Jim Harbaugh sister, Joani Harbaugh, has found enduring happiness in her marriage to a basketball coach.
Despite her initial reluctance about tying the knot with a coach, given her family’s deep-rooted connection to the sports world, fate had other plans.
The couple has been happily married for over two decades and has welcomed three children together.
Jim Harbaugh, the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines, is a distinguished American football coach and former quarterback.
Recognized as the 2022 Big Ten Coach of the Year, his deep-rooted connection with football traces back to his college days at the University of Michigan, where he played from 1983 to 1986.
Transitioning to the National Football League (NFL), he enjoyed a remarkable 14-season career spanning from 1987 to 2000, with the Chicago Bears being the team he called home for the most extended period.
His coaching journey commenced with leadership roles for the San Diego Toreros (2004–2006), followed by a stint with the Stanford Cardinal (2007–2010).
The 2011 NFL coach of the year then took on the challenge of coaching in the NFL, serving as the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014.
Joani Harbaugh and Tom Crean’s Journey from Gym Encounter to Family Blessings
Jim Harbaugh sister, Joani Harbaugh’s love story with her husband, Tom Crean, began in 1990 at Western Kentucky University, where she was a student.
Their paths crossed thanks to a mutual friend named Ron Burns at the gym, where she held the position of an aerobics instructor.
Despite Tom having some loose ends to tie up from previous relationships, it took four months for him to summon the courage to ask Joani on a date.
Their first outing took them to a pre-season basketball game, eventually leading to a delightful dinner.
Initially reserved, Tom gradually overcame his shyness, culminating in a heartfelt marriage proposal plan in the spring of 1993.
He organized a cozy dinner at home, where he popped the question, and Joani joyfully accepted.
A few months later, the couple tied the knot, embarking on a journey of marital bliss that continues to this day.
Together, Joani and Tom have been blessed with three wonderful children: two daughters, Megan Crean (born in 1996) and Ainsley Crean (born on May 6, 2006), along with a son named Riley Crean (born in 2000).
Who Is Jim Harbaugh Sister’s Husband, Tom Crean
Tom Crean is a college basketball coach. Most recently, he was the head coach for the University of Georgia men’s basketball team.
He was previously the head coach of Indiana University. Before that, he served as head coach at Marquette University (1999–2008), where his team reached the 2003 NCAA Final Four.
In 2016, he was named by the coaches and media the Big Ten Coach of the Year after coaching Indiana to their second outright Big Ten regular-season championship in four years.
Tom said, “I didn’t play a lot, although my coach called me his biggest tool, but I knew I wanted to coach.”
