One Alma Mater, Two Sidelines: Harbaugh, McVay Square Off Again Sunday

When the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens kick off Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium, Miami University will be well represented on the sidelines. Both head coaches in Sunday's game are Miami graduates and former Miami Football student-athletes.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh, a member of the Cradle of Coaches Association, graduated from Miami in 1984 and was a defensive back for the Red and White during his time in Oxford. Los Angeles coach Sean McVay played wide receiver for the RedHawks and earned his degree in 2008.

John Harbaugh, Miami University — John Harbaugh as a
Miami student-athlete

"It's pretty remarkable," Harbaugh said. "I think it speaks to the excellence of Miami…Miami's always been a school of achievers."

McVay said the tradition of the 'Cradle of Coaches' was a draw even when he committed to Miami back as a high schooler, and it's a legacy he's proud to continue. "I think it's a great reflection on the culture that's been established there for such a long period of time," he said.

Both coaches have not only made it to the highest level of their profession, but have enjoyed a great deal of success there. Harbaugh, now in his 14th season in Baltimore, is looking for his 10th trip to the postseason. The 2019 NFL Coach of the Year has been to three AFC title games and led the Ravens to a Super Bowl championship after the 2012 season. McVay has clinched his fourth playoff appearance in five seasons with the Rams, including a Super Bowl appearance after the 2018 season. He has posted a winning record in every season since Los Angeles made him the youngest NFL head coach in modern history at the age of 30.

Sean McVay, Miami University — Sean McVay as a Miami
student-athlete

"I think he really is a prodigy in a lot of ways..." said Rams radio announcer J.B. Long of McVay. "But I think his interpersonal skills would allow Sean to have success in almost any walk of life that he chose. I think that within his God-given abilities, if that was medicine or law or politics or academics or civics, if Sean applied his skillset and his process to it, I think it would work out pretty well for him."

McVay said Harbaugh's continued success as an NFL head coach over a long career has been impressive to watch. "He's so consistent in his approach, and he has a great way of being able to get the most out of his players and coaches," McVay said. "He's a great leader, he's resilient, and I think his team embodies his personality. They're tough, well-disciplined, and always well-coached…

"Coach Harbaugh's done such a great job, so I'm honored to even be mentioned in the same breath as him."

Harbaugh has always taken pride in the accomplishments of Miami graduates, whether in football or otherwise. In fact, his Baltimore staff includes college teammate Jay Peterson ('85), a former RedHawks assistant coach. "I'm always amazed when you look at the alumni magazine and see what all the people are doing," Harbaugh said. "There are presidents from Miami, captains of industry, CEOs of major companies, high school coaches, salesmen who are very successful – every walk of life."

According to McVay, the people are what set Miami apart, both as a program and an institution. He pointed to influences like the late Terry Hoeppner, Shane Montgomery, Craig Aukerman, and Frank Smith ('04), who were all part of the football staff during his time on campus.

"Any time you're around great people, you become the company you keep," said McVay. "Miami just continues to attract great people that have a passion for football and I think you see the track record speaks for itself with the tradition they have.

"So many of my closest friends in life still are teammates of mine from Miami, and it's all about the people."

There are some obvious differences between Harbaugh and McVay's life stories, particularly a generation gap: Harbaugh graduated two years before McVay was born, and McVay was still in school when Harbaugh took the Ravens job. However, there are striking similarities in their career paths as well. Most notably, both coaches came from football families.

John Harbaugh's Ravens defeated brother
Jim's 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII

Harbaugh got his start in coaching alongside his father, Jack, as a graduate assistant after he left Miami, eventually working his way up the college football ladder before becoming the Eagles' special teams coach in 1998 (a position he would hold for a decade). John's younger brother, Jim, played quarterback in the NFL for 14 years, memorably coached against John in Super Bowl XLVII, and led Michigan to the Big Ten title this year.

McVay's grandfather, John McVay, was also a Miami Football alum, and earned All-Conference honors at center in 1952. (Not to be confused with Sean's uncle, also named John McVay, who was a first-team All-MAC safety for Miami in 1974!) The elder John McVay went on to coach the New York Giants from 1976-1978 and is best known for helping build the 49ers' dynasty during his time in the San Francisco front office, first as director of player personnel and later as general manager.

"Sean has drawn from those different influences and molded them together to form his own philosophy remarkably well," said Long. "Whether it's tapping

Sean McVay was part of Miami's 2007 Mid-American
Conference East Division Championship squad

into the Bill Walsh books and thought process through his grandfather and the 49ers organization, whether it's the Shanahan family and the way they marry the run and pass game technically [from his time as Washington offensive coordinator]…he's a real student of the game and of the profession."

McVay majored in health and sports studies at Miami, while Harbaugh's degree is in political science. Both men were solid performers in the classroom, each earning a Scholar-Athlete Award during their time in Oxford. And although it's true that Miami is not the only institution that can claim two current NFL head coaches as alums (Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Buffalo's Sean McDermott were college teammates at William & Mary), Harbaugh is quick to point out that Miami swept a pair of games from William & Mary during his college career, which he is convinced should be worth some form of semi-permanent bragging rights.

In all seriousness, Harbaugh said his experience as a Miami student-athlete certainly helped shape him as a coach. "It was challenging – the academics were high-level and athletics was high-level," he explained. "You try to do your best, and it prepares you for the grind of, really, any profession, especially coaching in the NFL: Being around great people, being taught how to work hard, how to put the team first.

"I think the tradition of Miami, with all the great sports teams and coaches and players, sets you up the right way."

John Harbaugh statue — John Harbaugh has a statue in his
honor outside Yager Stadium

The Miami coaches taught Harbaugh and his teammates to sprint to the ball on defense, a lesson that he still drills into his players to this day. "That was what it was all about; that was required: You had to run to the ball," he remembered. "One hundred percent, everything you've got, like your hair was on fire."

While 'hair on fire' may be a figure of speech, 'feet on fire' was an all-too-literal memory that remains one of the most vivid of Harbaugh's college career.

"My freshman year, we were playing Cincinnati at home. I wasn't playing, but it was really cold and we had these little foot-warmer heaters back then on the sideline," he recalled. "I was getting closer, trying to keep my feet warm, and I remember my shoes caught on fire…I never ran so fast, ever since or before!"

McVay said one of his best Miami Football memories came in 2007, when the RedHawks won a division title. "Being able to be part of a MAC East Championship team: Those are the things that really stand out," he said. "It's about the accumulation of those experiences that we have together."

While the alma mater Harbaugh and McVay share is an obvious storyline in this weekend's Rams-Ravens tilt, the main focus for both teams is what a potential win would mean for playoff positioning. The two head coaches have faced each other before, including a 2018 preseason game and a 2019 Monday Night Football showdown, but this weekend's matchup, just seven days before the season ends, definitely has the highest stakes.

Rams coach Sean McVay — Sean McVay led the Rams to an NFC title in
2018 and an appearance in Super Bowl LIII

The Rams (11-4) have clinched a playoff berth and are chasing an NFC West crown, while the Ravens (8-7), who have been significantly shorthanded due to injury and illness, are looking to snap a four-game losing streak and take a giant step toward the postseason. "It's going to be two really good teams going at it, and I expect a really high-caliber game," said McVay.

It's the first year the NFL has added a 17th game to the schedule, pairing teams from different conferences who finished in similar spots in the 2020 divisional standings, and the result is a Harbaugh-McVay meeting that otherwise wouldn't have taken place in the regular season again until 2023 at the earliest. "For teams that seldom cross paths and don't have a ton of history, this one could be pretty spicy," Long said.

Of course, fans of the Red and White could be forgiven for rooting for an overtime tie in Baltimore, but no matter what the scoreboard reads during the postgame handshake Sunday afternoon, one thing is for sure…

Miami Football, Miami Athletics and Miami University have absolutely produced two winners.

Find more Front Row Features at MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures.

One Alma Mater, Two Sidelines: Harbaugh, McVay Square Off Again Sunday

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