Most of us living in Southwestern Ohio know about Miami University’s “Cradle of Coaches,” the famous football coaching alums from Woody Hayes and Paul Brown to Super Bowl coaches Sean McVay and John Harbaugh.
Next year the rest of the country will learn about Miami’s legacy in Cradle of Coaches, a documentary from Cincinnati’s RESLV (“resolve”) video production company.
“This is a university, in the middle of Ohio, that’s traditionally known for its academics. But it’s kinda like, wow, this school changed football,” says the narration for the film’s trailer.
For nearly a year the filmmakers have been interviewing nearly 80 people for the film, including:
- Katie Parseghian, widow of Miami and Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian;
- NFL head coaches Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) and John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens), both Miami alumni;
- Former Miami and Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger;
- Bengals owner Mike Brown, son of football innovator Paul Brown, who played quarterback at Miami before coaching the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals.
- College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, who was on Hayes’ staff in 1968 when Ohio State University went undefeated. Hayes coached at Miami in 1949-50 before going to OSU.
- Bengals coach Zac Taylor, who was hired by McVay for his Rams staff from the University of Cincinnati, where Taylor was offensive coordinator.
Miami has honored more than 100 former coaches with induction into its Cradle of Coaches. It’s not just for men, or for football. Honorees include former Los Angeles Dodgers manager Walter Alston; basketball coaches Darrell Hedrick, Randy Ayers, Thad Matta, Charlie Coles, Pam Wettig, and Sue Ramsey; volleyball coach Carolyn Condit; hockey coach Steve Cady; tennis coach Leann Grimes Davidge; and synchronized skating coach Vicki Corn.
Only 10 — all football coaches — have life-size bronze statues at the south end of Yager Stadium. Dedicated in 2010, the Cradle of Coaches Plaza honors Brown, Parseghian, Harbaugh, McVay, Wilbur “Weeb” Eubank, Bo Schembechler. John Pont, Paul Dietzel, Carmen Cozza, and Red Blaik.
The film likely will premiere next spring in Cincinnati, says Alecia Lipton, Miami University media and public relations director. “Meetings with broadcast/streaming platforms will occur to find the right home for the film.”
RESLV plans to enter the documentary in film festivals in 2026 and early 2027, Lipton says.
Miami Athletic Director David Sayler said that “we are proud that our story is being told in this way and that the legend of the Cradle of Coaches will reach new generations through this documentary.”
Bob Kurz, a 1958 Miami graduate and former sports information director, is credited with coining the “Cradle of Coaches” phrase in 1959 when he was inspired by the success of alumni Dietzel, Brown, Ewbank and former Miami coach Sid Gillman, Lipton says in the media release.
“The Cradle of Coaches isn’t just a phrase — it’s a legacy that has shaped the game of football and the leaders within it,” said Scott Thompson, director and founder of RESLV. “At RESLV, we’re honored to bring this powerful story to life. There’s no greater privilege than capturing the passion, leadership, and enduring impact of these extraordinary coaches.”
Or as Roethlisberger says in the film: “I would tell guys I went to the real Miami, and they’d be like, ‘Oh yeah.’ And I’d say, ‘We were a school before Florida became a state. How do you argue that?”
Miami University opened in 1809, six years after Ohio became a state. Florida was granted statehood in 1845.
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