CINCINNATI — Some of the most well-known football coaches got their start right here in Ohio at Miami University. The Cradle of Coaches enshrine the best of the best, and now, their stories are being told in a new documentary.
It’s only fitting that the first glimpse of the Cradle of Coaches documentary happened at the home of the Bengals where Paul Brown, a coach featured in the film, spent a large portion of his career.
Miami alum got a first glimpse of the Cradle of Coaches documentary at Paycor Stadium (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
A project two years in the making, the Cradle of Coaches documentary celebrates some of the biggest names in college football. Many got their start at Miami University.
“Miami was a breeding ground for success,” Denis Crawford, a historian with the College Football Hall of Fame, said. “Woody Hayes begat Bo Schembechler who begat Ara Parseghian who begat Dick Crum who begat Randy Walker. And, you know, it just goes on and on and on.”
While many of the coaches and former players in the Cradle of Coaches are from the past, current NFL coaches Sean McVay and John Harbaugh both played at Miami.
Sean McVay played at Miami and is in the Cradle of Coaches (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“Miami is a great tradition,” Harbaugh said. “The reason I went to Miami was because of how good they were in football.”
Harbaugh, who was inducted into the Cradle of Coaches in 2014, says it’s an honor of a lifetime to be included among the greats.
John Harbaugh was added to the Cradle in 2014 (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)
“When you start looking at like the history of it, Miami, the story is incredible,” Harbaugh said. “The names are incredible and it’s so much fun to see how it all ties together. And then you kind of go back to this beautiful little school in southwest Ohio that had this incredible thing going, and it was just football in its purest form.”
The documentary, which releases later this month, uncovers stories many football fans might not know.
“There was just so much great advancements in the game that regardless of what team you root for, you know, a little tip of the cap to the Miami RedHawks,” Crawford said.
The Cradle of Coaches Documentary will air on Peacock beginning on Aug. 17.
