Since being named head swimming coach in 1976, Erickson has coached the Jackrabbit men to a North Central Conference championship in 1979 and the SDSU women to an NCC title in 1981. In the 2000-01 season he was named the North Central Conference Men's Swimming Coach of the Year after leading SDSU to a fourth-place finish at the conference meet. At the 2011 Summit League Championships, Erickson was named women's coach of the year after SDSU placed second in the conference.

In the fall of 2002, Erickson was honored with SDSU's Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence, which honors an SDSU alumnus in the field of education and coaching.

Erickson added Summit League Men's Coach of the Year honors to his list of accomplishements in 2012 after leading the Jackrabbit men to a second place finish at The Summit League Championships in Rochester, Mich.

A 1974 graduate of South Dakota State, Erickson became the first SDSU swimmer to compete in the NCAA Division II Championships, as a junior. The Arlington, S.D., native won three North Central Conference titles, winning the 200-yard breaststroke twice and the 100-yard breaststroke once. Erickson has continued to represent SDSU at NCAA swimming championships during his coaching career, serving as a meet official and judge at the Division I women’s and men’s championships since 1982. He also has served as the NCAA Division II Championships coordinator since 1996 and is a past member of the NCAA Swimming Committee.