Ron Erhardt and Leonard Marshall Together Again
If you know anything about football, you know Ron Erhardt is synonymous with the \'86 Super Bowl. What Ron is also known for is 28 years of coaching with the NY Giants, NY Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. Ron\'s dedication lives on this summer as he coach\'s kids at the Leonard Marshall Football Academy.
/Football News Articles/ - April 4, 2005 - If you know anything about football, you know Ron Erhardt is synonymous with the 1986 Super Bowl -- a win for the New York Giants. What Ron is also known for is his 28 years of dedicated NFL coaching with the New York Giants, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. While Ron retired after the 1998 season, his dedication lives on this summer as he coach's offense to kids at the new Leonard Marshall Football Academy.
"Ron's career enabled him to work with many talented football players, watching them evolve from boyhood into manhood and helping to take raw talent and shape it into strategic moves. I'm thrilled to give kids the opportunity to work with a seasoned professional like Ron. I know they'll look back on it one day and appreciate the opportunity, just like I still do," says Leonard Marshall.
Erhardt was the offensive coordinator on both of Parcells' championship teams in New York: in 1986, when the Giants, with Leonard Marshall, made it to the Super Bowl on the running of Joe Morris and won it on the passing of Phil Simms; and in 1990, when Simms got hurt, and the Giants had to rely on aging running back, Ottis Anderson, and Jeff Hostetler (who replaced Simms) to create a dominating offense which held the ball for 40 minutes to beat Buffalo. "When Bill offered me that job," Erhardt said, "I thought, 'Here's a team that's got a defense but really needs help offensively. This is a chance to really accomplish something.' They had been a fullback team running between the tackles. We finally got a runner in Joe Morris. We got some linemen who could keep Phil Simms healthy, and he was effective with receivers who weren't exactly household names. The Giants had been last in the NFC [in total offense], and we became a very respectable unit. It was a good feeling."
After one more season in New York as "assistant head coach," Erhardt moved to Pittsburgh in 1992 when Cowher took over. In Erhardt's first year, Barry Foster rushed for 1,690 yards. In 1994, while with the Steelers, his team led the NFL in rushing and reached the AFC championship game before losing to San Diego. During the 1995 season the Steelers made it all the way to the Super Bowl playing against the Dallas Cowboys.
Throughout his career, Erhardt has shown the ability to make the most of his team's strengths, whether running or passing, and to disguise any weaknesses. And, there is little doubt that Erhardt, who has designed productive attacks for three teams with very different personnel, can customize offensive strategies for various teams and be effective each time. "My philosophy is: You pass to score touchdowns, but you run to win," Erhardt said in a 1995 interview. A fondness for the ground game carried Erhardt to the NFL, but the results didn't change from his days in Fargo, North Dakota. "The people of Fargo and the success we had at North Dakota State University helped me get where I am today --helped get me to the NFL," Erhardt said in 1986. "I will never forget that. The downtown boosters, the administration, and the community support made that program successful and still make it successful today." Erhardt is the second winningest coach at NDSU, with a 67-7-1 record that included six North Central Conference titles to go along with the two national titles.
His years as the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants brought him two Super Bowl rings and then, while with the Steelers, an AFC Championship ring. "When you start out coaching in a small town (New England, North Dakota) and end up getting two Super Bowl rings, you feel pretty good. Talk about living the dream...," Erhardt said.
In a nutshell, Ron worked with the New England Patriots for nine seasons (as head coach for the last three) and as offensive coordinator for the Giants, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New York Jets. "It's funny how you come full circle in life," relates Erhardt. "Here I am working with kids again at the Leonard Marshall Football Academy. Raw talent combined with passion and opportunity is something I'm looking forward to being around once again. What a thrill for me!"
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