Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: Johns Hopkins University [MD] (1990-2018)
Place of Birth:
Date of Birth: April 18, 1960
Place of Death: Baltimore, Maryland
Date of Death: January 2, 2019 (aged 58)
Career Record: 221-89-3 (71.1%)
Jim Margraff stands among the most successful coaches in Division III football history, winning more than 71 percent of his games during a remarkable 29 seasons and creating a championship culture at Johns Hopkins (MD). The Suffolk County (NY) native now becomes only the second person and first coach from Johns Hopkins to enter the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.
The all-time winningest coach in school history, Centennial Conference history, and Maryland state history, Margraff finished his career with a 221-89-3 record over 29 seasons, winning 71.1 percent of his games. His 221 wins ranked third among active Division III coaches at the conclusion of his final season.
Margraff's final season in 2018 was the pinnacle of his remarkable career. He guided the Blue Jays to a program-record 12 wins, a 10th straight Centennial Conference title and the NCAA Division III semifinals for the first time in school history. In total, the Blue Jays captured a Centennial Conference-record 14 league championships and made 10 NCAA Playoff appearances with Margraff as the head coach.
His leadership in 2018 landed him AFCA Coach of the Year and D3football.com National Coach of the Year honors. He was a four-time Centennial Conference Coach of the Year (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016) and four-time AFCA Region 2 Coach of the Year (2011, 2014, 2016, 2018).
He coached 21 All-Americans (including eight First Team players) and 31 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, including one NFF National Scholar-Athlete and Campbell Trophy® finalist, John Arena in 2013 and one Rhodes Scholar, current Maryland Governor Wes Moore in 2000.
As a four-year starting quarterback for the Blue Jays from 1978 to 1981, Margraff rewrote the Hopkins passing record book, finishing his playing career as the Blue Jays' all-time leader in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yardage and touchdown passes. He was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
Before returning to his alma mater to become the head coach in 1990, he served as an assistant at Johns Hopkins, Albany, Pennsylvania, Rochester (NY), and Columbia.
Less than one month after completing the 2018 season, Margraff suddenly passed away at the age of 58 on January 2, 2019. The school established the Jim Margraff Endowment for Hopkins Football and named the head coaching job in his honor. The NFF Greater Baltimore Chapter also created the James Margraff Coaches Award to honor coaches who exemplify the character and principles Margraff championed.
