WASHBURN, Maine — A lengthy run in education and coaching, spent entirely in the SAD 45 school system, came to a close for Ron Ericson on March 6.
Ericson has retired, but is in the midst of training with the Transportation Security Administration for a part-time job at Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle.
Last spring during Washburn’s baseball season, Ericson began not feeling well and upon visiting a physician, was told he had a case of heavy fatigue.
“[Administration] leads to a lot of long days at the school and May is the worst month with something going on every day,” he said.
That is when he began thinking more about retirement and a career change.
“I took the [TSA] test and started going through the process beginning last summer,” Ericson said, “so this was going to my last year [at Washburn]. Then I got the call from TSA at the end of January and that sped things up.”
Ericson, who grew up in New Sweden, was a student manager on the Caribou boys basketball team’s lone state championship team in 1969. He graduated from Caribou High School in 1971 and went on to attend UMPI with early intentions of becoming a history teacher.
He became interested in coaching during those college years, thanks to the late Bud Smiith of Caribou and the DeMolay basketball program, and just days before graduating in the spring of 1975, was hired by Washburn as a junior high history teacher and junior high boys basketball coach.
Ericson was employed by the district for 43 years. He spent his final 16 years as the school’s athletic director. He also was the assistant principal 2006 to 2012 when he was elevated to principal.
But it was for the first of two separate stints as the Beavers’ girls basketball coach that the 64-year-old Ericson is most renowned.
“I enjoyed all of it,” said Ericson. “It was always a challenge, but I picked out some good role models early like (Caribou High School legends) Dwight Hunter and Gerry Duffy and always worked hard at it.”
His first year as the Washburn girls’ varsity coach was 1982-83 and just two years later the Beavers picked up their first state championship, which came as a Class C team.
They moved down to Class D the following season (1985-86) and went undefeated, clinching another state title with a win over Buckfield. In another two years, despite going 9-9 and finishing fifth in the regular season, the Beavers went on an improbable tourney run that included beating Forest Hills in the state title game. The following season (1988-89), Washburn advanced out of the third seed to win its fourth gold ball in a five-year span.
Ericson coached until 1996 and then after nine years away, took the position again from 2005-2011. His 2006-07 squad lost to Lee Academy in the Eastern Maine finals and the following year, the Beavers had an undefeated regular season to go in No. 1 but were upset by Katahdin in the quarterfinals on a last-second shot.
During his 20 years as coach, Ericson accumulated a record of 198-113. He was voted Coach of the Year by the local officiating board (IAABO 150) in 1985 and by the Maine Association of Basketball Coaches in 1989.
“As a coach, I cared about everyone on the team, right down to the 12th player on the roster,” Ericson said. “I was always proud when someone overcame something and stuck it out and succeeded.”
He also was the athletic director when the team won a historic five consecutive state championships from 2011-2015.
Ericson said he is looking forward to his next venture and also having some extra time to do things he hasn’t had a chance to do since his college days, such as going fishing during the month of May. After having taken several years off, he said, he plans to return to softball umpiring, in which he has been selected to work six state championship games. Ericson also is looking forward to spending more time with his wife of 10 years, Patty. His 19-year-old son, Michael, is in the United States Army and stationed in Germany.
