Bruce Erickson receives contract extension as head soccer coach
5/21/2024 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Panthers extend seventh-year head coach Bruce Erickson through the 2027 season.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI Athletics and head soccer coach Bruce Erickson have agreed to a three-year contract extension through the end of the 2027 season, as announced by the UNI Athletic Department on Tuesday.
Erickson, UNI's all-time wins leader, has been at the helm of the Panther program since 2017 and amassed 56 wins on the Panther sideline, including four conference tournament victories.
"Coach Erickson has led the UNI soccer team in winning ways," said UNI Director of Athletics Megan Franklin. "His ability to prepare the women for success on and off the pitch defines his leadership. I have had the opportunity to work closely with Coach Erickson having served as administrative liaison for the MVC women's soccer coaches since 2018. Bruce is a leader among his peers for his vision of success for MVC women's soccer. I have been impressed with his ability to build consensus and problem solve for the betterment of the league. We are excited to continue our partnership with him as our head soccer coach, looking forward to supporting his vision for Panther soccer in this legacy era!"
In three decades of coaching soccer at the collegiate level, Erickson has recorded a 303-236-60 record, compiling one of the top resumes among women's soccer coaches in the MVC. This past season, Erickson recorded his 71st victory in league play between his time at UNI and Creighton, passing Rob Brewer (Missouri State) for first in conference history. His 201 overall wins at UNI and Creighton are second-most all-time in the MVC.
"I appreciate the opportunity to continue leading this program," said Erickson. "We are continuing to build towards an MVC championship and looking forward to guiding this program towards that achievement. I'm proud of our student-athletes. I'd like to thank Megan Franklin, the UNI Athletics administration, our fans and our staff and players for their support."
In his first seven seasons, Erickson's Panthers have finished in the top-four of the MVC regular season standings five times, including third-place finishes in 2018 and 2023. Erickson's first season at UNI in 2017 notably produced a program-record 14 wins and an appearance in the MVC Tournament title match.
Panther athletes have amassed 25 All-MVC team selections under Erickson, including five First Team honorees, as well as 15 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selections. Sydney Hayden headlined Northern Iowa academically in 2017 by becoming the program's first MVC Elite 17 Award winner, while Lauren Heinsch was named UNI's first-ever MVC Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022.
The 2023 season was a historic one for the Panthers under Erickson, tallying a 13-5-1 record, the second-most wins in a single-season in team history. For the first time in the 24-year history of the program, UNI went unbeaten in non-conference play (7-0-1) and undefeated on its home pitch during the regular season (10-0). Northern Iowa also played host to first and second round matches of the MVC Tournament at the UNI Soccer Field for the first time since the opening of the new on-campus facility in 2020. The Panthers were also recognized as the recipients of the MVC's Fair Play Award in 2023, the third straight season receiving the honor and fifth time doing so under Erickson.
Prior to his arrival at UNI, Erickson guided Wayne State to nine victories in 2016, the most wins for the NCAA Division II program since the 2006 season. In 2016, Wayne State was regionally ranked by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), now United Soccer Coaches (USC) for the first time, reaching as high as ninth in the Central Region rankings. In each season he was at Wayne State, the Wildcats earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award.
Erickson spent his first stint in the MVC as head women's soccer coach at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska from 1999 through 2014. In his time with the Bluejays, Erickson's squads captured two MVC regular season championships, five MVC Tournament crowns and made five trips to the NCAA Tournament (2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010). Erickson's 16-year tenure at Creighton produced a 163-125-32 record, including 19 MVC Tournament match wins, making him the program's all-time winningest coach.
Erickson was an NSCAA All-American goalkeeper and team captain in his playing career at Viterbo University, where he earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in industrial organizational psychology in 1990. He also spent a number of years coaching his alma mater, earning four conference Coach of the Year nods (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) before being inducted into Viterbo's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001.
Erickson currently resides in Cedar Falls with his wife, Jeena with three children, Emma, Olivia and Noah.
