John Harbaugh returns to Miami (OH) to give commencement speech

Before the Giants kick off Phase 3 of the offseason workout program on Tuesday, head coach John Harbaugh made a trip back to his alma mater over the weekend.

Harbaugh gave the commencement speech at Miami (Ohio) University's graduation, more than 40 years after he played safety for four seasons there, where he preached resilience to the graduating class.

"There are going to be tough times," Harbaugh said. "You might get a call with some bad news. Maybe about your job. Maybe they will tell you they don't want you anymore, and it's time to move on. That happens. In those moments, I hope you will find resilience. And that you will be able to rejoice in all the good you still have and all the people who still care for you — that you will come to understand there is a great opportunity on the next horizon of your life."

Harbaugh came to the Giants back in January after 18 seasons as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens, a tenure that included a ton of success.

His 180 regular-season victories rank as the 14^th-most in NFL history, while his 13 postseason wins are tied for seventh in league history and are second among active head coaches (Andy Reid). Of course, this includes a Super Bowl Championship (SB XLVII).

"You will learn from experience that life is best lived going forward, but it's best understood looking back," the head coach said. "Definitely, things aren't always going to go the way you plan. In fact, sometimes, things will go way better. Sometimes things are going to go so good, you won't even believe how well they are going. Sometimes the victories are just going to be raining down on you. Your cup is going to be overflowing."

During his time at Miami, Harbaugh played defensive back and won the Football Scholar-Athlete Award. He went on to graduate with a degree in Political Science.

While his playing days ended upon his graduation, it marked the beginning of a long and successful career as a coach.

The year after taking home the Super Bowl title with the Ravens, Harbaugh was inducted into Miami University's Cradle of Coaches. His statue rests in the Cradle of Coaches Plaza at Yager Stadium, along the likes of other Miami coaching legends such as Sean McVay, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, and Paul Brown, among numerous others.

Harbaugh, class of 1984, was also the recipient of an honorary doctorate from his alma mater on Saturday.

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