Coaching football has been the lifeblood of the Harbaugh family.
Now, they are using that expertise to help younger coaches.
John Harbaugh officially launched the Harbaugh Coaching Academy, a nonprofit organization designed to be a resource for coaches in all sports and at all playing levels.
The Ravens coach is getting support from his father, Jack Harbaugh, a longtime college coach who won the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football championship as the head coach at Western Kentucky.
His brother, Jim Harbaugh, who was recently hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers after winning a National Championship at the University of Michigan, will also offer his expertise in the academy.
John Harbaugh’s brother-in-law, Tom Crean, who coached the men’s college basketball teams at the University of Georgia, Indiana University, and Marquette University, where his team reached the 2003 NCAA Final Four, is also involved in the instruction.
“The Harbaugh Coaching Academy has truly been in development since we were kids,“ coach John Harbaugh said. ”HCA was born of thousands of coaching lessons learned over the years. It’s a culmination of decades of coaching experience, working with coaches and leaders committed to empowering other coaches who aim to have a greater impact on youth performance and well-being – regardless of the sport.”
John Harbaugh is entering his 17th season as the Ravens’s head coach. He won Super Bowl XLVII against the San Francisco 49ers, whom Jim Harbaugh coached from 2011 through 2014.
John Harbaugh has guided the Ravens to the postseason 11 times and 20 playoff games overall—second-most by any NFL head coach since he entered the league in 2008.
As a result, he wants to offer his family’s coaching expertise to others involved in sports.
The nonprofit’s website—HarbaughCoachingAcademy.org—offers advice, experiences, stories, motivation, methodology, and techniques for coaches. The website includes a video library featuring some of the most respected and accomplished names in sports, business, military, and media, including Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid, Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, Super-Bowl XLI winning coach Tony Dungy and Super Bowl champion XXXIV winning coach Dick Vermeil.“There’s nothing quite like HCA out there to support and inspire today’s coaches to be their best,“ John Harbaugh said. ”Our goal is to share the wisdom and experiences of exceptional coaches and leaders with those who want to learn from them. Collectively, we can reach and empower more people for good than we could on our own.”
The website’s videos, articles, and interviews cover topics such as “Non-Confrontational Confrontation,” “Safety in Football,” “How to Build Mental Toughness in Young Athletes,” “Building a Staff,” and other areas of instruction.
HCA covers critical coaching topics, including inspirational messages, tactical instruction, leadership, and mental health. The academy’s videos, articles, podcasts, and other resources make it easy for coaches to create and customize their learning library.
“I’m proud to work alongside my family on the Harbaugh Coaching Academy,” Jim Harbaugh said. “I’m delighted we can share what we’ve learned with other coaches of all levels to help them develop and mentor young athletes.”
