TEMPE, ARIZ. — Sometime tonight, under the lights of Sun Devil Stadium, two men whose lives and careers are linked by more than three decades and half a dozen cities will greet one another a handshake or perhaps a hug.
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson and Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano have known each other since Erickson, then the offensive coordinator at Idaho, recruited Lappano out of Spokane’s Gonzaga Prep High School in 1975.
After Lappano’s playing days were over, it was Erickson, having gone on to become the head coach at Idaho, who gave him his first coaching job in 1982. Since then, Lappano has coached with Erickson at Wyoming, Washington State, Oregon State, the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers.
“He recruited me out of high school, then gave me my first job,” said Lappano, who earned his degree after returning to Idaho as a coach. “He gave me an opportunity when I was working in a restaurant when I got back from the Houston Oilers. I got hurt and he gave me a job and brought me back to school, so he’s done a lot for me. A lot.”
Lappano won’t be the only familiar face to Erickson on the Washington sideline. Huskies linebackers coach Chris Tormey coached under Erickson for two seasons at Idaho.
So, what does all of this history mean when the Huskies and 14th-ranked Sun Devils kick off at 7:15 tonight? There’s a little nostalgia to be sure, but beyond that, everyone says, it will be business as usual.
“Of course with coach Lappano there, who is one of my closest friends, and coach Tormey, and guys that I’ve coached with, it’s fun to play them,” said Erickson, a 1965 graduate of Everett High School.
“I don’t know if it’s any different, because it’s a game and we both want to try to win it. Seeing Tim again and Chris, it’s always nice, but it’s just a game. I’ll see a lot of them in the summer time.”
Lappano said he has spent some extra time with defensive coordinator Kent Baer, trying to give him tips on an Erickson offense, but both sides agree that familiarity can only go so far.
“The bottom line is you’ve still got to play,” Baer said. “You’ve still got to tackle.”
Tyrone Willingham isn’t expecting his offensive coordinator to uncover all the secrets of the Sun Devils tonight.
“Well, when you’ve been with a person for long time, hopefully you know some of their habits, some of the things they like,” said Willingham, who jokes that the only advantage one might have over another is on the golf course. “I don’t necessarily think that gives you an advantage during the ballgame, because coaches are constantly changing and making sure that they don’t leave the same footprint exactly. It helps from some standpoint that you know basic fundamentals, but the finer points are constantly changing.”
So even if times and play calls have changed, one of the two must have an advantage over the other, right? So who is it?
“He does,” Erickson said. “Because he’s a lot younger than I am.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com/huskiesblog
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