Saturday’s football game between Montana Tech and Eastern Oregon will be a homecoming of sorts.

Butte native Chris Alexander will coach his first game for the Orediggers at Alumni Coliseum. Alexander, a former standout at Montana Western, takes over as the Tech defensive line coach after a year as defensive coordinator at Hamilton High School. Alexander also spent three years coaching the defensive line at Western.

The 2002 Butte High graduate replaces Skippy Sims as a full-time assistant. Sims left the team over the summer to start a business in his hometown of Malta.

Morrell said Alexander is a great addition to his staff.

“He’s a Butte guy, so he’s got a lot of knowledge from a recruiting standpoint,” Morrell added. “He knows the area very well and hHe’s made a reall nice transition — he knows the college game really well. So it’s been a big benefit getting him on board.”