There was nothing that kept Drew Gerber out of the starting lineup on Youngstown State’s offensive front from 1990 though 1993.
Gerber started every game, 57 of them, in that stretch as the Penguins amassed a 47-9-1 record while winning Division I-AA National Championships in 1991 and 1993 and finishing as a runner-up in 1992.
He is one of three captains of the 1993 Penguins -- Tamron Smith and Jeff Wilkins -- who are being inducted as part of this year’s YSU Hall of Fame class.
Rushing the football was the backbone to the Penguins’ success in the early 1990’s and Gerber was the anchor of the line during that time.
After redshirting in 1989, Gerber was in the starting lineup for the 1990 opener against Bloomsburg at offensive tackle where he started every game. The Penguins had a perfect 11-0 regular-season mark before being upset by Central Florida in the first round of the playoffs.
The next year, Gerber helped lead YSU to the pinnacle of Division I-AA by winning the school’s first-ever National Championship. The Penguins finished the year 12-3 winning their final eight games on the way to the title. Once again, he started every game this time at offensive guard helping YSU average an impressive 235.6 yards rushing per game and a total of 3,534 for the season.
In 1992, the Penguins again played for the National Championship, this time losing to Marshall 31-28. For the season, YSU had 5,486 yards of total offense, the second-highest total in school history while finishing 11-3-1.
During his senior campaign, Gerber went out on a high note as the Penguins finished 13-2 and won their second national title beating Marshall 17-5 in the championship game. YSU had an impressive 13-2 mark.
In his final year, he received many accolades, which were long overdue. He was first-team Associated Press All-American and was a Kodak All-American. Gerber garnered second-team All-America honors by The Sports Network that season as well. He also worked extremely hard in the weight room and was named a NSCA All-American.
Gerber remained a part of the program the following season as a student assistant coach. Again, the Penguins had success finishing the 1994 season with a 14-0-1 record and winning their third title in the four years.
He earned his degree from YSU in Education and went on to get a Masters in Education at Marygrove College.
Drew lives in his hometown of Wooster and teaches math at the Opportunity School, an alternative education school for at-risk kids in Wooster and Wayne County schools. He also is an assistant coach for the football and track and field teams.
At Wooster High, he was a first-team All-Ohio, first-team all-league and first-team all-county selection in football before coming to YSU.
