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WEEK IN REVIEW
Monday


Victims of Highway 9 crash ID'd; suspect booked...
Suspect in officer killings eludes law in Seattle
New laws for Snohomish County bikini baristas?
Sunday


Extended lack of work takes its toll on Snohomi...
Four die in car crash near Marysville
Gathering in Tacoma mourns slain Lakewood officers
Saturday


Contest inspired by ‘Biggest Loser' helps...
Everett building rules may be loosened
Marysville 's Electric Lights Parade goes dark
Friday


Thanksgiving tradition flourishes at Everett ch...
Democrats split over choice for Snohomish Count...
Safety advice for holiday shopping
Thursday


Kids talk turkey: What Thanksgiving is all about
When taggers strike in Everett, city picks up t...
Mukilteo teacher a finalist in national country...
Wednesday


Swift buses ready for fast lane
County law could change to allow guns in parks
Boy, 16, admits role in Sultan slaying of teen
Tuesday


Father guilty of manslaughter in girl's death
Snohomish County budget passes, with a caveat
Soldier with ties to Marysville killed in Afgha...
 

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Kevin Brown, Sports Editor
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Published: Friday, August 1, 2008

Coaches followed in their fathers' footsteps

While most of the kids in his neighborhood were watching Howdy Doody or cartoons, 5-year-old Dennis Erickson spent much of his free time sitting in front of a screen that provided a different kind of entertainment.

X's and O's.

As the son of a high school football coach, Erickson was learning the game by osmosis for much of his childhood. Coaching wasn't just in his blood, it was also in his childhood home.

"There's nothing else I wanted to do from as far back as I can remember," said Erickson, whose father, Robert "Pinky" Erickson, coached at Ferndale and Cascade high schools.

"When you're in the locker room as a 5-year-old, watching football film when other kids are watching other stuff on television, you feel like that's what you want to do."

Erickson is one of several sons of local coaches who learned from high-profile fathers.

Mike Price, who went on to play football alongside Erickson at Everett High School before making it as a big-time college football coach, is the son of Everett Junior College football coach Walt Price.

Hall-of-Fame high school football coach Terry Ennis learned from his father, Jim, who coached at Everett High and Everett Junior College.

Local basketball coaching legends like Norm Lowery and Marv Harshman had sons who went into the business, while current Seattle Seahawks assistant Keith Gilbertson Jr. is the son of longtime Snohomish High coach Keith Gilbertson Sr.

It's no coincidence that many of the second-generation coaches have been just as successful as their fathers.

Joe Ennis, whose grandfather (Jim) and father (Terry) are among the greatest coaches this county has ever seen, is not surprised by the number of second-generation coaches.

"You meet kids that are positively affected by your father, and you realize you can make a difference in someone's life," said Joe Ennis, a mortgage broker who got into coaching last fall as the defensive backs coach at Archbishop Murphy High School.

The Herald's countdown of the Top 25 most successful coaches in Snohomish County history already includes a father-son combo: The Gilbertsons came in at Nos. 18 and 20.

"In my case, people thought my dad was a very fine coach," said Gilbertson Jr., who is in his fourth year with the Seahawks after a short stint as head football coach at the University of Washington. "He had the respect of a lot of people in the community and in Snohomish County. At the same time, he was pretty demanding on us as kids. But he was very fair.

"I think Mike Price would say the same thing about his dad, Dennis would say it about his dad, and Terry Ennis would have said the same thing about his dad. That's part of it."

1. Victims of Highway 9 crash ID'd; suspect booked for vehicular homicide
2. Driver had 8 beers before crash that killed 4, police say
3. Suspect in officer killings eludes law in Seattle
4. New laws for Snohomish County bikini baristas?
5. Investigator arrived drunk at scene of deadly DUI, police allege
6. Final rules in Air Force tanker contest due any day
7. City error leads to dismantling of Snohomish kennel
8. New store in Everett focuses on gluten-free food
9. Local police offer help after Lakewood shooting
10. Alabama’s Cody moves into Heisman limelight
Enterprise Newspaper Snohomish County Business Journal
Ruling in the pool
Holiday Lightings & Santa Sightings
Archbishop Murphy takes title
A season of performing arts
Budget numbers have official fuming
Wildcats move on to 2A semifinals
Holiday Bazaars & Fairs Calendar
Edmonds’ Westgate Chapel serves up hospitality for holiday
Mavericks fall
The Enterprise Online Newspaper


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