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Sean McVay first stepped foot on Miami (Ohio) University’s campus as a freshman receiver in the summer of 2004. Over the weekend, McVay returned to his alma mater to receive his latest honor in what has been a memorable run for the 37-year-old coach.
The Rams coach was formally inducted into the school’s Cradle of Coaches Association. McVay was also presented with a statue that stands alongside fellow coaches with Miami (Ohio) ties, including former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian, former Jets coach and Super Bowl III champion Weeb Ewbank, former Browns coach and three-time NFL champion Paul Brown and Ravens coach and Super Bowl XLVII champion John Harbaugh.
“It’s an amazing honor to be here,” McVay said during his induction ceremony. “You’re so reminded of what makes this place so special, and it’s all about the people…
“To be inducted into the Cradle of Coaches, it really means a lot to me.”
McVay became the 82nd member of the Cradle of Coaches Association. He and his late grandfather, five-time Super Bowl champion executive John McVay, made history by becoming the first family members to be inducted into the Cradle of Coaches Association. An empty chair was reserved at the ceremony in John McVay’s honor.
“When I think about my grandfather’s seat right there, I think about love and honor and how much he epitomized those things,” said McVay, whose uncle, also named John McVay, a fellow Miami (Ohio) alum and former football player at the school, was also in attendance. “You talk about love and honor, and what it really means to me is the most important things that last in life. He always used to teach me that character and relationships are the only things that last, and he epitomized that.
“I think that’s a good way of being able to say ‘Love and Honor’…my grandfather did such a great job of modeling the way, and what it meant to be a leader.”
McVay has followed in his grandfather’s footsteps in more ways than one. Along with being fellow Cradle of Coaches inductees, the two are proud owners of Super Bowl rings. John McVay won his with the 49ers between 1981-94. Sean McVay won his first after becoming the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl in February of 2022. Four years earlier, McVay, then just 31 years old, was named NFL Coach of the Year following his first year in Los Angeles.
A 2008 graduate, Sean McVay is proud of be part of Miami’s rich football history that includes being the winningest program in Mid-American Conference history.
“When you walk through these facilities, you see the tradition,” McVay said. “You see the history, and that’s what it’s about. You want to continue to make sure that you uphold your part of the bargain.”