OGDEN — Weber State has hired coaching veteran Tom Freeman as the Wildcats' new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.

Coach Ron McBride said Thursday that he is adding Freeman to the staff. Freeman replaces Don Eck, who left Weber State for an assistant coaching job with Las Vegas in the new United Football League.

McBride says he's known Freeman since the 1960s. Freeman has coached at Central Florida the past two seasons and has also coached at Stanford, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Arizona State, San Diego State and Hawaii.

"Tom is a coach I have know since the late 1960s and I always thought he did a great job everywhere he has been," said McBride. "He's been around the block and has been involved in a variety of different coaching staffs and philosophies so he has some tremendous football knowledge. We are very fortunate to have been able to get hm here at Weber State."

McBride also announced that Matt Hammer, who has served as the running backs coach has been named assistant head coach. Hammer will remain as coach of the running backs and coordinator of all WSU's football recruiting efforts but will assist Coach McBride in the day-to-day operations of running the football program.

"Matt is an extremely intelligent and organized individual," said McBride. "I am asking him to take on a lot more duties in addition to his already full work load but I have confidence he is up to the task."