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What’s it like to be the wife of an NFL head coach?
Ingrid Harbaugh, wife of the Ravens’ John Harbaugh, summed it up in one word.
“Stressful,” she said.
Ingrid sat down with iVilliage after the Ravens’ season ended for an interview about what goes into supporting her husband in a high-pressure, high-stakes profession.
Ingrid revealed she and John always blow each other a kiss and give a thumbs up before each home game. For road games, John calls her from the locker room before going out to the field.
During the season, John’s only true night off comes on Friday. It’s the only time his daughter, Alison, sees her father for an extended period of time during the grinding season.
It’s more than just being the wife of an NFL head coach. It’s being a mother to an NFL daughter too. She’s not a coach’s kid, like John was growing up the son of Jack Harbaugh, so it’s more new to Ingrid.
After the Ravens’ AFC championship loss to the New England Patriots, Ingrid instructed Alison to tell inquiring classmates that she was very proud of her dad and very proud of the team.
Ingrid took on a higher profile publicly this past season.
She and John were featured in an NFL women’s apparel commercial and she and her sister-in-law, Sarah Harbaugh, were also part of an apparel photo shoot. Sarah is the wife of San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.
Ingrid also encourages more women to get involved with the NFL.
“If you want to spend four hours with your husband on Sunday, you may want to watch a game with them and start to understand it,” she said.
