In 2009, North Carolina Wesleyan’s football staff was greeted by a sharply dressed, enthusiastic young Division III assistant coach. Greg Harbaugh Jr., a 23-year-old first-year running backs and wide receivers coach, became known for his pink shirt and tie combination.
“Greg was always pretty well dressed. So he’d come rolling into the office in like a pink shirt and tie and things like that. We would get on him about that and he was great to have around,” former North Carolina Wesleyan head coach Mark Henninger said. “He was funny and great for morale. You could tell, at the end of the day, he was a football guy all the way through.”
Henninger first became familiar with Greg when he played college football at Averett University, a fellow conference opponent of North Carolina Wesleyan. Harbaugh was a quarterback and wide receiver for the Averett Cougars from 2005-08. Shortly after Greg’s college playing career ended, he was spotted coaching at a football camp. Issac Mooring, a former North Carolina Wesleyan staff member and current defensive analyst at Texas, liked what he saw from Harbaugh that day. Eventually, when an entry-level coaching position opened, Mooring referred Greg to Henninger.
“We had a a very entry-level position that came with the stipend and room and board open. When that thing came open, Issac recommended Greg,” Henninger said. “We called Greg and interviewed and he was great.”
Henninger watched intently as Harbaugh energetically coached every key fundamental. He immediately recognized Greg’s passion for helping players realize their full potential as players and people.
“He always, always, [brought the juice]. It goes back to the pink shirt and the pink face yelling. Just having fun at what he was doing, “Henninger said. “It was always kind of an infectious enthusiasm where he’s having a ton of fun and it makes it a lot of fun to be around him.”
At the Division III level, assistant coaches often fill multiple roles across the program. Henninger said Harbaugh was constantly searching for new responsibilities and tasks. The former head coach believes Harbaugh’s curiosity played a key role in his ascent up the coaching ladder.
“Everybody is doing three, four, five jobs trying to get everything done as best as you can. I’m more of a defensive guy. He’s an offensive guy. He would always try to find time to come in and always wanted to talk ball,” Henninger said. “He was just a sponge. Whether it was program-building type stuff, whether it was strength and conditioning, whether it was Xs and Os, or scheme.”
Henninger quickly saw Harbaugh’s knack for building rapport with recruits and their families. This skill helped the young coach build genuine lifelong connections with each of his players.
“He can talk to anybody and relate to anybody, so he was really good as a young guy at being able to make those types of connections,” Henninger said. “And then, talking to parents and talking to family and talking to coaches and teachers, all the different people that you have to touch in order to recruit. He was really good at all that stuff right away.”
From afar, Henninger, now an assistant athletic director at Marian University, still sees the same determined young Division III coach he worked with at North Carolina Wesleyan.
“He hasn’t changed any. The work ethic, that stuff hasn’t left. That’s who he is. The guy that has to grind for everything that he gets. That’s what has gotten him to where he is right now,” Henninger said. “I do think having the Division III background goes a long way. Nothing has been given, nothing is easy, you’re not afraid to work for it. And to understand that, hey, it’s not going to be easy and you’ve got to work and put in the hours and all that kind of stuff.”
Moving to The Defense
After coaching running backs and wide receivers at North Carolina Wesleyan for two seasons, Harbaugh was hired as an assistant coach at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Former Methodist head coach Dave Eavenson vividly remembers Greg applying for a job on his defensive staff. Although Harbaugh had never coached defensive backs, Eavenson didn’t blink. He immediately saw all of the key traits he looks for in a young coach.
“My philosophy was when I found really good people who I felt were genuine and had strong work ethic and a good background in the type of Division III programs that we were competing against, I looked at that first before I looked at a specific position,” Eavenson said.
Eavenson immediately noticed how much Harbaugh’s offensive background helped Methodist’s defense. He felt that Greg had a unique understanding of how offenses were attempting to attack them.
“I think when Greg came to us, he brought a really good perspective. He brought the offensive perspective to the defensive side of the ball,” Eavenson said. “And I think that was really helpful to us in terms of the development of our defense. I thought it was extremely positive and I’m sure it helped him probably.”
On top of his skills as a coach, Eavenson took note of his personality and relationship-building skills. The longtime head coach saw Harbaugh connect with his players on a deep level.
“He was a tremendous recruiter. I think his ability to help us improve our roster was a tremendous asset. I think the other thing that Greg did when he was with us and I’m sure he’s continuing to do it is his ability to connect with the players,” Eavenson said. “He has a very natural gift when it comes to connecting with players. He’s just got a great personality that I think people are very drawn to. He has a really, really good gift when it comes to getting the most out of the student-athletes.”
At the Division III level, the ability to find and develop talent is paramount. Many programs, including Methodist, attended a recruiting fair in Florida each February. Eavenson and Harbaugh spent several weeks looking for potential unsigned recruits. During those trips, the former head coach watched Harbaugh thrive.
“He has a very good eye for talent,” Eavenson said. “Greg really had a huge impact when we went to Florida just to be able to quickly identify the talent through our film sessions with the coaches and then obviously the next day the student athletes would come and we get a chance to meet with them. He certainly understands talent and he knows how to develop talent too.”
Once Harbaugh found and secured talent, he took pride in developing each player holistically. Eavenson, now a Vice President and Director of Athletics at Methodist, saw it firsthand.
“He’s about fundamentals. He’s very clear and concise about the way he approaches those. It is part of his tenacity and his energy. Guys are getting coached every single snap and that was fun to watch someone bring that kind of energy,” Eavenson said. “It wasn’t, he’s got the energy Tuesday and he doesn’t have it Wednesday. I mean, it’s full throttle at all times. And I think that was really important for our program to shift the culture around.”
Years after working with him at Methodist, Eavenson keeps tabs on Harbaugh from afar. He watches Minnesota football games and remembers Greg’s early days.
“It’s funny. My son is a senior in high school, and we were watching TV and Minnesota popped up. I was like, we want to watch this,” Eavenson recalled. “I said, ‘The guy that used to coach at Methodist with us is the offensive coordinator at Minnesota.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, right, Dad. Sure.’ I was like, ‘No, I’m serious, he’s the offensive coordinator.’ I said, ‘Look, he’s right there on TV.’ And my son’s like, ‘Yeah, that’s really cool.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I know. It is cool.'”
The Small-College Underdog Mentality
After coaching for two seasons at Methodist, Harbaugh applied for a job at Marietta College, a Division III program in Ohio. Marietta head coach Andy Waddle remembers the day Greg interviewed with him for the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator job. Despite the fact Harbaugh had never coached quarterbacks before, Waddle left the interview feeling confident.
“It was a little bit of a leap of faith, but you could tell that he was just very bright. You could tell he really had a high passion for football and that came through on the interview,” Waddle said. “After just talking ball with him for a little bit, you could tell that he knew a lot of ball, but he just hadn’t had the opportunity to coach the quarterbacks and he wanted that opportunity. And so we were lucky enough to have him for a couple of years working with our guys.”
Harbaugh not only coached quarterbacks and coordinated the passing game, but also served as the recruiting, video and academic coordinator. While working in all of those roles at Marietta, Waddle saw Harbaugh’s unique personality shine through.
“I think he’s got the ability to have a professional side and at the same point in time be very inviting and welcoming and make people feel at ease,” Waddle said. “Not everybody has that balance where you can be professional and still put people at ease and in a good comfortable space. Greg does that as good as anybody I’ve probably worked with.”
Harbaugh took on every task that needed to be tackled in Marietta’s program. Waddle said the young coach was always bringing up creative ideas and suggestions.
“Greg worked his way up and he did it by becoming very valuable. I’m sure that is the case on every staff that he was on. He wanted those opportunities to be the academic guy,” Waddle said. “I think I had hired him to be the recruiting coordinator, but he wanted the extra opportunity to do things to help the team and he had good ideas.”
Marietta’s head coach watched Harbaugh blaze his own trail through the coaching business. Waddle pointed out that although Greg shares the same last name as NFL head coaches Jim and John Harbaugh, he is not related to them. His last name is actually pronounced “HAR-bo.” Despite frequent confusion from many, Waddle noted that Harbaugh proudly owns the @CoachHarbaugh handle on X.
“I think Greg has that small-college underdog mentality. Nobody handed him anything. Despite his name, he’s not related to John and Jim [Harbaugh] even though it’s spelled the same,” Waddle said. “I do remember that Twitter was probably just coming out at the time when I got here and Greg was here. And he was Coach Harbaugh on Twitter and those guys didn’t have a Twitter at that point in time. So he got the rights on it right off the jump, which is kind of cool.”
Waddle takes prides in watching Harbaugh call plays in the Big Ten. He believes Greg sets a strong example for small-college coaches aspiring to pursue Power Four coaching careers.
“It’s been fun just to watch a guy who came through here, worked hard and made his path all the way up to the Big Ten. That’s pretty cool,” Waddle said. “I think it’s a good reminder for our young coaches that there certainly is a path if you work hard. And then, when you work, when you get opportunities, you make the most of those.”
Mr. Versatile
Years before he became a Division III coach, Harbaugh’s passion for football blossomed while playing Division III college football at Averett University. Mike Dunlevy, Harbaugh’s former college head coach, was drawn to Greg’s character during the recruiting process.
“He was a very good character kid that would do all the right things, say the right things. We liked his speed. I can remember he ran very well as a quarterback and those are some of the things that we liked,” Dunlevy said. “When I first met him, I could see high character and that’s something you need at that position. To be a leader, you’ve got to have people that will follow you.”
Harbaugh played quarterback, wide receiver and even saw some action on defense. No matter what, Dunlevy knew he could count on Greg to play any position.
“It just said a lot about him and his willingness to be a team player. He was willing to put himself wherever he needed to be to help the team. The speed and aggressiveness he had just allowed us to do different stuff with him,” Dunlevy said. “We had battles at quarterback and at times they’re like, hey, we’ve still gotta find a way to get this kid on the field. So there was different ways for him to get him out there because he just brought too much to the table to keep him on the bench.”
Years after coaching Harbaugh in college, Dunlevy, the current Director of Recruiting Education for NCSA, keeps tabs on his journey. From Division III coaching jobs, to Western Michigan, Chattanooga and Minnesota, Harbaugh’s college coach is always watching. The former head coach takes pride in seeing Greg represent small-school athletes and coaches as the current offensive coordinator at Minnesota.
“[His small school background] is a definite help just because when you do that, you’re willing to jump in at any minute to do anything and your superiors see that. Your coordinators, your head coaches see that, hey, this is a guy that’s willing to put in the work in whatever we’re asking him to do and that’s how you climb the ladder too,” Dunlevy said. “Being able to put in those times and not being worried about what they’re asking you to do, you’re just willing to do it. He’s always been that type of kid. I say kid because he’s younger than me, but he’s not a kid anymore.”
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