Al Genatone steps into his first season with the Vandals as yet another example of Coach Robb Akey taking care of his "family."
Genatone played as a linebacker at Washington State during Akey’s time as the defensive coordinator there. During their years as player-coach, the duo enjoyed a great deal of success on the field. Akey attributes much of the success of the Cougars during that time to the leadership of Genatone.
"He was one of the leaders of our teams at WSU back when we had three consecutive 10-win seasons," Akey said.
In addition to the 10-win seasons, Genatone helped the Cougars to a Sun Bowl championship, Pac 10 championship, a Holiday Bowl championship, and a Rose Bowl appearance.
After graduating from Washington State, Genatone worked as a graduate assistant for the Cougars for one year, during which time Akey said Genotone was given a lot of responsibility. Now, after one year at Western Washington University, Akey feels confident in giving Genatone even more responsibility with the Vandals.
Akey describes Genatone as being a player-coach during his senior year at Washington State. That trait is why he believes Genatone will be a great young coach.
"You can gain an advantage having some of these young football coaches in that they’re not that far removed from that day-to-day life of a player," Akey said. "They understand what the players are experiencing."
