Jim Harbaugh has added another new face to his coaching staff at Michigan, this one a pioneer in college football.
Harbaugh announced Tuesday the hiring of Milan Bolden-Morris as a graduate assistant coach working with the quarterbacks. According to Michigan, she is the first-ever female to serve as a graduate assistant football coach at a Power 5 program.
Bolden-Morris will join Harbaugh's staff June 1 after earning her master's degree in sports management from Georgetown, where she just finished her college basketball career after transferring from Boston College and leading the Hoyas in scoring and the Big East in three-pointers this season.
Harbaugh said in an official statement that Bolden-Morris, the sister of Michigan senior defensive end Mike Morris, "reached out" this spring about the program's graduate assistant openings and he "came away extremely impressed with her desire and ideas for coaching, and for making us better as a team."
"I have always believed in providing opportunities for individuals who are passionate about football and Mimi is someone who has shown that drive to become a football coach," Harbaugh said, adding that Bolden-Morris is an "intelligent and competitive young woman who will be a great addition to our offensive coaching staff."
Bolden-Morris said it's always been a dream of hers "to be part of a football team" and "the opportunity to be the first female GA in the Power 5, especially the Big Ten, is an absolute honor."
"It speaks volumes to the efforts that Coach Harbaugh has made to create an environment of inclusion. These opportunities have been an anomaly for a black woman until recently. Growing up watching my dad coach my brother, it has always been my dream to be a part of a football team in some form, so this opportunity is allowing me to live out a dream of mine, especially working with quarterbacks."
Bolden-Morris added, "Having the ability to work in such a prestigious and winning environment will mold me to create other opportunities for women who are seeking a similar career path. I may be the first woman to do this, at this level, but I know my purpose is greater and that I can use this blessing to assist others."
