After leading the Miami Hurricanes to their first-ever ACC title, head coach Jim Larrañaga has added another title to his resume: professor.
On Friday the school announced that Larrañaga was named Adjunct Assistant Professor of Kinesiology and Sport Sciences, marking the second time in his coaching career that he’s been a faculty member while also serving as head coach. Larrañaga was a faculty member in George Mason’s school of management during his time in Fairfax, and he’s hopeful that his new position at Miami will have a similar impact when it comes to interacting with the students who support the team.
“I’ve always seen myself as an educator; I graduated with a degree in education and I always planned to be a teacher,” Larrañaga said in the release. “I’ve had the great pleasure of teaching young men the game of basketball, but I was also a member of the faculty in the school of management at George Mason University.
“That provided me an opportunity to interact with a large number of students and to be in a classroom environment, which I enjoy very much. Being a member of the faculty of the University of Miami School of Education and Human Development will give me the opportunity to interact with more students than ever before.”
Larrañaga won’t be required to teach his own course however, as he’ll give guest lectures throughout the semester. And while it may be rare for a college basketball coach to also be a member of the faculty, it certainly isn’t unprecedented. Temple head coach Fran Dunphy has taught a course in the school’s Fox School of Business for four-plus years, and he also taught a course during his tenure as head coach at Penn.
