Mac's right-hand man takes spot at Hawaii

Alex Gerke, who has been the assistant head coach for the Weber State University Football Team since the 2005 season, is leaving.

He has accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Hawaii to work under recently named Hawaii Head Coach Greg McMackin.

"It's a great opportunity for him," said WSU Head Coach Ron McBride. "I'm happy for him. It's tough to have him leave, but it's a great step for him. He's going to make a real big salary. I'm extremely happy for him. It's sad for us, obviously, because of what he brought to the table here."

McBride said he couldn't imagine a better coach for Gerke to work for. McMackin was the defensive coordinator when McBride was the head coach at the University of Utah.

Gerke played for McBride in 1982-1983 when McBride was the offensive line coach of the Utes. Gerke went on to a head coaching position at Golden West Junior College before he came to WSU. He always took with him the lessons he learned from McBride.

"[Gerke's] a carbon copy of Coach McBride," said WSU Graduate Assistant Coach Jake Francks, who was Gerke's right-hand man. "The way Coach McBride was when he was an offensive line coach was what 'Gerk' was really trying to mimic."

As assistant head coach at WSU, Gerke was responsible whenever McBride was out of town or unavailable. He coached a game for the suspended McBride two seasons ago in which WSU beat Eastern Washington University.

Gerke worked specifically with WSU's offensive line. In 2006, three of his lineman earned All-Big Sky Conference Honors. David Hale was named to the league's first team. Chad Glover and Dmitri Tsoumpas were awarded honorable mention. His lineman were also major contributor's to WSU running back Trevyn Smith's back-to-back Big Sky rushing titles.

"He's probably one of the better offensive line coaches in the country," McBride said. "He's extremely knowledgeable. He's good at motivating the kids. He's just a good coach and deserves to have good things happen to him, which they will."

Gerke will always be remembered at WSU for his disciplinary nature and in-your-face style.

"He was extremely intense," "What really separated him was that he was a guy who would get into players' faces. He was always a guy who would speak exactly what was on his mind at the exact moment."

Although the task of filling Gerke's shoes is a tough one, it apparently is doable. McBride said he has a new coach ready to go but the paper work isn't finalized yet. An announcement should be made later this week.

"We've basically offered the position," McBride said, "and if everything works out, the guy will be every bit as good as Alex. He's another guy who's played for me and coached for me, and he's been in the pros for the last five years. So if we can get him here we won't lose a step. In fact we may gain a little bit because of his experience since he's left me."

Gerke was unavailable for an interview Tuesday as he left for Hawaii on Monday. He will no doubt fit right in on the islands. Francks said he has a great relationship with the Hawaiian players he has coached at WSU. His patented shorts and tank top combo he would wear to practices also should fit in. Even in some colder conditions at WSU, Gerke was seen screaming at players dressed like he was on a beach.