On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Miami University previewed the “Cradle of Coaches” documentary at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. As alumni, fans, and friends gathered to celebrate the documentary—now streaming on Peacock—Miami University Libraries played a unique role in bringing the story to life.
Thanks to several curated exhibits brought on-site by Miami University librarians, event attendees were able to see and even handle tangible pieces of history.
Candace Pine, Rare Book & Manuscript Librarian; Jacky Johnson, Head of Special Collections and Archives; and Eric Harrelson, Preservation and Conservation Librarian, led the team that spent weeks preparing, transporting, and staging museum-quality artifacts for the evening. The team (image below) transformed primary sources into a showcase that made the documentary’s narrative both present and compelling.
Some of the items highlighted at the event included a red baseball cap embroidered with “WEEB,” the nickname of Coach Wilber Charles Ewbank; a collection of 13 Super Bowl pins; and a Miami Recensio yearbook from 1984 signed by John Harbaugh when he visited campus in 2026.
Perhaps the most exciting items were two of Paul Brown’s original playbooks from the 1954 Browns and 1968 Bengals. To make the display more engaging and provide viewers with the opportunity to dig deeper, our team made a copy of the 1968 playbook for people to flip through. One of the more meaningful moments of the night for the Libraries was when Mike Brown, the son of Paul Brown and the current Cincinnati Bengals owner, paused to look through his father’s 1968 playbook (image below).
At the Miami University Libraries, we believe that preservation is far more than storing paper in climate-controlled vaults; it is about keeping stories active and accessible. Our team’s conservation work ensures that fragile century-old memorabilia, delicate newsprint, and rare photographs remain preserved for future researchers, students, and sports historians. Safely staging these delicate items outside Special Collections required specialized archival handling, protective casing, and careful monitoring.
By bringing these treasures out of the library and into Paycor Stadium, we honored our storied athletic tradition while proving that conservation keeps living history alive. For those who were unable to attend the event in Cincinnati, the collection is currently on display in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives. We hope that you’ll join us in King Library to view this powerful collection for yourself.
