JHU Football Coach Jim Margraff Dies At 58: Report

BALTIMORE, MD — The head football coach at Johns Hopkins University died on Wednesday, Jan. 2. He was in his 29th season coaching the Blue Jays and had the most winning record in the history of the Johns Hopkins football program, according to the university.

Jim Margraff was 58 years old.

A memorial service will be held on the Homewood campus to remember the coach, who was celebrated for his athleticism, leadership and humility.

Margraff's death came weeks after he was named the D3football.com National Coach of the Year, an honor bestowed upon him in mid-December.

He died of a heart attack on Wednesday, according to Fox 45. Margraff had reportedly undergone heart surgery in 2005 to correct a congenital defect in his aorta, which also caused his father to die at age 48.

Margraff (class of 1982) leaves behind wife Alice (class of '89) as well as children Will, James and Megan (class of 2017), according to Johns Hopkins Athletics. The family lived in Timonium.

According to Hopkins Athletics, Margraff was a four-time starting quarterback with the Blue Jays when he was an undergrad and "rewrote the Hopkins passing record book." He was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997.

He was a "thoughtful, humble, passionate and exceptionally talented leader," according to Johns Hopkins Director of Athletics Alanna W. Shanahan, who said: "...he made us all better."

The Baltimore Ravens were also among those mourning the loss of Margraff.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh described Margraff as an "icon at Johns Hopkins University" known for his "class, leadership and determination."

Statement from the Baltimore Ravens: pic.twitter.com/G09ekBrIPd
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) January 2, 2019

He was a "great man to work with," according to ABC 2 News sports reporter Shawn Stepner.

Image via YouTube/Hopkins Sports.