Eriksen Reflects on 'Amazing' USF Experience, Looks Forward to Busy Year Ahead
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, SEPT. 9, 2020 –
Ken Eriksen is going to be an incredibly busy Bull in 2021.
USF's all-time winningest head coach in any sport will resume the pursuit of 1,000 victories after reassuming his role as leader of the Bulls' softball program over the summer.
When he's not wearing Green and Gold, Eriksen will be putting on his Red, White and Blue to continue serving as head coach of USA Softball. Eriksen went on leave for the 2020 USF season to guide Team USA through the "Stand Beside Her Tour" in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were postponed in March because of the pandemic.
Fortunately, the Tokyo Games are back on in July 2021 and Eriksen is ready to tirelessly guide two prestigious programs. He's also grateful to USF, especially Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly, and USA Softball Executive Director Craig Cress for making it all possible through teamwork.
"I am looking forward to balancing my full-time commitment with USF and our training with USA Softball in pursuit of the top step at the Olympic Games," Eriksen said.
Getting back in his USF groove certainly won't be a problem for a person who has been part of the university for 41 of his 59 years. Eriksen first came to USF as a freshman from Stony Brook, N.Y., in 1979 and hasn't left since then.
When he wasn't hitting the books, the political science major was playing six positions as a USF baseball player (1981-84) who capped off his collegiate career with a .315 batting average and a 2.48 ERA. Eriksen credits former Bulls skipper Robin Roberts, a Baseball Hall of Famer, for showing him not only how to lead, but also how to become an outstanding teacher of the game.
Sure enough, the class of 1984 member stayed at USF for graduate studies and got into softball as a hitting instructor for the Bulls in 1985. Eriksen also played Men's Major Fastpitch softball, including with the historic Clearwater Bombers, for years. Eriksen was on the 1991 U.S. Pan American squad that won a silver medal in Santiago de Cuba. In 1988, he was part of a U.S. Select Team that was the first American squad in any sport since 1958 to visit Russian-occupied Cuba.
An eleven-year run as a USF softball assistant prepared Eriksen well for his promotion to head coach following the 1996 season.
"The more time you can spend around good people, good administrators, coaches and teachers in your profession, I think it lends itself to long-term success," he said.
Constantly picking up gems of knowledge during his "apprenticeship" has led to eye-catching results.
In 23 seasons, Eriksen has guided the Bulls to 14 NCAA tournament appearances, two trips to Super Regionals, four Sweet 16 appearances, and the program's first-ever Women's College World Series campaign in 2012. With Ken calling the shots, USF has captured seven conference titles in three different leagues.
Sporting a 975-502-1 overall record, Eriksen is on the verge of becoming the 16th active NCAA Division I softball coach to complete the 1,000-win feat, and just the 25th all-time. To get Eriksen to this point, USF has totaled 16 seasons of more than 40 wins, including six with 50-plus victories and a 60-win campaign in 2004, all while consistently facing the nation's best of the best.
"It goes without saying that the thanks for all of the milestones and accolades goes to the players who believed in our program," Eriksen said. "We just happened to accumulate a lot of those W's in a short period of time against a tremendous schedule that we play. I think that's one of the important parts to remember."
Even a team-first kind of guy can still take pride in some groundbreaking accomplishments as an individual.
He probably won't tell you, but Eriksen is the first person in USF history to participate as a player and serve as an assistant, then as a head coach, in the NCAA tournament. He is also the first Bull to win a conference title as a player (1982) and as a head coach (1997). Since putting on a USF uniform, he's been a part of 1,437 victories.
"It's really an amazing story," he said.
The book of Eriksen also is filled with several chapters on the world stage.
Eriksen started coaching for the USA Softball Women's National Team in 2002 and won Olympic gold as a Team USA assistant in 2004. By 2011, he took the helm of the USA Softball WNT and was named head coach of the U.S. Olympic Softball Team in May 2019.
He gets to chase gold again now that the sport of softball is back in the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Eriksen will head to Tokyo ranking second all-time among USA Softball WNT head coaches with 59 career wins in major international competitions – Olympic Games, World Championships and Pan American Games. In total, he has been part of 23 gold medal wins as a USA coach.
"I think one day when I look back on it, it will be like, 'Wow, that was pretty cool,'" Eriksen said. "But right now, it's like, 'OK, what do we do to get ahead of the next team tomorrow? What do we do tomorrow to get ahead of the next team the next day? You're in such a bubble of continuous 'try to get better tomorrow type of mentality.'"
Staying laser-focused is the norm for not only a dedicated coach who has been living the "bat-and-ball" dream for more than five decades but also a dedicated family man who met his wife at USF, where they both graduated from. The key to making it all happen – trusting and empowering staff members, like Eriksen's mentors once did.
"I don't have to stress out about things not going well at USF. I don't have to stress out about things not going well with Team USA when I'm not with either one of those teams when I'm away," he said. "I'm lucky. I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a really, really good group of people."
About USF Softball
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The USF softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 15 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012.
– #GoBulls –
