It’s a Family Affair: The Yerger Family

By Lori Ferguson

For the Yergers, family time can be elusive. On any given day, Randy, Kristin, Brooke and Wyatt are going in four different directions, driven by a practice session or game in their sport of choice. As fate would have it, however, the busy foursome frequently intersects at Albright.

As the college’s associate head football coach, Randy is on campus daily, particularly during the season when his days start early in the morning and continue late into the night. Wife Kristin, the new head coach for cross-country and assistant coach for track and field, hustles to the college each day after she’s finished teaching sixth graders at Oley Valley. Daughter Brooke ’20, a member of Albright’s softball and field hockey teams, is a full-time resident, and son Wyatt, a student at Boyertown High School, is a frequent visitor. “We see each other more at Albright than we do at home,” confesses Randy with a chuckle. The family wouldn’t have it any other way.

When Brooke was younger, Kristin says, she and Randy often talked about what fun it would be to coach together. “We’re such Albright fans. We’ve all been involved with the college for years; Randy’s been on the coaching staff for over a decade and we’re at every football game, whether home or away.”

Still, the idea remained largely hypothetical. Then Randy informed Kristin of an opening in Albright’s athletics department and things got real. “It’s been an interesting chain of events that brought Kristin and Brooke to campus,” he observes. “I’ve been coaching softball at Oley Valley for the past four years and wanted to move up to the collegiate level, so when Randy told me about the coaching position at Albright, I decided to apply,” Kristin explains. “Happily, it worked out.”

“Albright offers me the opportunity to get a great education and play two sports … without sacrificing valuable classroom time.” – Brooke Yerger ’20

Daughter Brooke, an avid softball and field hockey player, also felt Albright’s pull, so much so that she decided to transfer in from Salisbury University after her freshman year. “I’ve been coming to Albright since I was a kid and have a lot of connections here, including Dr. [Karen] Campbell, the provost, who’s a family friend. She encouraged me to consider Albright.”

Brooke is confident she made the right move. “As a Division III school, Albright offers me the opportunity to get a great education and play two sports. I can do what I enjoy without sacrificing valuable classroom time,” says the younger Yerger, a psychology major with a minor in evolutionary studies. “It’s something that’s not really possible at a Division I or II school.”

Both Randy and Kristin are happy to have their daughter join them on campus. “Her mom and I see Brooke now more than ever,” says Randy. “She stops by my office throughout the day and Kristin visits her at the campus fitness center where she works. It’s wonderful.” Kristin concurs. “I’m really happy to be a member of Albright’s coaching staff now and having Brooke here is icing on the cake.”

Asked whether son Wyatt, a high schooler active in football and lacrosse, will also be joining the Albright family, Randy chuckles. “He’s already a member of Albright,” he observes. “He volunteers with the football program, recording all the gameday calls on the sidelines. I love having him work with me.”

Randy admits that he’s been offered opportunities to leave Albright, but he doesn’t see it happening. “I’m happy where I am and truly enjoy the people I work with,” he asserts. “I was born and raised in Berks County, about 20 minutes from Albright. I’m a hometown person, and the people I’ve met and associated with here have merely solidified my belief that there’s no better place.”