Mike Alberghini ‘68

He’s been at Grant High School since 1969 and head football coach since 1991. This year he led the Grant High Pacers through an undefeated season to a state bowl title. Now, Sacramento State alum Mike Alberghini ’68, B.A. Physical Education, has been named the National Coach of the Year by high school sports website MaxPreps.

Considered one of northern California’s best coaches, Alberghini’s teams have compiled a 188-32 record over 18 successful seasons that included 15 league and five section titles. It culminated in an upset victory over favored Long Beach Poly in the State Open Division bowl game this past December.

During Alberghini’s 40 years at Grant, most people knew him as the head football coach, but there’s another side to him. The former teacher was also the head baseball coach from 1973 to 1991, racking-up a 427 win record.

Alberghini is more than a coach to the kids in Del Paso Heights. He truly believes they can achieve great things. He’s a mentor, a father-figure, an advisor, and all-around good guy who makes a difference in the lives of his student athletes. That’s not easy to do in the challenged neighborhood of the Heights, but he’s determined to get his players, many of them college bound, to believe in themselves and the future.

Since the improbable championship victory, Alberghini and his team have been caught up in a whirlwind. A boisterous welcome home at the high school, a victory parade through downtown Sacramento ending at the City Hall steps to meet with Mayor Kevin Johnson and other city dignitaries, media interviews, news conferences and TV appearances, have brought deserved national attention to Alberghini and his Pacers.

With the stamina of someone much younger than his 61 years, the coach is looking forward to his 19th season and is making plans for the start of practice, holding meetings with his coaches and school officials, talking with parents and, hopefully, relaxing with his wife Mary at their home in Citrus Heights.