six years in the NFL, missing the playoffs every year.

Erickson said this season was the toughest year of his life, and though he expressed his desire to return to San Francisco, he probably isn't heartbroken to be leaving an organization that seemed to get more dysfunctional with each loss. Last month, Erickson even met with officials from the University of Mississippi about their vacant head coaching position, which went to USC assistant Ed Orgeron.

[Variant]

Could we save some money if we didn't hire anyone and just forfeited all our games next year?

[G_M]

GREAT management!!!! York has become the Donald Sterling of the NFL.

Fires Mooch who improves the team, won't spend money on talent, hires a mediocre coach, fires said mediocre coach and now is going to pay the bill.


PLEASE SELL THIS TEAM!!!!!!

[LilMissDiva]

Good things do happen to bad teams!

[LilMissDiva]

PLEASE SELL THIS TEAM!!!!!!

...as long as they stay in Northern California at least.

[SaCTowNFeveR]

IMO, I am glad we fired Erickson an let Donahue go.

[Entity]

This is stupid. the 49ers organization knew that this year and the next 2 were going to be bad years. What did they expect losing all the talent they had. i can't find the quote but before year started the GM said it would be 2 years before the 49ers would be back in the thick of things. NOW THEY ARE SUPRSISED??????? its not Erickson hell he had high school kids on the field.

[VF21]

Donahue is gone?

Whoooooooooooo!

I'm sorry Coach Erickson is gone because, like Entity, I think he was the fall guy for some very stupid front office machinations.

Now, because of those hefty guaranteed contracts, the 49ers are going to have even LESS money to get some talent.

Is there anyone who DOESN'T see York selling the #1 pick on eBay?

Blech.

John York and his wife Denise DeBartolo York have ruined this team - and the only glimmer of hope is for someone to buy it from them and get them as far away from the team as is humanly possible.

...sigh...

I HATE JOHN YORK!!!

[Bricklayer]

Just from the outside I would say:

1) Erickson is at best a mediocre coach. The Niners were never going to win big with him as a coach.

2) That said, NO coach could have won with the Niners' talent this year.

3) Furthermore, cap problems are going to keep the Niners from being good for the next two years. So why not just run out the string of cap excuse years with Erickson? Would hate to see the Niners fire Erickson too early, basically jsut as a scapegoat, then bring in a good young coach and have him get sacrificed to the continuing money probelms as well. better to kept on the old mediocre guy, then bring in the young coach once the team has a chance to compete again.

[SLAB]

From the York Press conference.

http://49ers.com/newsroom/coaches.asp

RE: What makes you think a top-notch coach would want to come here?
“I don’t have any doubt whatsoever that a top-notch coach will come to the San Francisco 49ers.”

Top notch like Dennis Erickson?

RE: Will salary be an issue?

“If that’s the right guy that’s who it will be.”

The guy who wants the least for his services?



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I'm right on base with VF on this issue...



I HATE JOHN YORK!

[slugking50]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!




2/3's accomplished. Now we just need new owners!!!

[VF21]

“I don’t have any doubt whatsoever that a top-notch coach will come to the San Francisco 49ers.”

Yeah, and he thinks the Easter Bunny is going to bring a whole new front line, too. Not too mention the free agents that will be clamoring to rush to the 49ers...

What a tool.

Okay, here's the deal: I think we need to start a "Fork York" fund (I typed that VERY carefully!!!). We could all have bake sales, car washes (okay, not right now), etc. and I'm sure enough fans could band together to buy out York. The Green Bay Packers aren't privately owned...

WE COULD DO THIS!!!

[SLAB]

I'm in!!

Let Operation "Fork York" commence!!!

[kingsnation]

2) That said, NO coach could have won with the Niners' talent this year.

Responding to this, I agree, but I also say that Erickson probably couldn't win w/ the patriots' talent either.

It's about time he was fired, he was NEVER qualified for the job in the first place, he's NEVER had a winning record in the NFL, so what in the world did the Niners see in him anyways?