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James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
coach and former
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the
Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...
. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He played in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) for 14 seasons from 1987 to 2000 with his longest tenure as a player with the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. He served as the head coach of the
San Diego Toreros The San Diego Toreros are the 17 teams representing the University of San Diego of San Diego, California in intercollegiate athletics. The Toreros compete in NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of the National Collegiate At ...
(
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), the
Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...
(
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), and the NFL's
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
(
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
).The Detroit Free Press, "Preparing To Be A-Maized", by Mark Snyder and David Jesse, December 29, 2014, page B1 In 2015, Harbaugh returned to his alma mater, the University of Michigan. Harbaugh was born in
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
. His father,
Jack Harbaugh Jack Avon Harbaughhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/celeb/harbaugh.htm (born June 28, 1939) is a former American football player and coach. He is known for being the longtime head coach at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers fo ...
, was a football coach, and the family lived in
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
,
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
,
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
,
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, and
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. He attended high school in
Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
and
Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...
, when his father was an assistant coach at Michigan and Stanford, respectively. After graduation from high school in Palo Alto in 1982, Harbaugh returned to Ann Arbor and enrolled at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
and played quarterback for the Wolverines, starting for three seasons. As a fifth-year senior in
1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...
, he led Michigan to the 1987 Rose Bowl and was a
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
finalist, finishing third. The
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
selected Harbaugh in the first round of the
1987 NFL Draft The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Marq ...
. He played 14 years as a quarterback in the NFL, with Chicago from 1987 to 1993, the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
from 1994 to 1997, the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in 1998, and the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
in 1999 to 2000. He first became a regular starting quarterback in
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
with Chicago. In
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
with Indianapolis, he led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game, was selected to the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
and was honored as NFL Comeback Player of the Year. From 1994 to 2001, while still playing in the NFL, Harbaugh was an unpaid assistant coach at
Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
, where his father Jack was head coach. In
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, he returned to the NFL as the quarterbacks coach for the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. Harbaugh returned to the college ranks in 2004 as the head coach at the
University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...
. After leading San Diego to consecutive Pioneer League championships in 2005 and 2006, he moved to Stanford in 2007, where he led the Cardinal to two bowl berths in four seasons, including a win in the
2011 Orange Bowl The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12 ...
. Immediately afterward, Harbaugh signed a five-year deal as head coach of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, where he led the team to the NFC Championship game in each of his first three seasons after the franchise missed the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons beforehand. He and his older brother,
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
coach
John Harbaugh John William Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served ...
, became the first pair of brothers to serve as head coaches in NFL history. Their teams played in a Thanksgiving Classic game in 2011 and in
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
at the end of the 2012 season.


Early life and education

Born in
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
on December 23, 1963, Harbaugh is the son of Jacqueline M. "Jackie" (née Cipiti) and
Jack Harbaugh Jack Avon Harbaughhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/celeb/harbaugh.htm (born June 28, 1939) is a former American football player and coach. He is known for being the longtime head coach at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers fo ...
. His mother is of half- Sicilian and half-
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
ancestry and his father is of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
ancestry. Both Jim and his brother
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
were born in Toledo, while his father was an assistant football coach at nearby
Perrysburg High School Perrysburg High School is a public high school in Perrysburg, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in Perrysburg Exempted Village School District (Perrysburg Schools). Athletic teams are known as the Yellow Jackets with school colors of ...
in Perrysburg. During Harbaugh's childhood, the family moved frequently, as his father held assistant coaching positions at Morehead State (1967),
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
(1967–1970),
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
(1971–1973),
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
(1973–1979),
Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
(1980–1981), and
Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...
(1982–1986). Harbaugh played for the junior league Ann Arbor Packers and then for Tappan Junior High before moving on to Pioneer High School. When his father became
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
at Stanford, he transferred to
Palo Alto High School Palo Alto Senior High School, commonly referred to locally as "Paly", is a comprehensive public high school in Palo Alto, California. Operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District, the school is one of two schools in the district, the other b ...
, graduating in 1982. Harbaugh received a
Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
with a major in
communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...
from the University of Michigan in 1986.


College playing career


1982 and 1983 seasons

In February 1982, Harbaugh committed to play football for Bo Schembechler's
Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its ...
team. He came to Michigan with a "high school reputation as a slick California passer." As a true freshman in 1982, Harbaugh, at age 18, and junior Dave Hall were backups to quarterback
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
, who had broken Michigan's single season record with 2,335 yards of total offense in 1981. In the 1982 season, Smith started all 12 games, and Hall handled the limited backup role.(enter "1982" in the "Enter Year" box to retrieve 1982 team statistics; Hall completed 20 of 38 passes with three interceptions) Even as Smith struggled, coach Schembechler expressed a reluctance to play Harbaugh, saying, "To suddenly pull some freshman out of the bag, I don't think you can do that in today's football." Harbaugh did not see any game action in 1982, registered no statistics, and retained four years of eligibility under the NCAA's
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
rule. Harbaugh performed well in the annual spring game in April 1983, completing 10 of 15 passes for 116 yards. After the game, coach Schembechler noted, "Harbaugh is a fresh talent who'll be all right, but he has a lot to learn." While Harbaugh was touted as the team's "pass-oriented quarterback of the future," he spent the 1983 season as Michigan's No. 3 quarterback behind Steve Smith and Dave Hall. Smith started 11 games, and Hall started one game, while Harbaugh completed two of five passes for 40 yards in limited action.(enter "1983" in the "Enter Year" box to retrieve 1983 team statistics; Hall completed 13 of 25 passes with two interceptions) Harbaugh completed his first pass for Michigan on November 5, 1983, in a 42–10 victory over
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
.


1984 season

In the spring of 1984, Harbaugh was in a three-way competition for Michigan's starting quarterback job. Three-year starter Steve Smith had graduated, and his backup, Dave Hall, was lost to a knee injury. The 1983 competition pitted Harbaugh against sophomores Chris Zurbrugg and Russ Rein. In April 1984, Schembechler said, "Harbaugh is coming along pretty well. He's having a pretty good spring. Zurbrugg has emerged as a good prospect. There's kind of a battle in there." In the 1984 spring game, Harbaugh impressed observers as he completed 17 of 26 passes for 161 yards and an interception. Schembechler said after the game, "We've been happy with Jim all spring. He's shown a lot of maturity." After spring practice, Schembechler announced his depth chart with Harbaugh as his No. 1 quarterback. In his first collegiate start, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 22–14 upset victory over a
Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...
team that was led by
Bernie Kosar Bernard Joseph Kosar Jr. (born November 25, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played collegiately at the University of Miami where he led the team to a national championship in 1983. He subsequently played professionally in ...
, had won the 1983 national championship, and was ranked No. 1 in both the AP and UPI polls. Harbaugh completed 11 of 21 passes for 162 yards and two interceptions. The ''Detroit Free Press'' praised Harbaugh for "pinpoint passing" that "kept Miami's defense on the run." In his second start, the Wolverines (ranked No. 3) lost to a
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
team that finished the season ranked No. 2 in both the AP and UPI polls. Harbaugh threw a career-high 37 passes in the game, completing 17 passes for 183 yards, three interceptions, and his first collegiate touchdown pass to Vince Bean. After the loss to Washington, Harbaugh led Michigan to victories over
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
(20–14) and
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
(14–6). Harbaugh completed 25 of 39 passes for 272 yards in those games. On October 6, 1984, a 19–7 loss to
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
in the fifth game of the season, Harbaugh sustained a badly broken left arm in the third quarter when he dove for a loose ball and collided with Spartan linebacker Thomas Tyree. Harbaugh had to be carried from the field on a stretcher and missed the remainder of the season. Harbaugh completed 60 of 111 passes for 718 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions during his shortened 1984 season.(Harbaugh's statistics can be retrieved by typing "harbaugh" into the space provided for the player's last name.)


1985 season

By April 1985, Harbaugh's arm had healed, and he completed 10 of 16 passes for 146 yards in the annual spring game. Harbaugh was the starting quarterback in all 12 games for the 1985 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled a 10–1–1 record, outscored opponents 342–98, defeated
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the final AP and UPI polls. On October 26, 1985, Harbaugh set a school record with 283 passing yards in a 42–15 victory over
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. After the game, Harbaugh was asked for his reaction to setting the school's passing record and responded, "Records are nice, but everything we do here is team oriented. Everyone's telling me about the record, but they should tell it to Paul Jokisch and Eric Kattus and John Kolesar. They caught the passes." On November 16, 1985, in a 48–7 victory over
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, Harbaugh completed 13 of 18 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. After the game, Harbaugh praised the offensive line, noting, "I've never had more time to throw in my life—junior high, high school." Harbaugh's 13 completions against Minnesota gave him 123 for the season, breaking the school record of 118 set by
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to: Academics * Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager * Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
in 1982. On November 23, 1985, Harbaugh led Michigan to a 27–17 victory over
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. In the fourth quarter, Harbaugh completed a 77-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Kolesar, giving Michigan a 10-point lead with nine minutes remaining. Coach Schembechler said after the game that the 77-yard touchdown was "a play that took the starch right out of their sails." Columnist
Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...
wrote after the game that Harbaugh's pass to Kolesar was an image that would last: "The image that repeats will be that of Jim Harbaugh dropping back in the fourth quarter and uncorking a soaring spiral that rose high and long as flanker John Kolesar ran underneath it, his steps seemingly in sync with the revolutions of the ball, so
hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
when it fell, it fell right into his arms, almost gently." Harbaugh completed 16 of 19 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. In the final three games of the 1985 regular season, Harbaugh completed 41 of 50 passes for 706 yards, nine touchdowns, and no interceptions. For the season as a whole, he completed 145 of 227 passes for 1,976 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also led the nation with a 163.7 passing efficiency rating in 1985.


1986 season

In 1986, his final season at Michigan, Harbaugh started all 13 games at quarterback for the 1986 Michigan Wolverines football team that compiled an 11–2 record, lost to
Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
in the 1987 Rose Bowl, and finished the season ranked No. 8 in the final AP Poll and No. 7 in the final UPI Poll. In the first game of the season, Harbaugh led Michigan to a 24–23 victory over Notre Dame. Harbaugh completed 15 of 23 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth game of the season, he broke his own Michigan school record with 310 passing yards in Schembechler's 200th career victory, a 34–17 victory over
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. Harbaugh caused controversy when he guaranteed a victory over
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
in 1986. Harbaugh's guarantee proved valid as the Wolverines defeated the Buckeyes, 26–24. Harbaugh completed 19 of 29 passes with two interceptions. For the season, Harbaugh completed 180 of 277 passes for 2,729 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. His 2,729 passing yards set a Michigan season record that stood until 2002. He also finished second in the country in passing efficiency behind
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
winner
Vinny Testaverde Vincent Frank Testaverde Sr. (; born November 13, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. He played college football at Miami, where he was an All-American and won the Hei ...
. Harbaugh won numerous honors in 1986 including the following: * He won the
Chicago Tribune Silver Football The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois w ...
trophy as the most valuable player in the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
. * He finished third in the
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
voting with 458 points and 25 first-place ballots, trailing Testaverde (2,213 points, 678 first-place ballots) and Temple running back Paul Palmer (672 points, 28 first-place ballots). * He was selected by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
(AP) and
United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...
(UPI) as the first-team quarterback on the 1986 All-Big Ten Conference football team. * He was selected by the AP and UPI as the second-team quarterback behind Testaverde on the
1986 College Football All-America Team The 1986 College Football All-America team is composed of college football players who were selected as All-Americans by various organizations and writers that chose College Football All-America Teams in 1986. The National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
. * He was named to the Big Ten's All-Academic team. Harbaugh finished his college career as Michigan's all-time record holder for passing yards with 5,449 yards. He also tallied 620 passing attempts (second in Michigan history at the time), 387 completions, a 62.4% completion percentage, 31 touchdown passes (third in Michigan history at the time), and 22 interceptions. He held the career NCAA Division I-A
passing efficiency Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leagu ...
record (149.6) for 12 years. Harbaugh earned a B.A. in communications from Michigan's
College of Literature, Science, and the Arts The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) is the liberal arts and sciences school of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841 with seven students and two teachers, the college is currentl ...
in 1986.


NFL playing career


Chicago Bears (1987–1993)


1987 season

The
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
selected Harbaugh in the first round (26th overall) of the
1987 NFL Draft The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Marq ...
. During the 1987 season, playing under head coach
Mike Ditka Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. A member of both the College (1986) and the Pro (1988) Football Halls of Fame, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year i ...
, Harbaugh completed only one of 15 passes in an August 27 exhibition game against the
St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
. During the regular season, he played in a reserve capacity in six games. On November 22, in a 30–10 win over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Harbaugh took only one snap and was sacked for 15 yards. On December 14, in a 41–0 loss to the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, Harbaugh threw his first NFL passes, completing 8 of 11 (72.7%) for 62 yards, was sacked 3 times for 30 yards, and rushed 15 yards on three carries.


1988 season

Harbaugh played 10 games in
1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...
and completed 47 of 97 passes (48.5%) for 514 yards and 2 interceptions. He also rushed 110 yards on 19 carries. Harbaugh started his first game on Week 14 (December 5), a 23–3 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
in which he completed 11 of 30 passes for 108 yards and 2 interceptions, rushed 32 yards on 6 carries, and was sacked twice for 9 yards. The following game on December 12, Harbaugh earned his first win as an NFL starter with a 13–12 victory over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
. Harbaugh completed 18 of 26 passes for 174 yards and rushed 36 yards in 7 carries. Harbaugh's 1988 season completion percentage as a QB in the NFL was the lowest during his 15-year career at 48.5%.


1989 season

Harbaugh saw more playing time in 1989 after
Jim McMahon James Robert McMahon Jr. (born August 21, 1959) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, most notably with the Chicago Bears. McMahon played college football at BYU, where he wa ...
left the team and started five games for Chicago while
Mike Tomczak Michael John Tomczak (born October 23, 1962) is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams from 1985 through 1999, including the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsb ...
started 11 in a 6–10 season for Chicago. 1989 was his first season with over 1,000 passing yards, completing 111 of 178 passes in 12 games for 1,204 yards for 5 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and was sacked 18 times for 106 yards. His 62.4% completion rate earned him the team record for single-season completion percentage.


1990 season

In
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
, Harbaugh played and started in the first 14 games of the season. Chicago improved to 11–5 and won the
NFC Central The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and tough ri ...
division, and Harbaugh passed for 2,178 yards with 180 of 312 (57.7%) passes completed for 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He was sacked 31 times for 206 yards and rushed 321 yards in 51 carries. Due to a shoulder injury, Harbaugh sat out the last two games of the year as well as the playoffs.


1991 season

Harbaugh passed for a career-high 3,121 yards with Chicago in
1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...
and became the first Chicago quarterback since
Vince Evans Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...
to start all 16 regular season games. He completed 275 of 478 (57.5%) passes for 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, was sacked 24 times (including a franchise-record 9 times on Oct 25 against
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
) for a loss of 163 yards, and rushed 338 yards on 70 carries. Chicago finished the season 11–5 like the year before, but in second place in the NFC Central. On December 29, 1991, he made his postseason debut in the
NFC Wild Card game The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Currently, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. A tie-breaki ...
, a 17–13 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. The Dallas defense overwhelmed him throughout the game, sacking him three times; and in the final drive of the game that started from Chicago's 4-yard line with 1:50 left, he threw an interception to
Bill Bates William Frederick Bates (born June 6, 1961) is a former American football safety who played for fifteen seasons in the National Football League, all of which were spent with the Dallas Cowboys. A fan favorite, he was a Pro Bowl selection in ...
on the fourth play from scrimmage. , however, his franchise records for completions (22), attempts (44) and yards per game in the 1991 postseason (218) still stood.


1992 season

Chicago regressed to a 5–11 record in
1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
, and the team fired coach Ditka afterwards. Harbaugh played all 16 games but started only 13 and had a 5–8 record as starter. He completed 202 of 358 (56.4%) passes for 2,486 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, was sacked 31 times for 167 yards, and rushed 272 yards over 47 carries, including one rushing touchdown.


1993 season

In 1993, Chicago went 7–9. Harbaugh played in and started 15 games and completed 200 of 325 (61.5%) passes for 2,002 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He was sacked 43 times for 210 yards and rushed 277 yards over 60 carries. Harbaugh ended his tenure with Chicago with a 35–30 () record.


Indianapolis Colts (1994–1997)


1994 season

On April 7, 1994, Harbaugh signed with the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. He played and started in just nine games in the 1994 Colts season, completing 125 of 202 (61.9%) passes for 1,440 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Harbaugh took 17 sacks for 72 yards and rushed 223 yards over 39 carries. For the first eight games, Harbaugh was starter, and coach
Ted Marchibroda Theodore Joseph Marchibroda (March 15, 1931 – January 16, 2016) was an American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League (NFL). He spent his four years as an active player with the Pittsburgh Steelers (1953, 1955&nd ...
re-instated Harbaugh as starter for Week 15 (December 18) after Indianapolis struggled on offense under quarterback
Don Majkowski Donald "Majik" Vincent Majkowski (born February 25, 1964) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions. College career Following graduation from the F ...
.


1995 season

In
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, Harbaugh achieved career highs in completion percentage (63.7%),
passer rating Passer rating (also known as passing efficiency in college football) is a measure of the performance of passers, primarily quarterbacks, in gridiron football. There are two formulas currently in use: one used by both the National Football Leag ...
(100.7), and touchdown passes (17) and led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship Game. Harbaugh played 15 games in the regular season and started 12, with a 7–5 record as starter for a 9–7 team. Harbaugh completed 200 of 314 passes for 2,575 yards and just 5 interceptions with his 17 touchdowns and was sacked 36 times for 219 yards. In 52 carries, Harbaugh rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns. But he strained his right knee after being sacked six times and left the Week 14 (December 3) game against the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
in the third quarter. Indianapolis lost to defending AFC champion the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
in Week 16 (December 17) 27–24, with John Carney kicking the winning
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
with 3 seconds left after Harbaugh's drive with three straight passes had led to
Cary Blanchard Robert Cary Blanchard (November 5, 1968 – September 6, 2016) was an American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played eight years for five teams: the New York Jets for his first two years, the Indianapolis Colts after ...
's field goal that tied the game at 24 with 48 seconds left. In the regular season finale on December 23, Harbaugh's 32nd birthday, Indianapolis clinched a playoff berth with a 10–7 win over the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. Completing 20 of 30 passes, he threw for 225 yards and a touchdown. On December 31, 1995, in the AFC wild card game against San Diego, Harbaugh scored on a 3-yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter after a 32-yard interception return by
Jason Belser Jason Daks Belser (born May 28, 1970) is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners football, Oklahoma Sooners. He played high school football at Raytown So ...
and Indianapolis won 35–20. Indianapolis won the divisional round game on January 7, 1996 over the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
10–7, despite only 112 passing yards (with 12 of 27 passes completed, 1 touchdown and 1 interception) from Harbaugh. In the AFC Championship Game on January 14, Harbaugh completed 21 of 33 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown and rushed 29 yards on 6 carries. But Aaron Bailey dropped Harbaugh's last-second
Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
in the endzone, and the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
won 20–16 and went on to Super Bowl XXX, which they lost to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
. For the season, he was voted to the
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
, was named Comeback Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year.


1996 season

With new coach
Lindy Infante Gelindo "Lindy" Infante (March 27, 1940 – October 8, 2015) was an American football player and coach, who became an offensive coordinator and head coach in both the National Football League (NFL) and the United States Football League (USFL). ...
, Indianapolis again finished 9–7 and made the playoffs in
1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
with Harbaugh as signal caller. Harbaugh played and started in 14 games with a 7–7 record; he completed 232 of 405 (57.3%) passes for 2,630 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, with 36 sacks for 190 yards lost and 192 rushing yards on 48 carries and a touchdown. Defending AFC Champion
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
defeated Indianapolis in the Wild Card round 42–14 as Harbaugh completed only 37.5% of his passes (12 of 32) for 134 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.


1997 season

Indianapolis fell to 3–13 in
1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...
. Despite passing for 2,060 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 12 games and 189-for-309 (61.2%) passing, Harbaugh had a 2–9 record as starter. Harbaugh was sacked 41 times for a career-high 256 yards lost.


Baltimore Ravens (1998)

On February 14, 1998, the Indianapolis Colts traded Harbaugh to the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
for third-round and fourth-round draft picks in the
1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...
. With that trade, Harbaugh reunited with his former Colts coach Ted Marchibroda. During the 1998 season with Baltimore, Harbaugh played in 14 games and started 12, with a 5–7 record as starter in a 6–10 season for the Ravens. Harbaugh completed 164 of 293 (56.0%) passes for 1,839 yards, just his third season with fewer than 2,000 passing yards since 1989. He had 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in passing, was sacked 23 times for 145 yards, and rushed 172 yards on 40 carries. The Ravens opened a new stadium for 1998, Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards (renamed
M&T Bank Stadium M&T Bank Stadium is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the home of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). The stadium is immediately adjacent to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the home of the ...
in 2003). Starting the game in Week 1 (September 6) and completing 4 of 7 passes for 33 yards, Harbaugh left during the second quarter after injuring a finger, and with backup Eric Zeier in for Harbaugh, Baltimore lost to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
20–13. Baltimore won its next game 24–10 over the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
on September 13; Harbaugh started and made 5 of 10 passes for 36 yards but again left early and was replaced by Zeier due to injury. Coach Marchibroda again split quarterbacking duties in the following game on September 20, a 24–10 loss to the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
, with Harbaugh starting and Zeier taking over during the second quarter. With 4 of 9 passes completed for 59 yards, Harbaugh led a drive for a
Matt Stover John Matthew Stover (born January 27, 1968) is a former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Ravens. After five seasons for the Cleveland Browns, he was amon ...
first quarter
field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
. Harbaugh then sat out two games and played as Zeier's backup for Weeks 7 (October 18) and 8 (October 25). Those two games had poor performances: Harbaugh completed none of six passes and had one 3-yard rush in the Week 6 loss to Pittsburgh. Despite only 9 of 20 passes completed and two interceptions in the Week 7 28–10 loss to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, Harbaugh made his first passing touchdown as a Raven, a 46-yard pass to Jermaine Lewis in the fourth quarter. In the next game on Week 8 (November 1), Harbaugh improved in his first full game, with 27 of 34 passes completed over 243 yards for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception and 57 rushing yards in 10 carries. In Week 9 (November 8), with Baltimore winning 13–10 over the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
, Harbaugh got his first win in a full game started despite passing for only 102 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. In the final two drives of the game, Harbaugh made crucial first-down conversion passes of a 28-yard pass to Jermaine Lewis and 10- and 11-yard passes to
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. In Week 12 (November 29), a 38-31 win over the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
, Harbaugh had his first interception-free full game, with 16-for-25 passing over 198 yards for 2 touchdowns. It was the Colts first trip back to Baltimore after the team left it for Indianapolis. In an emotional moment, Harbaugh presented
Johnny Unitas John Constantine Unitas (; May 7, 1933 – September 11, 2002) was an American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Colts. Following a career that spanned from 1956 ...
with the game ball. Referee
Ed Hochuli Edward G. Hochuli ( ; born December 25, 1950) is an American Lawyer, attorney and retired Official (American football), American football official. He has served as an attorney at Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. since 1983, and was an official ...
called a controversial
unnecessary roughness In gridiron football, a penalty is a sanction assessed against a team for a violation of the rules, called a foul. Officials initially signal penalties by tossing a bright yellow colored penalty flag onto the field toward or at the spot of a fou ...
penalty against
Joe Bowden Joe Tarrod Bowden, III (born February 25, 1970) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Houston Oilers / Tennessee Oilers / Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the Universi ...
in Baltimore's 16–14 loss to the
Tennessee Oilers Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to the ...
for his hit on Harbaugh on a 2nd-and-24 play with Tennessee leading 14–13 after his 9-yard
scramble Scramble, Scrambled, or Scrambling may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Scramble'' (video game), a 1981 arcade game Music Albums * ''Scramble'' (album), an album by Atlanta-based band the Coathangers * ''Scrambles'' (album) ...
towards the sideline, ruling that Harbaugh was in bounds when hit. On 3rd-and-15 in the next series, however, Harbaugh was sacked and Baltimore was forced to punt, so the penalty didn't hurt the Oilers. Harbaugh completed 15 of 28 passes for 214 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception and rushed 22 yards over 5 carries. After a three-game losing streak, Harbaugh won the final game of the season (and his final game with Baltimore) on December 27, 19–10 over the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
with 17 of 26 passes completed for 141 yards and a touchdown.


San Diego Chargers (1999–2000)


1999 season

Harbaugh played two years with the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
. Signed as the backup to
Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also p ...
, Harbaugh played most of the 1999 season after Leaf sustained a season-ending injury in training camp. Harbaugh started 12 games out of 14 played and had a 6–6 record as starter in an 8–8 season, completing 249 of 434 (57.4%) passes for 2,761 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He was sacked 37 times for a total loss of 208 yards and rushed for 126 yards over 34 carries. In his debut with San Diego in the September 19 season opener (Week 2), Harbaugh threw two touchdowns in 15-for-27 passing for 159 yards in a 34–7 win over the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
. However, San Diego lost their next game to Harbaugh's former team, the Indianapolis Colts, 27–19. Harbaugh completed 15 of 37 passes for 188 yards. With very few seconds left and the ball on the Colts' 24, Harbaugh threw an interception to
Tyrone Poole Tyrone Poole (born February 3, 1972) is a former American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft. He ...
. Harbaugh started the Week 4 (October 3) game against the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
completing 6 of 9 passes for 38 yards and an interception before leaving due to a bruised right elbow; he missed the Week 5 (October 10) and Week 6 (October 17) games because of that injury and two broken ribs. Harbaugh returned in Week 7 (October 24) in a 31–3 loss to the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
as backup to starter Erik Kramer; both quarterbacks threw 3 interceptions each. Harbaugh next started a game on Week 9 (November 7) and completed 25 of 39 passes for 235 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions and rushed 14 yards in 2 carries in a 33–17 loss to defending champion
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. The Chargers lost its sixth game in a row after a 4–1 start in Week 12 (November 28) to the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
35–27.
Robert Griffith Robert Otis "Griff" Griffith (born November 30, 1970) is a former American football strong safety in the National Football League. He played 13 seasons in the league, mostly for the Minnesota Vikings from 1994 to 2001. He also played three sea ...
intercepted a Harbaugh pass at the Vikings' 1-yard line with 4:29 left, and Minnesota ran out the clock to seal the win. A 12–9 loss to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
on December 19 (Week 15) disqualified the Chargers from the postseason. Miami's defense sacked Harbaugh five times, and Rich Owens strip-sacked Harbaugh at San Diego's 20-yard line. Harbaugh finished the game with 20 of 40 passes completed for 178 yards. With 17 seconds left,
Chris Penn Christopher Shannon Penn (October 10, 1965 – January 24, 2006) was an American actor. He was the brother of actor Sean Penn and musician Michael Penn. Noted as a skilled character actor from a prominent acting dynasty, he was typically cast a ...
caught Harbaugh's attempt at a game-winning touchdown pass albeit slightly outside the back of the end zone. John Carney missed a game-tying 36-yard field goal. After failing to make a passing touchdown for three games, Harbaugh made two passing touchdowns and just one interception on 23-for-36 passing over 325 yards in San Diego's 23–20 win over the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
on the home finale on December 26 (Week 16).


2000 season

Following an 8–8 season in 1999, San Diego finished 1–15 in
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
with a rotation of
Ryan Leaf Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976) is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played for the San Diego Chargers and the Dallas Cowboys between 1998 and 2001, and also p ...
, Harbaugh, and
Moses Moreno Moses Nathaniel Moreno (born September 5, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 7th round (232nd overall) in the 1998 NFL Draft out of Colorado State. He attended Castle Park High School, w ...
as starters. Playing in seven games and starting five, Harbaugh completed 123 of 202 (60.9%) passes for 1,416 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, was sacked 14 times for 96 yards, and rushed 24 yards on 16 carries. Harbaugh played his first game in Week 4 (September 24), a 20–12 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. On 8-for-14 passing, Harbaugh passed for 67 yards and an interception. He became starter in Week 5 (October 1). In the 57–31 loss to defending champion
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...
, Harbaugh was 27-for-40 for 348 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception and was sacked 3 times for 15 yards. Starting the Week 6 (October 8) game, a 21–7 loss the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, Harbaugh was 18-for-43 for 237 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Two of Harbaugh's interceptions led to short Denver touchdowns, and Harbaugh threw his third interception on fourth-and-goal at Denver's 5-yard line. In Week 7 (October 15), an overtime 27–24 loss to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, Harbaugh's second interception of the game, by Henry Jones, was in overtime and paved way for Steve Christie's game-winning field goal. Following the game, coach Mike Riley said he regretted rotating between Harbaugh and Moses Moreno in the first half, as Moreno lost two fumbles, one of which Buffalo returned for a touchdown. San Diego had an ''
ESPN Sunday Night Football ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'' is the ESPN cable network's weekly television broadcasts of Sunday evening National Football League (NFL) games. The first ESPN Sunday night broadcast occurred on November 8, 1987, while the last one aired on January ...
'' game in Week 9 (October 29) following a bye week, lost to the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
15–13, and fell to 0–8. San Diego took a 13–12 lead with 5:47 left after Harbaugh made a 21-yard touchdown pass to
Freddie Jones Frederick Charles Jones''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916-2005.''; at ancestry.com (12 September 1927 – 9 July 2019) was an English actor who had an extensive career in television, theatre and cinema productions for a ...
, but failed the
two-point conversion In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the team that just scored must run ...
attempt paving the way for the Raiders'
Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...
to kick the winning field goal with 13 seconds left. In the final play of the game, following a 47-yard
kickoff return A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in gridiron football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team". The receiving team is then entitled to ''return' ...
by
Ronney Jenkins Ronney Jenkins (born May 25, 1977) is a former American football player from Los Angeles, California, who played four seasons in the NFL, primarily as a kick return specialist. High school career Jenkins had an outstanding prep career while pla ...
,
Marquez Pope Marquez Phillips Pope (born October 29, 1970 in Nashville, Tennessee) is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2nd round (33rd overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft. A 5'11" cornerback-safety from ...
intercepted Harbaugh's attempt at a 50-yard
Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...
that was intended for
Trevor Gaylor Trevor Alexander Gaylor (born November 3, 1977 in St. Louis, Missouri) is a retired wide receiver in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. He would also play for the Atlanta Falcons and Detroi ...
in the end zone. In that game, Harbaugh completed 25 of 35 passes for 222 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception and was sacked 3 times for 27 yards. The following game on November 5 (Week 10), San Diego lost its ninth straight in a 15–13 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. In the second quarter, Harbaugh lost two fumbles, both of which preceded 10-yard Seattle passing touchdowns. Having completed 22 of 32 passes for 236 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, he left the game after the third quarter due to
groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
and
abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...
injuries. Harbaugh played what would be his final career game in Week 11 (November 12), a 17–7 loss to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. In the final drive of the game he filled in poorly for an injured Ryan Leaf, completing only 2 of 5 passes for 19 yards and throwing an interception. By that time, coach Riley had relegated Harbaugh to emergency duty due to injuries including a mild
hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...
. Riley had planned to start Harbaugh for the next game on Week 12 (November 19), but decided to start Leaf instead.


Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers (2001)

Harbaugh signed with the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
prior to the 2001 season, where he was expected to back up incumbent starter
Charlie Batch Charles D'Donte Batch (born December 5, 1974) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons in th ...
. However, on the eve of the regular season, the Lions cut him and traded for
Ty Detmer Ty Hubert Detmer (born October 30, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He won the Heisman Trophy in 1990 while playing college football for the BYU Cougars. D ...
. He then closed out his NFL career with the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
in 2001, where he dressed for 6 games but didn't play. The 2001 Panthers, like the Chargers the year before, finished with a 1–15 record.


Legacy

For his NFL career, Harbaugh played in 177 league games with 140 starts. He completed 2,305 of 3,918 passes for 26,288 yards with 129 touchdowns. Particularly during his time with Indianapolis, such as when he led the Colts to come-from-behind wins over the Chiefs and
Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
in the 1995–96 NFL playoffs and a near upset over the No. 2 AFC seed Steelers, he earned the nickname "Captain Comeback" (the second player to be so nicknamed after
Roger Staubach Roger Thomas Staubach (, -; , -; born February 5, 1942), nicknamed "Roger the Dodger", "Captain America", and "Captain Comeback", is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for ...
) for his ability to win games in the fourth quarter when his team was significantly behind. Harbaugh is second in the Bears' record book for completions with 1,023, while
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
holds the record with 1,034. Harbaugh also ranks second with 1,759 attempts and third in yards with 11,567. In January 2005, he was inducted into the
Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor The Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor honors former players, coaches, club officials, and fans who made outstanding contributions to the Indianapolis Colts football organization. Originally a ring around the former RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, ...
as one of the most successful and popular players in the club's Indianapolis era.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Coaching career


Western Kentucky assistant (1994–2001)

During his final eight seasons in the NFL (1994–2001), Harbaugh was an
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
-certified unpaid assistant coach under his father
Jack Harbaugh Jack Avon Harbaughhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/celeb/harbaugh.htm (born June 28, 1939) is a former American football player and coach. He is known for being the longtime head coach at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers fo ...
at
Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
(WKU). Serving as an offensive consultant, he scouted and recruited high school student-athletes throughout several states including
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
and
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
. He was involved in recruiting 17 players on WKU's 2002
Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...
national champion team. His father was a football coach for 18 years, including 14 years as head coach at WKU.


Oakland Raiders assistant (2002–2003)

Harbaugh was
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
coach for the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
and
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
under Bill Callahan. During his tenure with the Raiders, Harbaugh coached starting quarterback
Rich Gannon Richard Joseph Gannon (born December 20, 1965) is an American former football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Subsequently, he was a sports commentator with CBS Sports for 16 years. Gannon was born in ...
, who led the Raiders' run to Super Bowl XXXVII, won the 2002
AP NFL MVP The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to a player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have been the " most valuable" in that year's regular season. While there have b ...
award, and was selected to the
2003 Pro Bowl The 2003 Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2002 season. The game was played on February 2, 2003, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The final Score was AFC 45, NFC 20. Ricky Williams of the Miami Dolphins was the game's MVP. AF ...
after the 2002 season. Other Raiders quarterbacks coached by Harbaugh include
Rick Mirer Richard Franklin Mirer (born March 19, 1970) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected second overall by the Seattle Sea ...
,
Tee Martin Tamaurice Nigel "Tee" Martin (born July 25, 1978) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach at th ...
,
Marques Tuiasosopo Marques Tavita Tuiasosopo (born March 22, 1979) is an American football coach and former player. He played professionally as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. Tu ...
, and Rob Johnson.


University of San Diego (2004–2006)

Prior to the 2004 season, Harbaugh was named head football coach at the
University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a private Roman Catholic research university in San Diego, California. Chartered in July 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University (comprising the College for Men and Schoo ...
. In his first year, he directed the Toreros to an overall mark of 7–4, including 5 straight wins to end the season. The following year, the team improved to 11–1 and won the 2005
Pioneer Football League The Pioneer Football League (PFL) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) as a football-only conference. It has member s ...
championship. In 2006, USD again went 11–1, winning their second consecutive Pioneer League title in the process.


Stanford University (2007–2010)

Harbaugh was named the head football coach at
Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in December 2006, replacing Walt Harris. Harbaugh's father, Jack, was Stanford's
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
from 1980 to 1981, while Harbaugh attended
Palo Alto High School Palo Alto Senior High School, commonly referred to locally as "Paly", is a comprehensive public high school in Palo Alto, California. Operated by the Palo Alto Unified School District, the school is one of two schools in the district, the other b ...
, located directly across the street from
Stanford Stadium Stanford Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium on the west coast of the United States, located on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California. It is the home of the Stanford Cardinal and hosts the university's commencemen ...
. Harbaugh stirred some intra-conference controversy in March 2007, when he was quoted as saying rival
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
head coach "
Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC Troja ...
's only got one more year, though. He'll be there one more year. That's what I've heard. I heard it inside the staff." Upon further questions, Harbaugh claimed he had heard it from staff at USC. The comment caused a rebuke from Carroll. (In fact, Carroll would be at USC for three more years.) At the Pacific-10 Conference media day on July 26, 2007, Harbaugh praised the Trojans, stating "There is no question in my mind that USC is the best team in the country and may be the best team in the history of college football." The declaration, especially in light of his earlier comment, garnered more media attention." Later in the season, Stanford defeated #1 USC 24–23 with a touchdown in the final minute. With USC being the favorite by 41 points, it was statistically the greatest upset in college football history. Although Stanford lost to USC in 2008, Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal upset USC at home again with a score of 55–21 on November 14, 2009. Stanford's 55 points was the most ever scored on USC in the Trojans' history until
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
scored 62 in a 62–51 win over USC on November 3, 2012. It was
Pete Carroll Peter Clay Carroll (born September 15, 1951) is an American football coach who is the head coach and executive vice president for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head football coach at USC Troja ...
's first November loss as USC head coach. After an infamous "What's your deal?" verbal exchange with Carroll following that game, Harbaugh and Carroll would go on to speak favorably about each other as NFL coaches. Harbaugh never lost in USC's home stadium, the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...
. In January 2009, Harbaugh was confirmed to have been interviewed by the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
for the head coach position, although the job was eventually offered to
Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...
. In
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, the Cardinal had a comeback season, finishing the regular season at 8–4, finishing #21 in the polls, and receiving an invitation to play in the 2009 Sun Bowl, the Cardinal's first bowl appearance since 2001. Running back
Toby Gerhart Tobin Bo Gunnar Gerhart (born March 28, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football for Stanford University, and was a unanimous ...
was named a
Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
finalist, finishing second to
Mark Ingram II Mark Valentino Ingram II (born December 21, 1989) is an American football running back for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the first Alabama player to win the Heis ...
in the closest margin of voting in Heisman history. On December 13, 2009, Harbaugh was rewarded with a three-year contract extension through the 2014 season. The 2010 season brought more success for Harbaugh and the Cardinal. The team went 11–1 in the regular season, with their only loss coming from
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, a team that was undefeated and earned a berth in the
BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...
. The first 11 win season in program history earned the Cardinal a #4 BCS ranking and a BCS bowl invitation to the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
. Stanford defeated
Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
40–12 for the Cardinal's first bowl win since 1996 and the first BCS bowl victory in program history. Second year starting quarterback
Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his c ...
was the runner-up to for the Heisman Trophy, the second year in a row that the runner-up was from Stanford. Harbaugh was named the winner of the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year Award.


San Francisco 49ers (2011–2014)


2011 season

On January 7, 2011, four days after winning the Orange Bowl, Harbaugh agreed to a five-year, $25 million contract to become the head coach for the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
. He succeeded
Jim Tomsula James Andrew Tomsula (born April 14, 1968) is an American football coach and head coach of the Rhein Fire of the European League of Football. Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach for the Rhein F ...
, who was interim head coach for only the last game of the preceding season after succeeding the fired Mike Singletary. Prior to Harbaugh's arrival, the 49ers had not had a winning season nor a playoff appearance since 2002. Though the 49ers were expected to struggle in what was anticipated to be a rebuilding season, with a new scheme and many new players as well as shortened summer practices due to the
lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...
, Harbaugh led the
team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...
to a 13–3 record in the regular season, winning the
NFC West The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
division while finishing second overall in the
NFC NFC may refer to: Psychology * Need for cognition, in psychology * Need for closure, social psychological term Sports * NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game * NCAA Football Championship (Philippines) * Nati ...
and bringing the team to the
NFC Championship Game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
. This was the first time the 49ers had made the playoffs since 2002, generating widespread praise. On November 24, Harbaugh played his brother John and the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, losing the Thanksgiving showdown 16–6. John and Jim Harbaugh are the first pair of brothers to serve as NFL head coaches in the same season. Harbaugh's work in San Francisco had resulted in an extremely successful season, revitalizing the career of quarterback
Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...
and with defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio Victor Mick Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio most recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the ...
creating one of the leading defensive squads of the 2011 season. The 49ers' season ended with a 20–17 loss in overtime to the eventual Super Bowl champion
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
in the NFC Championship Game. At the conclusion of the season, Harbaugh was named the
AP NFL Coach of the Year The Associated Press National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by the Associated Press (AP) to the National Football League (NFL) coach adjudged to have had the most outstanding season. It has been awarded since the 19 ...
.


2012 season

In the 2012 season, Harbaugh resolved a quarterback controversy by replacing incumbent starter
Alex Smith Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is an American former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He played college football at Utah, where he received first-team All-American honors and won the 20 ...
with backup
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and football quarterback who is a free agent. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt du ...
. Smith was ranked third in the NFL in passer rating (104.1), led the league in completion percentage (70%), and had been 19–5–1 as a starter under Harbaugh, while Kaepernick was considered more dynamic with his scrambling ability and arm strength. Smith began 2012 with a 6–2 record as a starter before suffering a concussion in the following game. He missed the following game, and Kaepernick was 16 for 23 for 243 yards with two touchdowns in a 32–7 win over the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
. Harbaugh was impressed with Kaepernick, and said "we have two quarterbacks that have a hot hand" while dismissing any rule that a player should not lose their starting job due to an injury. Smith was medically cleared to play the day before the next game, but Harbaugh chose not to rush him back and again started Kaepernick, who threw and ran for a touchdown in a 31–21 win over the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. The following week, Harbaugh announced that Kaepernick would start for the 8–2–1 49ers, while also stating that the assignment was week-to-week and not necessarily permanent. However, Kaepernick remained the starter for the remainder of the season as the 49ers again qualified for the playoffs. Harbaugh led the team to an 11–4–1 record in the regular season, winning back to back
NFC West The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
titles. Harbaugh's quarterback decision was on display in the first game of the playoffs. The 49ers won 45–31 over the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
, as Kaepernick had 444 yards of total offense (263 passing, 181 rushing) and four touchdowns. Kaepernick set the record for rushing yards by a quarterback in any NFL game with his 181-yard outburst against Green Bay. On January 20 in the NFC Championship Game, Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 28–24 win over the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
, which sent the 49ers to
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
, and on February 3, Harbaugh faced his older brother, John and the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the Super Bowl. It was the first time that the opposing teams' head coaches in the Super Bowl were brothers; the Ravens won the game with a score of 34–31 despite a third quarter comeback by the 49ers.


2013 season

In the 2013 season, Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 12–4 regular-season record and a third consecutive appearance in both the playoffs and NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
23–17, who went on to win
Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...
. In doing so, Harbaugh became the first NFL head coach to reach a conference championship game in each of his first three seasons.


2014 season

The 49ers had an 8–8 season in 2014, failing to reach the playoffs for the first time under the Harbaugh era. On October 5, it was rumored that Harbaugh would not return in 2015 regardless of that season's outcome, though owner Jed York denied the claims at the time. It has been suggested that Harbaugh, despite his success on the field, was involved in a power struggle with 49ers general manager
Trent Baalke Trent John Baalke ( ), (born February 14, 1964), is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Early years A Rosendale, Wisconsin native, Baalke earned his bache ...
starting from the 2013 season onward. On December 28, 2014, the 49ers announced that they had mutually agreed to part ways with Harbaugh as their head coach. York claims Harbaugh and the 49ers agreed to mutually part ways immediately after a win over the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
in the final week of the regular season. Harbaugh, however, later said: "I didn't leave the 49ers. I felt like the 49er hierarchy left me." He further added that the 49ers informed him that he would no longer be the 49ers coach after suffering a loss on December 14, but that he decided to remain as the team's head coach for the final two games of the season because "I wanted to finish what I started—what we started." Harbaugh left the 49ers as one of their most successful head coaches in just four years, as well as becoming the first successful NFL head coach to depart for a college team. New head coach
Jim Tomsula James Andrew Tomsula (born April 14, 1968) is an American football coach and head coach of the Rhein Fire of the European League of Football. Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach for the Rhein F ...
was fired after just one season in which the 49ers finished 5–11. Until the 2019 season, in which the 49ers went 13–3 and advanced to
Super Bowl LIV Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2019 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conferenc ...
, the 49ers had losing seasons every year following Harbaugh's departure.


University of Michigan (2015–present)


Hiring

On December 30, 2014, Harbaugh was introduced by the University of Michigan as the school's new head football coach. His return to Michigan was the subject of a book, ''Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football'', by John U. Bacon.


2015 season

On September 3, 2015, Harbaugh lost his first game as head coach of Michigan, a 24–17 road loss against
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
. On September 12, Michigan won, 35–7, against
Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
, giving Harbaugh his first win as Michigan's head coach. On September 26, Harbaugh led Michigan to a 31–0 victory over No. 22-ranked
Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
, leading Michigan to move into #22 in the A.P. Top 25. This was Michigan's first appearance in the AP Top 25 since 2013. On October 3, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 28–0 shutout win against the
Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divis ...
, posting back to back shutouts for the first time since
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
. The following week, Michigan beat #13 Northwestern 38–0, making the Wolverines the first team with a pair of 30-point shutouts against ranked opponents since Notre Dame's 1966 championship team. He finished his first season as the Wolverines' head coach with a 10–3 record, with losses against
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, and against
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, with a redeeming victory in the Citrus Bowl over No. 19
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, 41–7. After being tied, 7–7, in the first quarter, Michigan scored 34 unanswered points as they held Florida to just 28 yards in the second half.


2016 season

After defeating
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
in the opening game of the 2016 season, Michigan was ranked No. 5 in the AP poll. It was the first time Michigan had been ranked in the top five since the start of the 2007 season. Michigan would then cruise through its non-conference slate before defeating #8
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. This was Michigan's first win over a top ten ranked team since 2008. In week six, the Wolverines soundly defeated
Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
78–0, the third-largest margin of victory in program history and the largest margin since 1920. Three weeks later, Michigan defeated
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
on the road, its first victory in
East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...
since 2007. They then suffered their first loss of the season to
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, before beating Indiana for their 10th victory; Harbaugh is one of only two coaches in program history to win 10 games in each of his first two seasons as head coach, joining
Fielding H. Yost Fielding Harris Yost (; April 30, 1871 – August 20, 1946) was an American football player, coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at: Ohio Wesleyan University, the University of Nebraska, the University ...
( 190102). The regular season finished with a highly anticipated matchup against #2
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, with a likely College Football Playoff bid on the line. In a game that went to two overtime periods, Ohio State finally defeated the Wolverines 30–27; Harbaugh said afterward he was "bitterly disappointed with the officiating", especially for a controversial 4th-and-1 call, and was reprimanded by the Big Ten with a $10,000 fine. Michigan finished the season in the
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
, where it lost 33–32 to #10
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
, after losing Heisman-finalist
Jabrill Peppers Jabrill Ahmad Peppers (born October 4, 1995) is an American football strong safety for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first r ...
before the game and losing two-time All-American Jake Butt early in the game. Michigan finished the season 10–3 and another third-place finish in their division.


2017 season

Michigan finished the season in the Outback Bowl, losing 19–26 to South Carolina, becoming the only team in the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
to lose its bowl game in the 2017-2018 bowl season and giving them an 8–5 record on the year.


2018 season

Michigan began the 2018 season ranked 14 in the AP poll. They lost their first game of the season against No. 12 Notre Dame 17–24, but rebounded the next two weeks with a 49–3 win over
Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
and a 45–20 win over SMU. Three weeks later, the 5–1 Wolverines faced the No. 15
Wisconsin Badgers The Wisconsin Badgers are the athletic teams representing the University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin). They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...
in a Saturday night showdown. Michigan won the game 38–13, moving to No. 6 in the AP Poll. The next week, the Wolverines beat rival
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
21–7, moving to 5th in the AP Poll. After a bye week, the Wolverines trampled
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
42–7, moving to 4th in both the AP poll and the College Football Playoff Rankings. They would stay at that ranking after a 31–20 win over
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
that earned the Wolverines a share of the East Division title. Michigan lost at #10
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
62–39, denying Michigan a chance to play in the Big Ten Championship Game. Ohio State's 62 points set a record for points against Michigan in regulation. Harbaugh became the first Michigan coach to lose his first four starts against the Buckeyes. The Wolverines then lost to the
Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
41–15 in the
Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially ...
, finishing with another 10–3 season.


2019 season

During Harbaugh's fifth season, the Wolverines lost to Wisconsin 35–14 and to Penn State 28–21, both on the road. Michigan won decisively against rivals Notre Dame 45–14 and Michigan State 44–10, but concluded the regular season with a loss to then #1-ranked Ohio State by a score of 56–27 to end the regular season. When asked about the gap between the two schools, his reply was testy: "I'll answer your questions, not your insults." The Wolverines finished the season in the Citrus Bowl, where they lost to
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, 35-16. Michigan finished the season 9-4 overall.


2020 season

On November 14, Michigan hosted Wisconsin and Michigan suffered its largest halftime deficit at home since Michigan Stadium opened in 1927 (28–0), as well as its largest home loss (49–11) since 1935. On November 28, 2020, Michigan hosted Penn State and for the first time in Michigan football history, lost to a team that was 0–5 or worse. Michigan was winless at home during the 2020 season, marking the first time in program history that Michigan did not win any games at home.


2021 season

On January 8, 2021, Michigan signed Harbaugh to a four-year contract extension through the 2025 season. Michigan, led by Harbaugh, finished the regular season 11–1. The Wolverines beat
Western Michigan West Michigan and Western Michigan are terms for an arbitrary region in the U.S. state of Michigan's Lower Peninsula. Most narrowly it refers to the Grand Rapids- Muskegon-Holland area, and more broadly to most of the region along the Lower Pen ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Northern Illinois Northern Illinois is a region generally covering the northern third of the U.S. state of Illinois. The region is by far the most populous of Illinois with nearly 9.7 million residents as of 2010. Economics Northern Illinois is dominated by t ...
,
Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
, Northwestern,
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, No. 23
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
, and
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
. Michigan's lone loss came in a top-10 matchup on the road at
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
. Following the loss, according to Harbaugh, the Big Ten acknowledged that there were errors made by the officials on multiple calls, including one that could have resulted in a Michigan touchdown. Michigan ended the regular season with a 42–27 victory over
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
, giving Harbaugh his first win over Ohio State and his second Big Ten East divisional title. Michigan advanced to the
Big Ten Championship Game The Big Ten Football Championship Game is a college football game held by the Big Ten Conference each year to determine the conference's season champion. The game, held after the regular season has been completed, matches the division champions f ...
for the first time, where the Wolverines defeated
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, 42–3, earning an
Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
berth against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
in the
College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...
. Following the season he was named the
Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award The Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award is an award that is given annually since 1998 to NCAA college football's national coach of the year. The award is voted on by the Associated Press (AP) voters that participate in the ...
. By winning the award, Michigan became the first school to win both the AP coach of the year in men's basketball (
Juwan Howard Juwan Antonio Howard (born February 7, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player and current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's team. A one-time All-Star and one-time All-NBA power forward, he began his NBA career ...
) and football since the football award was established in 1998. In January 2022, reports emerged that Harbaugh would take the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
head coaching job if he was offered it. Although he never interviewed with the Raiders, Harbaugh did interview with the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
in late January and was a lead candidate for a head coaching job. Reports emerged that Harbaugh was preparing to accept the Minnesota Vikings head coaching position if he was offered it. Harbaugh did not receive an offer following his second interview with the Vikings, and informed the University of Michigan that he would be returning to coach the Wolverines in the 2022 season.


2022 season

The 2022 Wolverines began the season ranked sixth and eighth in the coaches' and AP polls, respectively. They climbed into the top five in both polls as they opened the season with a seven-game winning streak, including a 27-14 win at
Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
on October 1 - the program's first at
Kinnick Stadium Nile Kinnick Stadium is a stadium located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the home stadium of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football team. First opened in 1929 as Iowa Stadium to replace Iowa Field, it currently holds up to 69,250 peo ...
since 2005 - and a dominating 41-17 win over previously unbeaten
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
on October 15. The Wolverines continued their winning streak on October 29 by defeating
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
29-7, to reclaim the
Paul Bunyan Trophy Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
. The team then defeated
Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...
52-17, followed by a 34-3 win over
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
to reach 10-0 - the program's best start to a season in Harbaugh's tenure, and best overall since 2006. The Wolverines improved to 11-0 by defeating
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
on a last-minute field goal, 19-17, then won a second straight Big Ten East Division title with a 45-23 victory over
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. It was the Wolverines' first 12 win regular season since 1905, fourth 12 win season overall and their first victory in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
since 2000. On December 3, the Wolverines reached 13-0 for the first time in school history by winning the Big Ten Championship Game over
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
, 43-22. The following day, Michigan was awarded its second consecutive College Football Playoff bid, seeded second and placed in the
Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...
.


Personal life

Harbaugh comes from a coaching family, and is the son of college football coach
Jack Harbaugh Jack Avon Harbaughhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/celeb/harbaugh.htm (born June 28, 1939) is a former American football player and coach. He is known for being the longtime head coach at Western Kentucky Hilltoppers fo ...
. He has seven children. From his first marriage to Miah Harbaugh (m. 1996–2006), he has sons
Jay A jay is a member of a number of species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the Crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian m ...
(a graduate of
Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...
and the safeties/special teams coach at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
), and James (a graduate of the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance); and a daughter, Grace (a water polo player and history of art major at Michigan). From his second marriage to Sarah Feuerborn Harbaugh (m. 2008), he has two daughters, Addison and Katherine, and two sons, Jack (named after his grandfather) and John (named after his uncle). Harbaugh is a
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
who has done charity work in Piura, Peru. Jim Harbaugh's older brother,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...
, is the head coach of the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
, and they became the first pair of brothers to serve as head coaches in NFL history, facing each other in the Thanksgiving Classic game in 2011 and
Super Bowl XLVII Super Bowl XLVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
on February 3, 2013. In 1994, Harbaugh appeared as a cowboy in the Western/science fiction show ''
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. ''The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.'', often referred to as just ''Brisco'' or ''Brisco County'', is an American weird western television series created by Jeffrey Boam and Carlton Cuse. It ran for 27 episodes on the Fox network starting i ...
'' He also made an appearance on the popular TV show ''
Saved by the Bell ''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
'' in 1996, playing the cousin of the character Screech. Harbaugh was the co-owner of
Panther Racing Panther Racing was an American open wheel auto racing team. It was one of the oldest continually operating teams in the IndyCar Series. Four years in a row (2008–2011), the team finished second at the Indianapolis 500. Formation The team was ...
in the
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...
. The main car for the team carried Harbaugh's old jersey number, 4. When the team won the 2001 and 2002 IRL championship, the team, which had the option of going to No. 1, chose instead to keep the No. 4 for its association with Harbaugh's career. On October 30, 2005, Harbaugh was arrested for
DUI Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...
after running a stop sign in
Encinitas, California Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between ...
. He initially pleaded not guilty, but later entered into a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless driving and was sentenced to three years of probation, a $1,300 fine and a drunken-driving educational program. The ''San Diego Union-Tribune'' reports his blood-alcohol level was .09. In November 2012, Harbaugh had a
cardioversion Cardioversion is a medical procedure by which an abnormally fast heart rate (tachycardia) or other cardiac arrhythmia is converted to a sinus rhythm, normal rhythm using electricity or pharmaceutical drug, drugs. Synchronized electrical cardiover ...
procedure to correct an
arrhythmia Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias, or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults ...
(i.e., an abnormal heartbeat rhythm).


Advocacy

Harbaugh has championed equal access to justice for Americans through his involvement with the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). On June 13, 2017, Harbaugh spoke in Washington, D.C. in the Senate Building about the gap in access to justice for low-income earning Americans which was showcased in the 2017 LSC report, "The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans." Harbaugh has also stated his opposition to abortion. In a podcast interview in April 2020, Harbaugh labeled
medical abortion A medical abortion, also known as medication abortion, occurs when drugs (medication) are used to bring about an abortion. Medical abortions are an alternative to surgical abortions such as vacuum aspiration or dilation and curettage. Medical ...
as "horrendous" and said, "And lastly, abortion—we talk about sanctity of life, yet we live in a society that aborts babies. There can't be anything more horrendous." In July 2022, speaking at an anti-abortion event Harbaugh said, "Have the courage to let the unborn be born". In the aftermath of the
murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
by an on-duty police officer, Harbaugh expressed his outrage and said, "All injustice should be confronted and punished. It has to be equal and fair to all, and no one can be above the law." On June 2, 2020, a week after Floyd's murder, Harbaugh participated in an anti-police brutality commemorative protest in Ann Arbor. Michigan offensive coach Josh Gattis separately thanked Harbaugh and his family for their impact on African American coaches and players, stating "in challenging times of racial inequality and injustice I am even more thankful for the Harbaugh Family!" Gattis credited Harbaugh for "the fairness and promotion of black coaches in leadership roles like David Shaw,
Derek Mason Derek Mason (born September 29, 1969) is an American college football coach. He currently is the defensive coordinator for Oklahoma State University. Mason served as the head football coach at Vanderbilt University from 2014 until midway throu ...
,
Willie Taggart Willie Author Taggart (born August 27, 1976) is an American football college coach. He has held the head coach position at five NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision programs: Western Kentucky (2009 to 2012 seasons); South Florida (2013 to ...
, Jim Caldwell,
Pep Hamilton Alfonza "Pep" Hamilton (born September 19, 1974) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Char ...
" and himself. Harbaugh's participation in the equality and anti-brutality protest was also singled out by former
President Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
, who praised him for "being on the right side of this issue."


Head coaching record


College


NFL


See also

*
List of NCAA major college football yearly passing leaders The list of college football yearly passing and total offense leaders identifies the major college passing leaders for each season from 1937 to the present. It includes yearly leaders in three statistical categories: (1) passing yardage; (2) pass ...


References


External links


Michigan profile
* * *
Jim Harbaugh contract details
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh family 1963 births Living people American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American people of Polish descent American people of Italian descent Catholics from Ohio Catholics from Michigan Catholics from California Sportspeople from Toledo, Ohio Sportspeople from Palo Alto, California Players of American football from California Players of American football from Ann Arbor, Michigan Players of American football from Ohio American football quarterbacks Palo Alto High School alumni Michigan Wolverines football players Chicago Bears players Indianapolis Colts players Baltimore Ravens players San Diego Chargers players Detroit Lions players Carolina Panthers players American Conference Pro Bowl players Coaches of American football from California Coaches of American football from Michigan Coaches of American football from Ohio Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football coaches Oakland Raiders coaches San Diego Toreros football coaches Stanford Cardinal football coaches San Francisco 49ers head coaches Michigan Wolverines football coaches IndyCar Series team owners