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Greg Harden, the longtime University of Michigan sports consultant and life coach who coached thousands of student-athletes over four decades and is primarily responsible for the rise of Tom Brady, has died, the university announced Friday morning.
Harden was hospitalized for surgery on Monday, but complications arose that ultimately led to his death. He was 75 years old.
“There is no one better than Greg Harden and we as a Michigan family are devastated by this news,” UM athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. “Greg has positively impacted the lives of so many student-athletes, coaches and staff at Michigan. He has had an incredible impact on my life. I am grateful and fortunate to have had him in my life for the past 40 years.”
“I will forever be indebted to Greg for everything he did to make me the person I am today.”
Harden was a UM employee for 34 years, from 1986 to 2019. He began his tenure at UM on Bo Schembechler’s team as a student-athlete advisor before working his way up to assistant athletic director and director of athletic counseling. Although he retired from full-time work in 2019, he took on an advisory role in the athletic department.
He has also served as Peak Performance Coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past three years.
While former conditioning coach Ben Herbert was called the “X-factor” of the Michigan football team on its way to the 2023 College Football Playoff championship, others within the program called Harden the program’s “secret weapon” designed to bolster the team’s mental strength as scandals and investigations swirled.
The phrase has long been used to describe Michigan’s mentality guru, dating back to 2014 when he was heralded as the show’s “secret weapon” on a CBS “60 Minutes” special because of his ability to work with athletes of all kinds.
“Longtime University of Michigan administrator Greg Harden, best known as a mental health coach for thousands of student-athletes who competed for the university … has passed away following complications from surgery,” the athletic department posted on social media. “He leaves behind his wife, Shelia, three adult children – Brian Victor and Olivia – and his sister, Lynette.”
“The family is grateful for the thoughts and prayers, but asks that they be given some privacy as they cope with the loss of their loved one. In the future, they look forward to celebrating Greg’s life with many who were fortunate to know him.”
Last year, Harden wrote a book called “Staying Sane in a Crazy World: How to Control the Controllable and Succeed.” Not only did Brady write the foreword for it, the book debuted at No. 1 on Amazon and became a bestseller on the New York Times, USA TODAY, Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly lists.
“You inspired me with your ability to love everyone and everything unconditionally,” wrote former UM quarterback JJ McCarthy. “No matter how big or small, how significant or insignificant. You inspired me to seek the truth about who I really am, why I am the way I am, and to lift the veil of my limitless potential. You showed me what true freedom feels like when you helped me escape the cage in my head. But most importantly, you told me the things my ego didn’t want to hear. You always guided me to the places within myself I didn’t want to confront.
“Your timeless wisdom, ever-present sense of humor, and genuine authenticity have left lasting impressions in so many hearts that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. Especially mine. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without you, G.”
Harden has helped the absolute best of the best reach their full potential. Former Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard said, “I wouldn’t have won the Heisman championship” if it weren’t for Harden, while Michael Phelps’ swimming coach Bob Bowman thanked Harden for helping him take things to the next level and coach the most successful male swimmer in Olympic history.
“He’s a miracle worker,” Bowman said on Harden’s website. “He made me a better coach and a better person.”
In the hours since Harden’s death was announced, the outpouring of support from current and former Michigan sports figures has been overwhelming.
Football head coach Sherrone Moore said he was “more than a friend … (but a) mentor, confidant and a big brother.”
Brady said in a statement: “He meant the world to me and without the time, energy, love and support he gave me, I could never have had the success I had.”
And then there’s Michelle McMahon, who played volleyball for the Wolverines from 2008 to 2012 and said, “He took my broken spirit and lost soul and helped me become whole again. … Greg was a guardian angel placed in my path, as he has been for countless others.”
Prior to his career, Harden was an all-city and all-state athlete at Detroit Southwestern High School.
