A 155-minute documentary chronicling Miami University's legendary coaching pipeline will premiere on Peacock on Aug. 17, giving local football fans a deep look at the Oxford tradition that still connects to the Greater Miami Conference and the NFL.
"Cradle of Coaches," previewed Tuesday, Aug. 4, before a standing-room-only crowd at Paycor Stadium's CareSource Club level, features interviews with Rams head coach Sean McVay, Giants head coach John Harbaugh, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Bengals owner Mike Brown, ESPN's Chris Berman, Dick LeBeau and the late Lou Holtz, who died in March.
The production crew at Cincinnati-based RESLV visited 26 cities and recorded 84 interviews over roughly two years, according to Miami University's announcement. Director Scott Thompson and producer Jesy Herron also unearthed never-before-seen archival footage of coaching icons Paul Brown, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbank and Bo Schembechler.
The film runs 155 minutes.
Current Miami head coach Chuck Martin skipped a team walkthrough to attend the Paycor event.
"It's very surreal," Martin told The Report Ohio. "When I was growing up, Ara Parseghian was one of my favorite coaches. Then you think about Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes, Sid Gillman and so many others. To be at a place connected to all of them is mind-blowing."
Martin said he has come to appreciate the legacy differently with age, noting that the relationships built through Miami's network have opened doors across football for him and others.
Athletic director David Sayler, who has watched the film four times, said the documentary preserves voices that won't be available much longer. People who knew Red Blaik or Carm Cozza firsthand are aging, he said, and getting their stories on tape was critical for the program's history. Sayler credited Miami President Gregory Crawford for greenlighting the project and said the Peacock release will help bring the university back into the national spotlight.
Local pipeline
The coaching tree's reach into West Chester and Liberty Township is tangible. Lakota West graduates Jackson Kuwatch and Silas Walters both played at Miami before reaching the NFL in 2026. Kuwatch was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round, and Walters signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Ravens, according to Lakota West athletics.
More than 100 Miami graduates have gone on to coaching or administrative roles at the collegiate and professional levels, with over 30 currently serving as head coaches, according to Miami RedHawks athletics.
The Paycor preview panel included former Ohio State coach and current Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, journalist Terence Moore (a 1978 Miami graduate), College Football Hall of Fame historian Denis Crawford and Thompson. Tressel recalled that in his household, Paul Brown was the standard for coaching.
What's next
The documentary streams exclusively on Peacock starting Aug. 17. Lakota East and Lakota West open their football seasons the following week.
