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Mike Macdonald is moments away from his first regular game as a head coach when the Seattle Seahawks host the Cleveland Browns Sunday, but this being his debut head coaching season is only part of why 2024 will forever be a special year for him.

Macdonald announced Friday his wife, , is pregnant with their first child — a boy who is due sometime in December.

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“It’s a massive blessing, thank you,” Mike Macdonald told Steve Raible in an interview that aired on “Seattle’s Morning News.” “It’s a blessing. I mean, we’re in our late 30s and it’s our first child. Steph is doing great. She’s healthy. She’s freaking glowing, radiating, looking beautiful as always. And our family’s been phenomenal.”

Stephanie Macdonald has long been attached to the NFL as she was a cheerleader for three franchises — the Tennessee Titans, the Baltimore Ravens and the Washington Commanders — over the span of eight years. She was named Pro Bowl cheerleader for the Ravens in 2014 and had the opportunity to sing the national anthem before a Commanders game.

“We just decided to knock out all the big life things in one year,” Mike Macdonald said. “Move across the country, get a new job, start a family. Why not do it in a span of 10 months or so?”

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Stephanie Macdonald first met the Seahawks’ coach in 2014 when they were both members of the Baltimore Ravens — Mike Macdonald as a coaching intern and Stephanie Macdonald as a cheerleader. She began dating the now-Seattle Seahawks head coach in 2015 and were together for six years before getting married in 2021. Their son will be the second addition to the family, following Bruce, their four-year-old English Labrador.

Mike Macdonald became the Seahawks’ head coach after spending most of the last 10 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Most recently, he served the last two years, the 2022 and 23 seasons, as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Before that, he was the University of Michigan’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Prior to his stint in Ann Arbor, the new Seahawks coach spent seven seasons with the Ravens in various defensive coaching roles, including serving as linebackers coach from 2018-20.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.