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Giants Now: John Harbaugh to give keynote address at Miami University's graduation

JOHN-HARBAUGH-GN

John Harbaugh to give keynote address at Miami University's graduation

Before he ever stepped foot on an NFL sideline as a coach, John Harbaugh played safety for four seasons at Miami (Ohio) University.

More than 40 years later, Harbaugh is returning to his alma mater to speak at graduation.

Harbaugh, Class of 1984, will give the keynote address at Miami University's spring commencement on May 16 at Yager Stadium, the school recently announced.

"It's a great honor to be Miami's commencement speaker," Harbaugh said. "I just have so much respect for Miami, for the administration, for the university, for everything it stands for, for everything it did for me."

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.

"I felt a sense of accomplishment because I felt like I was at a great place, and I felt like I learned a lot. I felt like I grew up a lot..." the head coach said about his college experience. "Miami was my place. Miami is always my place because that's the place where I grew the most, changed the most, was challenged the most, made the best friends of my life."

Harbaugh's success in the NFL is well-documented. His 180 regular-season victories rank as the 14th-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).

The year after taking home the Super Bowl title, 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.

"I learned the value of friendships, learned the value of relationships, learned the value of great teachers, great coaches," Harbaugh said about the lessons he took from his time at Miami that have helped him throughout the four-plus decades since he graduated. "But probably more than anything, what I think I learned at Miami was just the value of persistence."

John Harbaugh's 193 total victories, including a Super Bowl title, are tied for 12th in NFL history.

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