Idaho coach can jump

MOSCOW, Idaho — Two things we know about Idaho football coach Robb Akey: He's led the Vandals to their finest season in a decade, and, man, can he jump.

Akey's acrobatic leaps when he gets excited (and he is often excited) are the stuff of legend, replayed often on local television. The former defensive lineman vaults off the ground and his knees seem to rise to the level of his head.

In his third season rebuilding the Idaho program, Akey has had plenty of reasons to display this ability. His Vandals are 7-3 heading into their annual showdown with archrival No. 6 Boise State (9-0, 4-0 WAC) on Saturday and Idaho is almost certainly heading to its first bowl game since 1998.

The rejuvenated fan base in Moscow, now dubbed Akey's Army, is thrilled with the first winning season since 1999. And Akey is thrilled with them.

After victories, he'll swap high-fives with fans in the stands. That's after sprinting up and down the sidelines all during the game, and chest-bumping his players when they do well.

"You've got to coach in a positive fashion, and with energy," Akey said.

Akey, 43, is a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who played on the defensive line at Weber State in Utah, where he once held the sacks record.

After ending his playing career at Weber State, he joined the coaching staff there. Then he moved on to Northern Arizona for a few years before joining the staff at Washington State in 1999. He rose to defensive coordinator and helped lead the Cougars to three consecutive 10-win seasons earlier this decade.

Akey was hired by the Vandals in December 2006 to replace Dennis Erickson, who bolted after one season for Arizona State. He was Idaho's fourth coach in five years. Akey called the players over Christmas break to introduce himself.

"I told them, we're going to build a family," Akey said. "A few had the courage to say 'that sounds great, but that's what the last guy said. Why would you be any different?'"

He showed them first with some tough love, purging 17 players he thought were troublemakers. He gave a simple message to the rest.

"I didn't come here to be the principal or the sheriff," Akey said. "Just do the right thing."

How would they know the right thing? If your name appeared on the screen crawl on ESPN, "would your mom and dad and grandma be proud or disappointed in you?" Akey said.

He led by example. In July, Akey was one of five college football coaches who toured military bases in the Middle East. Akey said he was humbled by a visit to a military hospital.

"Had a fantastic conversation with a special forces member who had been injured in a firefight and I will tell you, he is one tough son of a gun," Akey e-mailed back to Idaho fans.

It put the challenges of playing college football into perspective, Akey said.