Max Gerber, a longtime sports information director at the University of Toledo during what is considered the golden age of Rockets athletics, died Thursday. He was 88.

He was under hospice care at The Lakes of Sylvania, an assisted living facility.

Max, who spent his entire life in Ohio, was born on Jan. 31, 1929. He was raised on a farm in Shelby County and graduated from a small high school in Jackson Center. He attended Capital University, where he was sports editor of the school newspaper.

After college, he was a teacher at Linden-McKinley High School while working as a correspondent for multiple Columbus newspapers.

He left teaching to cover Ohio State sports for the Ohio State Journal. As a staff member at the Journal, he covered the 1960 Rose Bowl between Ohio State and Oregon, but the paper folded soon after.

“I was out of work after the State Journal folded, so I did some substitute teaching and worked on my masters degree until I got a call from Clive Rush, who I’d known as an assistant at Ohio State and who was then head football coach of Toledo,” Gerber told The Blade in an October, 2006, story.

Urged by Rush, Gerber agreed to work as the sports information director for Toledo starting in August, 1960.

“I wasn’t the first sports information director, but I was the first professional with a background in media work, and the first to have the position full time,” Gerber told The Blade. “The job was really in its infancy then.”

Gerber was ahead of his time in many ways as a sports information director during his 28-year career, which ended when he retired in March, 1988.

Before media guides became the norm for college athletic programs and computers made the access of information instant, Gerber found ways to promote the UT athletic programs.

When Toledo had a road football game, Gerber would travel to the opposing school and speak with the local beat writers and conduct radio and TV interviews informing the opposing media about the Rockets.

He later developed what he called “Dope Books,” books about the size of a Reader’s Digest which were packed with useful information and served as early forms of today’s media guides.

At the height of the UT football team’s 35-game win streak from 1969-71, the Rockets were garnering national attention. Writers from Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and the TV networks descended on Toledo to cover the phenomenon.

“They all wanted credentials, and the press box at the time maybe had room for six or seven media members,” former Blade sports writer John Bergener said.

“He didn’t evict any of the local news media. He put two of the big shots on the roof of the press box outside. He catered to his local people. He took care of the local people. That’s the kind of guy he was. He was very loyal to his local people and he made sure that we were taken care of but, at the same time, he was still critical if we made a mistake.”

On November 6, 1993, the new Glass Bowl press box was dedicated as the Max E. Gerber Center. In 1996, Gerber was inducted into the Varsity “T” Hall of Fame.

“Max is one of the good guys,” former Blade sports columnist Dave Hackenberg said.

“He had a curmudgeonly edge to him at times, but he was the sweetest guy inside. He would do anything he could to help you. Probably the greatest thing about him is that he was one of the last remaining ties to the [Frank] Lauterbur and [Bob] Nichols eras, which in football and basketball were the golden age of UT sports in those two sports.”

Gerber always had a seat reserved at the new press box which bears his name, even after his retirement.

“That was the highest point of interest in UT sports and the facilities were dreadful,” Hackenberg said of Gerber’s early years with UT.

“But he made it work and, as a result of that, there was nothing more appropriate than to name the new press box in his honor.”

John McNamara spent four years as a student assistant under Gerber, was later a full-time assistant sports information director, and eventually was the successor to Gerber when he retired. McNamara said Gerber always was professional, but also stood up for what he believed.

“He taught me so many things during our time together at UT,” McNamara said. “He taught me the technical skills of being a solid college SID, but even moreso he taught me how to be a professional and really to hold true to my standards of right and wrong.

“He taught me to speak up and stand up in defending my principles and beliefs, even when many would remain silent. Basically, he taught me character, and that’s what Max had in abundance.”

In three decades at UT, Gerber left a lasting legacy on the athletic programs.

“Max Gerber was one of the true legends in Rocket athletics,” UT vice president and athletic director Mike O’Brien said in a statement.

“Though he never played or coached at UT, Max made a tremendous impact as its sports information director for nearly three decades. Max had a true passion for the University of Toledo. His hard work and dedication were instrumental in helping to build the national reputation of our athletics program in the 1960’s and until his retirement in 1988,” O’Brien said.

Gerber is survived by his son Rick Morrison, his daughter-in-law Mary Morrison, and grandson Andrew Mikolajczyk, and preceded in death by his wife, Rosemary Gerber.

His family said funeral arrangements are pending.

Contact Brian Buckey at: bbuckey@theblade.com or 419-724-6110.

First Published June 2, 2017, 4:39 a.m.