University of North Carolina Athletics
Erickson Brothers Make Special Impact At Carolina
November 14, 2014 | General
by Emily Fedewa, UNC Athletic Communications
The Erickson family has a strong history with, and connection to, the University of North Carolina and its athletic programs. Carolina will honor the family at halftime of Saturday's game against Pittsburgh.
Through many different positions at UNC, the Ericksons have been a part of the Carolina family for almost 80 years, and now the late Ed Erickson has added to his family's legacy through two donations – one of over a million dollars – to UNC athletics.
That legacy started with Ed's older brother, Chuck. A frugal but happy man with a good sense of humor, Chuck served as the University's golf coach from 1935 to 1961, as the athletic director from 1953 until 1968 and is a member of the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
His resume during that time included hiring legendary basketball coach Dean Smith, helping to form the Atlantic Coast Conference and creating A.E. Finley Golf Course, where both the men and women's golf teams play and practice.
Prior to his time working at UNC, Chuck was a star halfback on the North Carolina football team. His time as a student athlete and his time as a coach of the golf team served him well in his role as athletic director.
“When he was an athletic director, he had been on the coaching side, so he understood that part very well,” current men's golf head coach Andrew Sapp said of Chuck. “(He) understood the need of the student athletes and understood the need of facilities and providing those types of things for our student athletes, for our coaches, for our teams to be successful.”
Ten years after Chuck attended the University, Ed followed in his brother's footsteps and became a student at Carolina. He didn't play a sport himself while in college, but he was active on campus and remained interested in UNC athletics – especially golf, a passion which he shared with Chuck.
The two brothers also shared a love for Chapel Hill, and although Ed didn't stay in the state after graduation, he made regular visits to earn his master's degree from UNC and to visit his brother.
“Ed would come to visit at least once or twice a year and he would play golf with (Chuck). They were very, very close, they're relationship was very good,” former UNC women's golf coach Dot Gunnells said in describing the relationship between Chuck and Ed.
Ed's experience attending UNC and his close bond with his brother created a strong connection to athletics at Carolina for him, and he always made a point to stay up to date on the school's athletic programs. He also made a point to keep up with Chuck's contributions to UNC and its athletics.
After his death in 1977, Chuck's family and friends set up a men's golf scholarship, called the C.P. Chuck and Mildred Memorial Fund, in his honor. Ed was always interested in the scholarship; how it was doing throughout the years as well as how it worked.
“He kept up with the golf team…if we were playing in Florida and he was able in his first years down there, he would come and watch us play,” Gunnells said. “And he wanted to support (Chuck's scholarship) even more. He'd always ask me about it and check on it every now and then.”
It was clear to his friends and family that Ed had an interest in scholarships and donation, but he didn't share the extent of his plans.
“We didn't know (the size of the gift), Ed was very private,” explained Chuck's daughter, Susan Gibson. “He said “Well, I'll give some money,” and I'm thinking a couple thousand dollars and then when it came out, we were just all shocked because he never told us he was going to do that.”
In 2006, Ed added a planned gift to his will that would give two donations to UNC based on his investments in stock. Planned, or deferred, giving is a huge part of UNC athletic donation and scholarships.
These gifts differ from the traditional outright gift, which is money that is given and available for use immediately, by the fact that it is pledged to the school well in advance of its use. Planned gifts are typically made through wills, life insurance policies, the creation of a charitable trust, or other means, and the funds are only made available when the donor passes away.
This type of donation allows donors to make much more sizable donations than they could usually make immediately, and it offers assurance to the Rams Club and the Carolina athletic programs that money will be available in the future despite the current state of the economy or a program.
“Even though donors may be fickle with their outright gifts, once they make that planned gift, we know that that's going to be coming to us, despite the economy, despite coaching changes, despite losing or winning records,” said Sue Walsh, the director of legacy programs for The Rams Club.
Over 250 people have contributed to UNC athletics through the planned giving program, and The Rams Club has almost $64 million in planned gifts. About $21 million of that money is designated specifically for athletic scholarships, with about $2 million having been released for use so far.
Ed Erickson's gifts, which were realized this year, have also been designated for athletic scholarships. The first of his two donations was added to the existing golf scholarship that was already set up in his brother's name.
The second gift established an endowment that will completely fund a second scholarship. Although the first gift was designated specifically for the golf program, the second one may be used for any sport at the athletic department's discretion. This year it is being used for football, to honor Chuck's time on the team.
At over a million dollars, that gift is incredibly significant to The Rams Club, the University's athletic programs and the school itself. It is the largest planned gift Carolina has ever received from someone within the Carolina athletic family.
“I think it sets a great example,” Walsh said. “To have such a visible member of our family give a gift like that sends a strong message to other people to consider doing everything they can to ensure the longevity of the program.”
Current Tar Heel coaches believe that these scholarships will allow student athletes to understand some of the history behind Carolina's many athletic programs and the people who helped shape them.
They also agree that the gifts show how far the Carolina family reaches and how important it is for the continuation of the school and its athletics.
“It just shows how this athletic department is such a family. The love for this University…spreads through generations,” Sapp said. “So I think it's really special to see that (Ed Erickson) chose to make this donation in honor of what Chuck had already done for our athletic program.”
And according to Gunnells, who was a close friend and golfing partner of Chuck and Ed, honoring Chuck's dedication to UNC and its athletic programs was a big reason why Ed gave both of these gifts to the school.
She believes that, if he knew what Ed had given, Chuck would be happy with how his brother has extended the Erickson legacy at UNC.
“Chuck would have been very proud and honored,” Gunnells said. “This is an honor that Chuck's been deserving of for a long time because he basically gave his life for this University.”
Now that legacy can, and will, continue to live on in all the athletic programs at Carolina and the student athletes that will have a chance to succeed because of the Erickson brothers and their families.
