A group has requested the West Aurora School District board recognize the legacy of retired educator and coach Rick Albright by naming the Jefferson Middle School gym in his honor.
District and building administrators convened a committee to assess the career of Albright as an educator, coach and alum of West Aurora High School.
The committee included West Aurora School District Associate Superintendent Angie Smith; Athletic Director Jason Buckley; Neal Ormond, known as the Voice of the Blackhawks and a former West Aurora school board member; and Jefferson Middle School Principal Jeff Bryant.
The committee presented a summary of its work to the school board earlier this month.
“Honoring Rick Albright’s legacy is important not only for his impressive personal achievements but also for the way his work continues to inspire new generations of students and athletes,” Bryant told The Beacon-News.
Albright dedicated his career to the development of youth in his community, committee members said, and is widely recognized for his 34 years of teaching and contribution to sports, including coaching and broadcasting.
“The naming of the ‘Rick Albright Gymnasium’ at Jefferson Middle School is a fitting tribute to his lifelong service and dedication. This recognition reflects the immeasurable influence he has had on the youth of the district, his students and the community as a whole,” Bryant said.
Albright is a 1962 West Aurora High School alum. He was active in basketball and track while at the school. He earned a teaching degree in economics and social studies from Northern Illinois University, and taught at Jefferson Middle School and Franklin Middle School in West Aurora School District.
Albright continued to serve in the classroom as a substitute teacher for 16 years after his retirement, officials said.
He was a Cub Scout master at Hill Elementary and a church elder at Genesis Community Church, according to officials.
Albright is known for his “unmatched” coaching record in the district, committee members said.
His career includes 33 seasons coaching middle school football where his teams won numerous city championships, 18 seasons coaching middle school track, 13 seasons of middle school boys and girls basketball, 23 seasons of high school boys basketball including five seasons as a freshmen coach and 17 seasons as a sophomore coach plus a season as a varsity coach.
In addition to school sports, Albright coached Little League, Pony League, youth soccer and softball during the summers, officials said.
“Albright’s commitment to education, athletic and community service has made him a beloved figure in Aurora. His influence continues to be felt through the generations of students and athletes he mentored over the years,” the committee said.
Albright worked on broadcasts of West Aurora football games for decades and West Aurora basketball games for 20 years on local radio stations.
He also officiated more than 500 contests in football, basketball and volleyball, including many at Jefferson Middle School, according to officials.
In 2022, Albright was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Albright was inducted into the West Aurora Blackhawk Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015. He was honored with the Community Champions Award by the Compassion Foundation of Aurora for his lifetime efforts working with youth in the city in 2013, officials said.
“Rick’s contributions—whether in the classroom, on the playing field or within the community—highlight the significance of an individual who has poured so much of himself into shaping the future of young people,” Bryant said.
The West Aurora School District board will consider the committee’s recommendation at a future meeting.
Board member Valerie Brown Dykstra said Albright was her teacher at Franklin Middle School.
“I wholeheartedly support the nomination,” she said. “He was a fantastic teacher.”
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
