Full Name: James Joseph Harbaugh
Birthdate: December 23, 1963
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Place of Birth: Toledo, Ohio
Wife: Sarah
Children: Addison, Katherine and Jack; Jay, James Jr., and Grace
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
High School: Palo Alto (1982)
College: Michigan, 1986 (B.A., Communications)
Jim Harbaugh was named the 20th coach in University of Michigan football history on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. He becomes the sixth former Michigan football player to be named the leader of college football's winningest program.
Harbaugh comes to Ann Arbor after an impressive four-year run in the National Football League with the San Francisco 49ers. He led the franchise to the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three seasons, winning the George Halas Trophy as NFC champions in 2012. Harbaugh tallied a 49-22-1 overall record that included a 5-3 mark in the postseason as 49ers head coach.
Harbaugh led the Niners to a 13-3 regular-season record and to the NFC Championship Game during his first season in 2011, earning the AP NFL Coach of the Year award. He followed up with an 11-4-1 regular-season mark in 2012, culminating with an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII. Harbaugh's 49ers lost a back-and-forth affair, 34-31, to the Baltimore Ravens and his brother, John, in the only matchup of brothers as head coaches in NFL history. He helped guide San Francisco back to the NFC title game after a 12-4 regular-season record in 2013 and posted an 8-8 mark during the 2014 season.
Prior to making the jump to the 49ers, Harbaugh established himself as a leader of young men at the college level. He turned around a Stanford program that went 1-11 prior to his arrival. The Cardinal improved each of his four seasons, culminating with a 12-1 campaign and FedEx Orange Bowl victory over Virginia Tech in 2010. Harbaugh finished his tenure at Stanford with a 29-21 overall record (.580) and 21-15 mark in Pac-10 Conference play.
After 4-8 and 5-7 records his first two seasons at the helm, Harbaugh led the Cardinal to an 8-5 record and a tie for second place in the Pac-10. The appearance in the Sun Bowl following the season was Stanford's first bowl game since the 2001 season. The program continued its ascension in 2010, posting a 12-1 overall record and 8-1 mark in the Pac-10. Stanford was selected for a BCS bowl game and proceeded to defeat Virginia Tech, 40-12, in the FedEx Orange Bowl in Harbaugh's final game with the program. The Cardinal finished the 2010 season ranked fifth in the national polls, and Harbaugh was named the Woody Hayes Award as the nation's top coach by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. He accepted the 49ers head coaching position on Jan. 7, 2011.
In his first head coaching experience, Harbaugh led the University of San Diego to a 29-6 record during his three seasons directing the program (2004-06). In his first year, the Toreros posted a 7-4 record after winning their final five games of the season. The team proceeded to post 11-1 marks during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, claiming the Pioneer Football League championship each season.
Harbaugh spent the 2002 and 2003 NFL seasons as the quarterbacks coach with the Oakland Raiders. He worked with the quarterbacks, helping quarterback Rich Gannon lead the organization to Super Bowl XXXVII after posting an 11-5 regular-season record and the AFC Western Division title. Gannon won the 2002 AP NFL MVP award and was selected to the 2003 Pro Bowl.
He began preparing for a career as a coach during his professional playing days. Harbaugh spent eight years as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach for his father, Jack, at Western Kentucky (1994-2001). He worked as an offensive consultant and recruited for the Hilltoppers during that time. Harbaugh's effort helped his father's team capture the 2002 Division I-AA national championship.
Harbaugh played for five different organizations during his 15-year NFL career (1987-2001). He completed 2,305-of-3,918 passes for 26,288 yards and 129 touchdowns in 177 games. Harbaugh made 140 career starts. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Year, the NFL Comeback Player of the Year and a Pro Bowl selection after leading the Indianapolis Colts to the AFC Championship Game in 1995. He was inducted into the Colts Ring of Honor in 2005.
As a collegiate player, Harbaugh was one of the most efficient passers in NCAA history. In 1985, he led the nation in pass efficiency and finished as the runner-up in 1986. His career pass efficiency rating was the NCAA's top mark for more than 12 years. Harbaugh won the Chicago Tribune Big Ten Most Valuable Player award, earned first team All-America honors and finished third in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy following the 1986 season.
He completed 387-of-620 passes for 5,449 yards and 31 touchdowns during his career, with all four statistical categories still listing among the top 12 in school history. He also added 12 rushing touchdowns during his career, including eight scores as a senior. Harbaugh became the first Michigan quarterback to ever throw for more than 300 yards in a single game (310 vs. Wisconsin) and eclipsed the 200-yard passing mark 12 times. He led the Wolverines to a 21-3-1 record as a full-time starter during his final two seasons, including a pair of victories against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State.
Harbaugh and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters, Addison and Katherine, and a son, Jack. He also has three children, Jay, James Jr., and Grace.
He is the son of Jack and Jackie Harbaugh. Jack was an assistant coach at Michigan from 1973-79. Harbaugh's brother, John, is head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and his sister, Joanie, is married to Indiana University men's basketball coach Tom Crean.
Did You Know?
- Harbaugh mentored two Stanford student-athletes to runner-up finishes in Heisman Trophy voting: Toby Gerhart (2009) and Andrew Luck (2010).
- Harbaugh is the only coach to win both the AP NFL Coach of the Year (2011) and Woody Hayes Coach of the Year Award (2010).
- Jim Harbaugh joins Gustave Ferbert (1897-99), Elton "Tad" Wieman (1927-28), Harry Kipke (1929-37), Bennie Oosterbaan (1948-58) and Bump Elliott (1959-68) as former Wolverine players to serve as head coach.
- Harbaugh is the second individual to serve as head football coach at Michigan and Stanford. Fielding H. Yost was the Stanford coach for the 1900 season (7-2-1 record) before arriving in Ann Arbor.
- He coached in the Super Bowl as both an assistant (Raiders, Super Bowl XXXVII) and head coach (49ers, Super Bowl XLVII).
- Harbaugh is the only former Michigan player to serve as a head coach in the Super Bowl.
- From 1994-2001, Harbaugh played in the NFL and served as an unpaid assistant for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
- Earned the nickname "Captain Comeback" during his NFL playing days for his ability to lead his teams to wins in the fourth quarter.
- Harbaugh has several acting credits, including an appearance on "Saved By the Bell: The New Class" in 1994 [ YouTube Clip video icon ]
- Harbaugh appeared in a 1993 episode of the Western-comedy "Brisco County, Jr." starring Michigan-native Bruce Campbell. The episode also featured Terry Bradshaw, Ken Norton Jr. and Carl Banks.
- Harbaugh starred as himself in a 1997 episode of "Arli$$."
- Harbaugh was born in Toledo, Ohio, while his father Jack was coaching at Perrysburg High School.