Miami University marked the countdown to a new documentary chronicling its unmatched football coaching legacy with a celebration at Paycor Stadium on Tuesday, ahead of the film's Aug. 17 premiere on Peacock. "Cradle of Coaches" traces how the Oxford, Ohio school became a pipeline for some of the sport's most influential coaches and players, and Miami athletic director David Sayler told the crowd the timing couldn't be more perfect.
According to WLWT, Tuesday's gathering drew a panel that included former Ohio State coach and current Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel, along with former NFL defensive back Solomon Wilcots. Sayler also told the crowd the documentary includes rare first-hand interviews with people who played for, coached with, or worked alongside collegiate and NFL legends, the station reported.
A Century of Coaching Names Packed Into One Film
The film's subjects span more than a century of collegiate and NFL history, per the station's report, and include Pat Narduzzi, Ben Roethlisberger, Lou Holtz, Ken Anderson, Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Mike Brown and Rocky Bleier.
Two Years, 26 Cities and 84 Interviews
Cincinnati-based production company RESLV spent two years making the film, according to Miami University, traveling to 26 cities and conducting 84 one-on-one interviews that each ran at least an hour. RESLV producer Jesy Herron shared those production metrics during the Tuesday panel, the university said.
The rush to finish the project carried real weight: some interviews captured legends who have since died, including College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz and former Cincinnati Bengal and NBC broadcaster Bob Trumpy, according to WVXU. Trumpy played for Miami alumnus Paul Brown, while Holtz served under former Miami head coach Woody Hayes, the station noted.
A Distinction No Other College Can Claim
Miami holds a national distinction no other college can match: it is the only school to have produced three Super Bowl-winning head coaches, per Miami University ASPIRE. Weeb Ewbank won Super Bowl III, John Harbaugh won Super Bowl XLVII, and McVay won Super Bowl LVI; Ewbank also won two NFL championships with the Baltimore Colts before the Super Bowl era began, ASPIRE notes.
The "Cradle of Coaches" nickname itself dates to 1959, coined by Miami graduate and sports information director Bob Kurz after alumni Paul Dietzel and Ara Parseghian each won big at LSU and Northwestern that same year, according to Cincinnati Magazine. Kurz later wrote the 1983 book "Miami of Ohio: The Cradle of Coaches," and the magazine notes Miami was among the first American universities to offer a four-year degree program in coaching and physical education, a curriculum Ewbank was among the first to complete.
Bronze Statues Anchor the Legacy on Campus
The tradition is memorialized in bronze at Yager Stadium's Cradle of Coaches Plaza, where 11 statues, each roughly 20 percent larger than life, honor figures including Paul Brown, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, Ewbank, Earl Blaik, Carm Cozza, Dietzel, John Pont, Harbaugh, McVay and educator Thomas P. Van Voorhis, according to Miami University Art On Campus. Sculptor Kristen Visbal created the statues following a gift from alumnus Daniel Van Voorhis, the program says.
McVay's statue joined the plaza in May 2023, a few years after the former Miami wide receiver became the youngest head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl at age 36, according to the Oxford Observer. His likeness joined Harbaugh's in the plaza, Miami RedHawks reported at the time.
The Legacy Keeps Growing
Last November, the football program leaned into that history by debuting special "Cradle of Coaches" uniforms featuring red, white and gold stripes, a throwback block "MIAMI" helmet logo pulled from the 1920s through the 1970s, and an embedded NFC chip patch, worn during a televised game against Toledo at Yager Stadium, according to Miami University.
More than 100 Miami graduates have gone on to coach or work in athletic administration at the collegiate or professional level, with over 20 earning National Coach of the Year honors over the past six decades, per Miami RedHawks. Basketball and hockey have also produced notable Miami-trained leaders, the outlet notes, even if football draws the most attention.
The pipeline still runs through campus today. Miami's Sport Leadership and Management program, which partners with organizations including the Cincinnati Bengals, posts a 96 percent employment or graduate-school placement rate within a year of completion, according to Miami University ASPIRE, tying the school's coaching history directly to its current classrooms.
