When the UCM design team was presented with the idea of the Cradle of Coaches documentary pre-release party many, many months ago, it sounded like a far-out idea. There would be tons of people, big names on the guest list, TVs everywhere, cheerleaders, artifacts from our archives, and huge graphics. Little did we know that on Aug. 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium, the event would come to fruition, and it would end up being even bigger and better than we first imagined, with over 600 guests in attendance.
As graphic designers, I don’t think my fellow designers or I ever thought we would be:
- Building so many display cases.
- Putting cleats on mannequins that were two sizes too small.
- Heat pressing 2,100 patches on 700 hats.
- Finding the perfect mannequin head.
- Assembling way too many football stands.
But that’s just what we did to get this event together.
We did plenty of expected graphic designer activities as well, of course, like designing:
- Save-the-date cards.
- Premium invitations.
- Directional signage.
- 19 silicone hat patches.
- Four 20-by-8 and one 10-by-8 large-scale graphic.
- Podium signage.
- Five pull-up banners.
- Postcards.
- Artifact informational signage.
- A step and repeat photo backdrop.
It wasn’t just us, though — pulling this event off took a huge collaborative effort between UCM, Libraries, Advancement, Athletics, RCCAM, and even the Cincinnati Art Museum. From our basketball coaches’ office letting us borrow their massive mannequins to Archives working with us to figure out how we could display Paul Brown’s playbooks, many hands were involved in this project.
Early in the process, we worked with Jacky Johnson and Candice Pine in Archives to plan an artifact display. They showed us so many amazing items, including Paul Brown’s jacket and Weeb Ewbanks’ hat. We worked together to select which items to display and figure out how to display them.
We wanted this event to be a multifaceted experience, with storytelling as a top priority. One way we told the story of the Cradle of Coaches was through large-scale graphics showing our coaches, their stories, impact, and interconnectedness.
As guests arrived, they saw us pressing custom hats with silicone patches we designed specifically for the event. With 19 different patches and three on each hat, no two hats were the same.
At the end of the night, guests got to select a tote bag to take home. The totes, along with custom gold-embossed tags, were made just for the event and contained a hat and a Cradle of Coaches book written by Cincinnati Magazine. Guests could also pick up a copy of “Red Brick Magic: Sean McVay, John Harbaugh and Miami University’s Cradle of Coaches.” The author, Terence Moore, was a panelist at the event and even signed copies for attendees.