The Michigan football program and Milan “Mimi” Bolden-Morris made history Tuesday afternoon.
Bolden-Morris will join the Wolverines’ coaching staff as a graduate assistant working with the quarterbacks, starting on June 1. In doing so, she will become the first female graduate assistant coach at a Power 5 FBS program.
Bolden-Morris is the sister of senior defensive end Mike Morris.
“The opportunity to be the first female GA in the Power 5, especially the Big Ten, is an absolute honor,” Bolden-Morris said in a statement. “It speaks volumes to the efforts that (Michigan coach Jim) 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.”
According to Harbaugh, Bolden-Morris reached out to the Wolverines to express interest in their graduate assistant positions, for which they had multiple openings after offseason turnover.
“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. “… We had some great conversations and I came away extremely impressed with her desire and ideas for coaching, and for making us better as a team. Mimi is a very bright, intelligent and competitive young woman who will be a great addition to our program and offensive coaching staff.”
Bolden-Morris boasts an athletic background, having played college basketball for Georgetown for the past season-and-a-half. This past year, she led the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game.
Before transferring to Georgetown, she played three seasons at Boston College, in which she averaged 7.5 points per game.
For her graduate studies at Michigan, she will either enroll in the School of Public Policy or School of Social Work, after earning her master’s degree in Sport Management in May.