BOISE -- Football Coach Dan Hawkins became a household name in Idaho, as he racked up four straight conference titles with Boise State, before going on to coach Colorado in 2006.

Now, he's about to take a unique brand of coaching north of the border into the professional ranks with the 'Dallas Cowboys' of the Canadian Football League, the Montreal Alouettes.

As Canadian sports fans are about to find out, this hawk is unlike any bird they have seen.

How do you introduce this adventure loving, reading addict, football scholar, devout family man and Christian to a country that has no clue who or what Dan Hawkins is?

That, was the question Canada's number one television network, CTV's leading sports anchor, Brian Williams, came to Idaho to answer.

Yes, the Canadian Brian Williams, who is actually more like the Bob Costas of Canada.

Williams watched Dan's introductory press conference the day he was announced as the Montreal Alouette's new coach and was swept up in his energy.

I said, we've got to go Idaho to learn something about this fellow and the more I read about him, I mean swimming with sharks, climbing Macchu Picchu, running with the bulls. I said either this guy is truly unique or he is downright nuts! I said we've got to get to Boise! said Williams.

Williams and his CTV network crew spent the entire day at the Hawkins house in Boise. They talked with Dan's daughter Brittany, watched Dan and his wife, Misti, play with the grandkids, toured Dan's office and his vast library that touches all corners of the literary world, past and present.

It was a bit surreal for a man who is so grounded in his life, his beliefs and his family, and even though the story most reporters want to tell is the time Dan dove with sharks and hiked in the Amazon rainforest.

There's a lot myth to it. You've been around me long enough to know some of that stuff is just fluff, said Dan.

However, the myth is about to turn into reality when the Hawkins family begin their next adventure.

Dan Hawkins is stepping into a franchise that has a rich history, a rich sports history. Hockey is number one but the Allouettes are huge in Montreal, said Williams.

In addition, he is doing it as he has done everything in his life, without fear, and excited about taking his collegiate coaching model to the pros.

Tricky Dick Nixon said, 'you gotta be the butcher and you gotta be the baker... you gotta be able to grow it and sometimes you gotta be able to cut it,' said Dan.

Dan and Misti will not bring a car to Canada, they will live in old town Montreal, which is as European of a city as you will find anywhere in North America, and try to dovetail their Idaho lifestyle into the Canadian version.

He will try to learn French. They don't expect you to speak French but all they want you to do is bonjour, comment ca va?, said Williams.

I got the maj, naj, couer, homme and femme, said Dan of his French speaking skills.

The French are Latin, they are demonstrative, passionate, they care. They speak with their hands like Dan Hawkins, so they will love each other! said Williams.

An Alouette translates to Lark in English, and ironically, that means, the leading bird on one of Canada's most storied sports franchises is a Hawk, or in French a epervier.

Boise State fans will notice a couple of familiar names on the Alouettes roster this season, including former Bronco running back Jeremy Avery.

The Alloutte regular season begins on June 27 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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