Inducted in: 2025
Sport: Football
Coach Eric Wallich’s football journey began as a standout student-athlete at Damascus High School, graduating in 1990 after helping lead the Swarmin’ Hornets to the 1989 State Championship game. He continued his playing career as a running back at Shepherd College before earning his degree from Towson State University.
In 2008, Coach Wallich returned to his alma mater as Varsity Head Coach, where he cemented his Hall of Fame legacy. Over 12 seasons (2008–2019), he posted a school-record 133–18 record, the highest win total and winning percentage (88%) in Damascus history. His Swarmin’ Hornets made the playoffs every year of his tenure, extending Damascus’s Maryland record to 22 straight playoff appearances under the old qualifying system. From 2009–2019, his teams lost only four regular-season games, and from 2014–2019, just three games total — while reaching five state championships and winning four (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).
During this era, Damascus set a Maryland state record — still standing today — with 53 consecutive victories, which at the time was the longest active winning streak in the nation. His 2015 squad shattered multiple state records, including most points in a championship game (55), most points in a postseason (192), and most points in a season (669). That same year, Coach Wallich was named the American Family Insurance All-USA Maryland Coach of the Year. He also coached some of the most decorated players in Maryland history, including Gatorade Players of the Year Jake Funk and Bryan Bresee — both future NFL players. Funk holds the state’s single-season touchdown record (57), while Bresee was the nation’s #1 overall recruit his senior year.
In 2019, Coach Wallich was selected to coach in the prestigious All-American Bowl, serving as Defensive Line Coach and Co-Defensive Coordinator. He was inducted into the Maryland Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2024 and was inducted into the Damascus High School Hall of Fame in 2025, honoring a career that stands among some of the greatest in Maryland high school football history.