AUBURN - Being fortunate.

That's how Mike Hoyt describes his life path that led him to where he is today. But the 1987 Cato-Meridian High School graduate has also worked hard to earn all he's achieved.

Hoyt is currently the defensive coordinator for the Albright College football team, and also serves as the college's director of strength and conditioning. His team (9-1) recently finished the regular season and will play in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament Saturday against Alfred (8-1).

Hoyt said he enjoys waking up in the morning and going to work, and is thankful he has a job that allows that. But he admitted if it weren't for his upbringing in Cato, and the different people he's worked with throughout his career, he wouldn't be where he is.

“I was pretty fortunate that I had some success, a lot of that was attributed to the people around me too,” he said.

After his days playing football and basketball for the Blue Devils, Hoyt continued his football career, playing for Canisius College, where he majored in physical education. While at Canisius, he was an MVP and also was voted team captain by his teammates his senior year.

“I was pretty honored that they thought that highly of me to vote me into that position,” said Hoyt.

After college, Hoyt came back to central New York and decided football was something he wanted to continue. He took up coaching a junior varsity team at Onondaga Central School for a year, then decided to coach at Port Byron for another year.

“That was a great experience with Gino Alberici, having that opportunity to work with a legend like him,” said Hoyt. “That was a valuable experience for me, to be around somebody like that.”

Hoyt continued to coach and moved up to the college level. He went back to Canisius where he coached for two years, and then moved to Pennsylvania where he coached at Millersville University and Franklin and Marshall College. At both places, he soaked up information from great coaches, including Gene Carpenter, who Hoyt coached with at Millersville.

Carpenter was just inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame after coaching for more than 30 years.

Hoyt said, “It's been kind of a different path, but each experience has been great as far as the things that I've learned and the opportunity to be around great coaches.”

Sticking around the state of Pennsylvania, Hoyt landed his job at Albright, located in Reading, and has been there for six years. Hoyt shares his successes with his wife of 12 years.

As much as he's been through, Hoyt says that the area he grew up in has had a lasting impression on how he lives his daily life.

“The biggest thing is the work ethic that my parents instilled in me,” he said. “When you come from a small, rural community, hard work is a way of life.”

Hoyt said some of his players are taking after him in ways, adopting what he refers to as a blue-collar approach to the game.

“I tell my players all the time, ‘I'm not a show horse, I'm a work horse,'” he said.

Those are the things that he says he misses about the area he grew up in.

Hoyt has aspirations of becoming a head coach at some point in his career. It's been something that he's been working toward, but he said he will not take a position unless he is sure he's ready and it's a right fit.

He also thoroughly enjoys being the strength and conditioning coach for each of Albright College's varsity sports.

“I'm very fortunate for the opportunity for me to do two things that I'm really passionate about and do that for a living; I can't think of anything else much better than that,” he said.

He also envisions himself moving back to central New York in the future.

In the meantime, though, Hoyt has his hands tied preparing for a trip to the NCAA tournament.

Coming back to his home state of New York, Hoyt's Lions take on the Saxons at noon Saturday.