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Robb Akey, Head Coach

When Robb Akey accepted the Vandal head coaching job last December, he brought with him an attitude of "climbing the ladder." For Akey, the next rung on the ladder always was a head coaching position. As for his team, he is positioning the Vandals to climb the Western Athletic Conference ladder.

At the various stops during his climb to the top, Vandal football has been on his radar.

"I’ve been very familiar with this program from the first day that I played college football because we played Idaho when I was at Weber State," Akey said. "I know Idaho and the success that it has had in the past, and the great history that this program possesses.

"It’s my desire to bring that pride back into this program and get it back to the point that it once was where it was a force in Western football and I want it to be a nationally known team."

In addition to bringing back the pride of the Vandal program, Akey seeks to restore the confidence that the team and Vandal fans have in their head coach. As the Vandals’ third head coach in as many seasons, Akey has a restoration plan.

"They need to know that somebody does want to be their coach and intends to build a program here," he said. "I know that they have been told that before, so what they need to see and what I’ve worked hard to show them, is that when I tell them that I’m going to do something, it gets backed up with action."

Akey recognizes the passion not only the players but boosters, alums and friends have for the Vandal athletic programs. He promises to reciprocate with the same intensity.

"People are very passionate about this program," Akey said. "When they see me and my staff come in and be equally passionate about the program, I think they will respect that."

To those on the outside who may still be skeptical, Akey simply points out that becoming a Division I head coach always has been the top rung of his ladder.

"I’m committed to being here and I’m excited about what we can do," he says. "I didn’t take this job to be someplace else. I took this job to be the head coach at the University of Idaho."

During his journey to a Division I head job, Akey has traveled hundreds of miles. The distance between the last few rungs of his climb, however, was only eight miles.

He arrived at Washington State University as the defensive line coach in 1999 and fell in love with the area. When he was given the added responsibility of defensive coordinator for the Cougars in 2003, Akey came to appreciate the many positive aspects of the Palouse.

"I’ve been up here nine years, and I think it’s the perfect place to build a family," said Akey, who has two sons – Jack and Daniel. "I also think it’s the perfect place to build a family of a football team. We have the ability to eliminate the distractions of the city, so when we bring players in here they can focus on what’s important to them and that’s getting their degree and being the best player they can be."

After some time in Pullman, Akey’s two families grew together. About the players at Washington State he said, "I know the players at WSU treated my kids like they were their little brothers, and I know my sons felt that way about them."
When the time came for Akey to ascend to his dream job Jack and Daniel couldn’t have been happier.

"My sons put it to me this way, they said, ‘Dad, now we will have 200 big brothers instead of 100 big brothers.’ "

However, Akey did not simply gain 100 football players as new family, he also welcomed in the entire Vandal nation. The transition should go smoothly though since the Idaho faithful are a group that he has been in close proximity to over the past several years.

Before arriving on the Palouse, Akey spent many years traversing the West on his path to the top of the ladder.
His climb started with his college playing days at Ogden Utah where he was a standout for Weber State University Wildcats and where his first ties to Idaho would catch hold. Not only did he play for the man, Mike Price, who eventually would lure him to the Palouse, he met his wife, Molly, there. Turns out his bride-to-be, Molly Hannan Akey, was the daughter of the man who led nearby Lewis-Clark State College through an important era in its history as the NAIA school’s athletics director.

There he would learn much from Price; the man to whom Akey credits with influencing him the most as a coach. After four years of playing defense for the Wildcats, Akey received his first opportunity to coach when Price hired him as an assistant defensive line coach.

Only one year into his stint as the assistant defensive line coach at Weber State, Akey moved up another rung when he received all of the responsibility for the defensive line. After five years at that level, Akey decided that it was once again time to climb when, in 1995, he accepted a job at Northern Arizona University where a relationship with current Vandal offensive coordinator Steve Axman would be forged.

Just as at Weber State, Akey displayed his desire to lead, and accepted a promotion to defensive coordinator after just one year. In 1999, Price came calling with an opportunity for Akey to coach in the Pac 10. He coached the Cougars’ defensive line for four seasons before being elevated to defensive coordinator in 2003. That step on the ladder included three 10-victory seasons, three top-10 finishes, one Outland Trophy winner, and the individual and unit that led the nation in quarterback sacks.

Now that Akey has finally reached the position of head coach, the job that he has been climbing to for nearly 20 years, he can institute his philosophy of "climbing the ladder" in his own program. In addition to his team climbing the ladder in terms of wins, he sees the whole program in a position to improve in every aspect. With his energetic and energizing personality, Akey hopes to instill in his new team his desire for excellence.

"With the changes in facilities and becoming a WAC member," Akey said, "Idaho is at a launching point right now and we have a chance to build a program that can be what everyone wants their program to be."

Coaching experience
1988, Assistant defensive line coach, Weber State University
1989-94, Defensive line coach, Weber State University
1995, Special teams coordinator/linebackers coach, Northern Arizona University
1996-98, Defensive coordinator, Northern Arizona University
1999-2002, Defensive line coach, Washington State University
2003-06, Defensive coordinator/defensive line coach, Washington State University

Personal
Wife: Molly
Sons: Jack and Daniel
Born: July 24, 1966
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
High school: Wasson High School, 1984
College: Weber State University, 1988

Coach Patrick Libey

For secondary coach Patrick Libey, coaching at the University of Idaho isn’t another step in a career that leads somewhere else. For Libey, Idaho is the destination and that falls right into Akey’s plan of building a family.

About Libey, Akey said, "We’re bringing part of the family back. He’s a Vandal. He’s an alum. He cares about this place big time. He’s going to put his heart and soul into it."

During his time as an athlete at Idaho, Libey was a two-time captain for the Vandals as a linebacker. He finished his playing career with 226 total tackles.

Akey underscores the fact that Libey is an Idaho alum by saying, "Having a Vandal on our staff is going to be a big plus. He carries the Vandal pride to work with him every day. That’s going to be an awesome deal for us."

Libey came back to the Vandals from across the border where three years ago he was a graduate assistant at Washington State underneath Akey. Having had the ability to see Libey in action was more important to Akey’s decision to bring him back to Moscow than any other reason.

"He’s young but he did a great job as a graduate assistant," Akey said. "He has a burning desire to teach it the right way."

Coach Brent Baier

Baier is a 1999 graduate of Chino High School in Chino, Calif., where he played football and baseball.  He attended California Lutheran University from 1999-2003, where he played quarterback for the Kingsmen.  Baier was also a member of the CLU track team.  After college, Baier went on to become the offensive coordinator and the quarterback coach for Claremont McKenna College in 2004.  He was born Dec. 24, 1980 and is married to Kasi Baier.  

Coach Jeremy Thielbahr

Thielbahr became a full member of Robb Akey’s staff in the fall of 2008 after serving as a graduate assistant working with tight ends for in 2007.

He has pursued a coaching career since graduating from Washington State University in 2001 as a double major – Social Studies and History with a minor in Sociology.

Thielbahr was a four-year letterman at Washington State. He played at running back and tight end and was the special teams captain as a senior. He was a member of the Cougars’ Rose and Sun bowl teams and, after completing his eligibility, played in the Paradise Bowl and New Era Bowl – two college football all-star games.

He was a graduate assistant at WSU for three seasons and was a part of the staffs of the 2002 Rose Bowl and 2003 Holiday Bowl teams.

He left Washington State for Montana State where he served in various capacities. He was the Bobcats’  tight ends coach and video coordinator from 2004-05. He added recruiting coordinator responsibilities in 2006 – a role he maintained though 2007 even though he migrated to the defensive side of the ball and was the defensive line coach and assistant head coach from 2005-07.

Thielbahr completed his Master of Arts in teaching in 2007.

Coach Dan Finn

Coach Dan Finn is back for his third season as the Offensive Line Coach for the Idaho Vandals.

Coach Dan Finn started his college carrier at Northern Arizona. While at Northern Arizona, Finn was a starting offensive lineman under then head coach Steve Axman. For two of the years during Finn’s time with the Lumberjacks, Robb Akey prowled the sidelines as the defensive coordinator.

After Finn was chosen to the NCAA Division I-AA All-America first team in both 1996 and 1997, the three embarked on very different journeys on their ways to Moscow. Finn’s travels initially led him to the NFL, where in 1999 he started as a guard in NFL Europe.

After his playing career ended, Finn made coaching stops in Phoenix and Southern Utah before taking a job as a graduate assistant offensive line coach at the University of Utah.

Akey is excited to give Finn the chance to oversee the entire offensive line of a Division I-A program.

"He was a physical and aggressive player," Akey said, "so he brings that into his teaching of the game," Akey said. "You want an offensive line to be aggressive and I think that he brings that tenacity."

Akey also likes to bring up his concept of building a family when he speaks of Finn.

"This gives us an opportunity to show that you will be one of our players for life," Akey said. "Here’s a guy who played for us years ago and now here he is working with us."

Coach Eti Ena

Eti Ena has joined the University of Idaho football staff as the Vandals’ defensive line coach this past spring.

Ena, a graduate of Eastern Washington University, comes to Idaho after three seasons at Eastern Oregon University. He was the Mountaineers’ assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator last season after serving as defensive coordinator, linebackers coach and strength and conditioning coordinator in 2006 and 2007.

“I’m very excited about the addition of Eti to our staff,” Akey said. “He’s a great teacher and a great communicator. His reputation among the young men he’s coached is outstanding.”

Prior to his stint at Eastern Oregon, Ena was the assistant defensive line coach at Eastern Washington (2004-05) and assistant linebackers coach (2003) for the Eagles. His coaching career began at Shelton (Wash.) where he was the junior varsity head coach and later the high school linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator.

“His experience at all levels of football is a tremendous bonus,” said Akey, noting Ena’s brother and father both are football coaches.

Ena said he welcomes the FBS coaching opportunity.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the University of Idaho coaching staff,” said Ena, who graduated from Inchelium (Wash.) High School. “This is a great opportunity to work with a great staff and great people.”

Ena played linebacker at Utah’s Snow College and Walla Walla (Wash.) Community College before transferring to Eastern Washington. A shoulder injury during his junior year ended his playing career.

Coach Mark Criner

One of the most difficult coaching positions for Robb Akey to when he came to the University of Idaho was the job of defensive coordinator.

"Because I am a former defensive coordinator," he said, "it’s not always easy to say, ‘all right you go run the defense now’."

Luckily for Akey, he found a replica of his aggressive defensive mindset in Mark Criner.

"He and I share a lot of the same beliefs about how defense needs to be played. He’s going to be aggressive and he’s going to get after it."

To realize the positive aspects that he brings to the table, Akey simply points to everything that Criner has accomplished in his 16-year year career.

"At each of the spots that he has been a coordinator, they’ve been the No. 1 defense in their conference," Akey said. "At Middle Tennessee and Cincinnati, they were ranked in the top 20 defenses in all of Division I-A."

Criner now is making his return to football in the state of Idaho after graduating from Boise State University where, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, his father, Jim, was the head coach. Akey appreciates his new defensive coordinators ties to the Vandals’ cross-state rival.

"I like the fact that he played down at BSU, so he has a lot of motivation to beat those guys," Akey said.

Motivation to beat a rival or not, Akey has nothing but praise for Mark Criner.

"He’s proven his ability to get it done," Akey said. "He’s a good fit all the way around."

Coach Blake Malsam

Malsam earned his bachelor's degree in Secondary Education at Idaho in the spring of 2009 and begins the fall of 2009 as the Vandals' defensive graduate assistant.

Malsam has been the defensive administrative assistant since the fall of 2007. He came to Idaho after two seasons at Whitworth University, where he was a receiver and cornerback for the Pirates in 2004-05 and 2005-06. He graduated in 2004 from Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High School in 2004. He was an all Inland Empire selection in football where he played receiver and cornerback. He also played on Lake City's basketball team and was a member of the track squad.

He was born Nov. 4, 1985.


 


 

Coach Steve Axman

Ten years ago Steve Axman and Robb Akey had a coordinator/head coach relationship. In 2007, they do again – only this time with the roles reversed. At Northern Arizona University from 1996-98, Akey served as the defensive coordinator under Axman. When Akey, with his extensive defensive background, was hired as Idaho’s head coach, he knew exactly who he wanted to have calling the shots on offense.

"He has been through the situation that I’ve put myself into as a head coach," Akey said. "So I’ve got a sounding board in someone who has been through the same situation, and I think that will help out tremendously in regards to being the head football coach and in building the program the way that we want it."

At the many stops Axman has made throughout his coaching career, he has met with success. Throughout his journey, he has coached many big-time names – Troy Aikman at UCLA and Marques Tuiasosopo at Washington. He’s shared his expertise in the form of a dozen books on offensive coaching.

Akey values the experience that Axman brings to the Vandals.

"I like being able to bring experience to this staff," Akey said. "He has coordinated at the highest level, he has been in the Pac 10, the ACC, and he has put a number of quarterbacks into the NFL. Troy Aikman played for him at UCLA, so he has a long list of success in different spots."

Axman’s most recent success came at Montana, where he coached the quarterbacks for the 12-2 Grizzlies.

Together once again, Akey is eager to start the season with Axman. The team has certainly worked before. While at NAU, the tandem put together the first team in school history to make it to the Division I-AA playoffs, and a No. 6 ranking in the season’s final poll. Akey attributes that success at NAU to Axman’s offense.

"Everywhere he has been it has been a productive offense and he has been the reason for that," Akey said.

Not only, Akey said, has his former mentor been successful, he’s put some exciting and explosive offenses on the field.

"He coaches the style of offense that I want to play here," Akey said. "It’s going to be an exciting offense that we can take advantage of being in the Dome."

Axman is a 1969 graduate of C.W. Post at Greenvale, N.Y. He has masters degrees from Long Island University (1972) and East Stroudsburg State (1974). He and his wife, Dr. Marie Axman, have four daughters – Mary Beth, Jaclyn, Melissa and Kimberly. He is a native of Huntington Station, N.Y.

Equipment Manager Damien Garnett

Damien Garnett joins the University of Idaho staff as the Director of Athletics Equipment Operations and Services. Garnett comes to Idaho after four years as the equipment manager for the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. Prior to working for the Destroyers, he was the Athletic Equipment Manager for Olympic Sports at the University of Cincinnati (2001-2005) and the Football Equipment Manager at Lehigh University (2000-01). He is a 2000 graduate of Wilmington College with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management.

“Damien brings across the board experience as an equipment manager,” said Barrie Steele, Idaho’s director of student athlete services. “He has knowledge of all sports’ needs in addition to his experience at the collegiate and professional levels.”

He and his wife, Jill, have two daughters Katelyn and Maddyson.






 

Defensive Student Assistant Chris Baltzer

Baltzer joined the Vandals last fall as a defensive administrative assistant. He is a graduate of Washington State University and of Sheldon High School at Eugene, Ore. He was a linebacker for WSU’s Cougars and while at Sheldon he played football, basketball and baseball and earned seven varsity letters.

He was born March 14, 1985.











 

Coach Luther Carr

If diverse experience on the offensive side of the ball is the job description for an assistant coach, then Luther Carr is the man for the job.

After playing wide receiver for four years at Eastern Washington University, Carr started his coaching career in 1994 at Lewis and Clark High School at Spokane. After several years at Lewis and Clark, he moved home to gain some head coaching experience.

Carr took over as the head coach of his old program at Seattle’s Garfield High School. It wasn’t long, however, until he decided to make the transition to college coaching. His first stop was the University of Washington. From there, it was on to the University of Montana where he spent several years coaching the wide receivers and running backs.

In addition to Carr’s experience in coaching at many levels, Akey cites his teaching ability as another of Carr’s bonuses.

"It is important to me that all of my coaches be great teachers," Akey said, "and that is exactly what he is. He was a teacher when he was the head coach of Garfield High School before he got into four-year ball. That led to him getting a job at Montana, and they had great success the whole time that he was there."

To be a great teacher, one has to know his students. In football that means recruits, and according to Akey, Carr is one of the best at recruiting.

"He’s got a great passion for recruiting," Akey said. "We will sit down and start talking about kids and he knows every kid in the Northwest."

Another key to being a great teacher is to know the system inside and out. Luckily for Carr and the Vandals, he has had experience while he was a graduate assistant at Washington when current Vandal offensive coordinator Steve Axman was with the Huskies.

"He has experience in the system," Akey said.

Offensive Graduate Assistant Matt Troxel

Troxel begins work on his master's degree at Idaho after earning his bachelor's degree at the University of Montana. He was a three-year letterman for the Grizzlies and was the 2007 recipient of the Naisby Reinhardt Athletic Academic Endowment. Montana was a three-time Big Sky Conference champion, I-AA runner-up and I-AA semifinalist while Troxel played there. He is the grandson of the late Ed Troxel, former Idaho coaching and a northwest coaching legend. He is a 2004 graduate of Coeur d'Alene's Lake City High School.

He was born Jan. 17, 1986.



 

Coach Rob Christoff

Rob Christoff has joined Robb Akey’s football staff as linebackers coach at the University of Idaho.

“Rob brings very good knowledge; very good teaching ability,” Akey said of Christoff. “He’s very well respected on this side of the country. I can’t tell you how many phone calls I got telling me what a valuable addition he would be.”

A 1995 graduate of Linfield College, Christoff’s coaching career dates to 1996 when he was the defensive line coach at Linfield. From Linfield, he went to Colorado where he was a graduate assistant (1997 and 1998) before a spring at Cal State Northridge (1999) and a fall at Saint Mary’s College (1999).

His next stop was at Montana State University, where he spent seven seasons – the first six as linebackers coach before serving as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator in 2006. He spent the 2007 season as linebackers coach at Idaho State University before making his move to an FBS team with a graduate assistantship at Boise State (2008).

“He grew up in football,” said Akey, referring to Christoff’s father, A.J. Christoff is a long-time collegiate coach and former University of Idaho player. “Rob worked his way up.”

In addition to playing for two seasons at Linfield – one as a defensive end and the other as a linebacker, Christoff was a two-year letterman at linebacker for Boise State. He spent one season in the European Football League as a linebacker for the Deggendorf (Germany) Blackhawks.

Director of Football Operations Mark Vaught

Vaught is in his second season as Director of Football Operations after earning his master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership at the University of Washington. He graduated cum laude from Oregon State University with a bachelor's degree in Business.

In preparing for a career in athletics adminstration, Vaught served as the interim director of the Nordstrom Tennis Center, was the assistant director of the Pac-10 Women's Golf Championship (2007) and the NCAA Volleyball Regional (2006).

He also served as the visiting team liaison at the NCAA Gymnastics National Championship in 2006, assisted in Oregon State Event Management (2003-06) and Oregon State Football Operations (winter 2006).

He and his wife, Bailey, were married in July 2009.