Next up is Jim Harbaugh, the man many seem to want as Michigan’s next head coach. In many ways, he’s not unlike Pat Fitzgerald with the challenges that face him at Stanford—recent successes in a top conference with academic limits.
Ties to Michigan
Harbaugh was a three year starter for Bo Schembechler in the 1980s. In his four year career, he passed for 5449 yards, 31 touchdowns with a career 62.4% completion %. As starter, Harbaugh lead Michigan to back-to-back wins over hated rival Ohio State. As starter, Harbaugh compiled a 21-3-1 record. In his senior year, the Wolverines reached the Rose Bowl, while Harbaugh earned First Team All-America honors, was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, and finished third in Heisman Trophy voting. His father, Jack Harbaugh, was an assistant on Bo Schembechler’s staff.
Oh yeah, and Harbaugh may have made a little guarantee that his Wolverines team would defeat OSU in 1986… and delivered.
Coaching Career
While still playing in the NFL (where he had a solid 15 year career, and had the Colts within one play of a Super Bowl pre-Manning.), Harbaugh served as an unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky under his father from 1994-2001. He primarily scouted and recruited high school prep prospects in several states.
In 2002, Harbaugh took a job as the Oakland Raiders’ QB coach. In his first year, the Raiders went 11-5 and reached Super Bowl XXXVII. In 2004, Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the University of San Diego. In three seasons, he led the Toreros to a 29-6 record, winning back to back Pioneer League championships.
In December 2006, Stanford named Harbaugh their newest head coach. He took over a program which hadn’t reached a bowl game or had a winning season since 2001 under Tyrone Willingham. The Cardinal went 4-8 in his first season, but upset then #2 USC 24-23. The next year, Stanford improved, going 5-7. In 2009, on the back of Heisman contender Toby Gerhart, the Cardinal went 8-5, with a 55-21 victory over Pete Carroll’s USC Trojans, its biggest loss since 1966. In the fourth quarter, after a Stanford touchdown, Harbaugh went for two, which would have put them up 50-21. This, combined with certain comments about Pete Carroll helped place Harbaugh as a major enemy of the Trojans. Harbaugh has gone 4-5 against Cal, Notre Dame, and USC in three years.
Since taking over the Cardinal, Harbaugh has been a top recruiter, placing Stanford in the top 50 three straight years. This is even more impressive with the academic history and standards at Stanford. Furthermore, while working for his father at Western Kentucky, Harbaugh recruited 17 players on their Div 1-AA National Championship team.
(Years Rivals.com ranking)
2007 not ranked
2008 #50
2009 #20
2010 #26
2011 #6 (preseason)
Outlook
Jim Harbaugh is a firecracker—period. He infuriated Ohio State with his guarantee for a win. He infuriated Pete Carroll and the USC faithful in recent years, both with two major upsets and his comments to the public. He incensed Michigan fans with his comments about the academic standards for the Wolverines program in 2007. There’s no doubt of his confidence—sometimes he takes it to the extent of pure arrogance.
That being said, Harbaugh’s a great offensive coach, and his offense would bring Michigan back to a more traditional system than Rich Rodriguez’s spread option. He has a background playing and no-nonsense attitude could be of value to the Wolverines. If his comments about UM’s athletic academics are accurate, his background at Stanford could help him improve his alma mater to build better men, not just strong football teams. That being said, he’s not had great defenses at Stanford. We’ve got an offense-first coach already. Can he stop Big Ten offenses, or will he try to win in shootouts every week?
While saying he would like to coach at Stanford for a long time, Harbaugh has never once denied he would take the Michigan job if offered to him. Much rumor and innuendo surround a potential “Michigan clause” in his current contract, which would allow him to leave the program to coach the Wolverines. He’s definitely a “rah-rah” sort of coach who tries to build the right sort of culture, like a certain former Michigan coach who he might have met once or twice. Someday, his “we bow to no program here at Stanford” comment might become comparable to “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.”
One other thing to think about with Harbaugh—rivalries are just as much about the coaches on the sideline as the teams on the field. Without Woody v. Bo, the OSU-Michigan rivalry doesn’t have as much wonder and power, admit it. Think about the quiet, conservative, eternally political Mr. Tressel going against the brash, caution-to-the-wind media persona of Harbaugh. It makes for great TV and stories. Diametrical opposites facing off leading bitter rivals. While I’m not the biggest fan of him becoming the next coach here, he’s as close to a front runner as exists right now. He’s got the pedigree, experience, personality, and skills to be the head man. And let’s face it; he could become beloved if he brought Michigan back to the national stage they held not too long ago.
