Ervins attended John Muir High School in Pasadena, California, where he participated in football, baseball and competed in track and field.

[1] In college, Ervins' touchdown run won the 1990 Rose Bowl for the USC Trojans and he was the game's most valuable player.

His eight consecutive 100-yard performances at USC were behind only Heisman winners Charles White (10) and Marcus Allen (11) and has since been broken by former Trojans running back Reggie Bush.

In the Super Bowl, he was the game's leading rusher, with 72 yards[2] on 13 carries as the Redskins beat the Buffalo Bills 37–24.

[4] He now runs a business, Xtreme Xplosion, that trains high school athletes in Northern Virginia.