Eric Albright
Class of 1992
Inducted May 2014
Eric Albright, a 1992 graduate of Royalton High School, was highly involved in many aspects of student life. In the performing arts and activities he was a member of student council, involved in Letterman’s Club, the school newspaper, knowledge bowl, band, National Honor
Society, drama and One Act Play. At the District 19 One-Act Play competition in 1992 Royalton earned its first District Championship and Eric was voted District 19 Outstanding Male Actor. Eric was also the valedictorian of his graduating class. Albright was also a Royalton four-sport athlete. He was four-year letter winner in football, basketball, and baseball. During his junior and senior years, he was letter winner in track-and-field and was a member of the Prairie Conference champion 4 x 1 relay team. For three years, Eric earned All-Conference honors in baseball and basketball and was voted Conference MVP in basketball his senior year. During Eric’s high school career along with a strong group of fellow athletes they were the nucleus of an era in which Royalton transitioned from second division programs to conference powers. As a result of hard work, dedication, and perseverance, Eric was a member of five conference championship teams.
After graduation, Eric attended Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Studies Education in 1996. While at Hamline, he was a two-year captain of the university's baseball team leading the Piper pitching staff- in wins in 1995. After graduation Albright attended the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring and worked in the Gulf Coast League as a professional umpire during the 1997 baseball season.
He was recruited, and strongly encouraged to continue his aspiring umpiring career, but he
instead decided to pursue a future in education and coaching instead.
Eric was hired as a Social Studies teacher in the fall of 1997 at Midland High School in Midland, Michigan. He continued his love of baseball as he joined the baseball coaching staff- the following spring. Coach Albright took over as the head baseball coach of the Midland High School Chemics team in 2003, and over the past ten years his Chemics have an overall record of 253-92 including three Saginaw Valley League titles in (2005, 2010, 2012), and one district championship in (2010). Saginaw Valley is considered the strongest high school baseball conference in all of Michigan. Since 2003, his teams with Eric at the helm have won at least 20 games in every season.
Eric inspires athletes to play baseball beyond high school and as a result, seventeen of his Chemics have played college baseball, including five at the Division I level. He served as the varsity assistant coach on their 1998 state championship team and was the junior varsity baseball coach from 1999-2002. Eric has served as Athletic Director at Midland High School since 2010, and continues as the head baseball coach for the Chemics. He and his wife Monique, live in Midland, Michigan with their children, Josh, Maya and Carter.