Jack Harbaugh facts for kids
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Harbaugh with Michigan in 2023
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 28, 1939 Crestline, Ohio, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1960 | Bowling Green |
| Position(s) | Halfback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962–1963 | Perrysburg HS (OH) (assistant) |
| 1964–1965 | Eaton HS (OH) |
| 1966 | Xenia HS (OH) |
| 1967 | Morehead State (assistant) |
| 1968–1970 | Bowling Green (assistant) |
| 1971–1973 | Iowa (assistant) |
| 1973–1979 | Michigan (DB) |
| 1980–1981 | Stanford (DC) |
| 1982–1986 | Western Michigan |
| 1987–1988 | Pittsburgh (assistant) |
| 1989–2002 | Western Kentucky |
| 2004–2006 | San Diego (RB) |
| 2009 | Stanford (RB) |
| 2023 | Michigan (AHC) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 116–95–3 (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA FBS (CFP) (2023) NCAA Division I-AA (2002) Western Ohio League (1966) OVC (2000) GFC (2002) |
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| Awards | |
| AFCA NCAA Division I-AA COY (2002) OVC Coach of the Year (2000) |
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Jack Avon Harbaugh, born on June 28, 1939, is a famous American football coach and former player. He was the main football coach at Western Michigan University from 1982 to 1986. He also coached at Western Kentucky University from 1989 to 2002. During his time as a head coach in college football, his teams won 116 games, lost 95, and tied 3.
In his last year at Western Kentucky, in 2002, he led his team, the Hilltoppers, to win the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship title. In 2023, after being retired for a while, Harbaugh returned to football. He became an assistant head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. He worked under his son, Jim, who was the head coach at the time. Together, they helped the team win the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Jack Harbaugh has two sons, John and Jim. They made history as the first brothers to be head coaches in the NFL. They were also the first brothers to coach against each other in a Super Bowl. This happened in Super Bowl XLVII in February 2013.
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Jack Harbaugh was born in Crestline, Ohio. His parents were Marie Evelyn and William Avon Harbaugh. He has German and Irish family roots.
He finished high school at Crestline High School in 1957. While there, he was a great athlete. He played both football and baseball for four years. In his final year, he was an all-state quarterback in football and a shortstop in baseball. He also played basketball for two years.
Playing Football in College
After high school, Jack Harbaugh played college football for the Bowling Green State University Falcons. He played from 1957 to 1960. He was a key player for three of those years.
In his junior year, his team had an amazing season, winning all 9 games. They were named the national champions for small colleges. After college, in 1961, the Buffalo Bills picked him in the AFL draft to play as a running back.
Jack Harbaugh's Coaching Journey
Jack Harbaugh started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Perrysburg High School in Ohio. His two sons, John and Jim, were born while he was coaching there.
In 1964, he became the head coach at Eaton High School in Ohio. His team had a winning record of 5 wins, 4 losses, and 1 tie. This was their first winning season in many years! In 1965, his team won 6 games and lost 4. In 1966, he coached the Xenia High School football team in Ohio for one year. His team's record was 8 wins, 1 loss, and 1 tie. He won the championship in the Western Ohio League and was named the conference Coach of the Year.
Coaching in College Programs
From 1968 to 1981, Harbaugh worked as an assistant coach for different college teams.
From 1982 to 1986, he was the head football coach at Western Michigan University. His team's record there was 25 wins, 27 losses, and 3 ties.
Then, from 1989 to 2002, he became the head football coach at Western Kentucky University. During his time with the Hilltoppers, his teams won 91 games and lost 68. They had three seasons where they won 10 or more games! The Hilltoppers were known for their strong running game, ranking in the top 10 for rushing offense every year from 1991 to 2002. In 2002, his Western Kentucky team won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship.
After leaving Western Kentucky, Harbaugh worked at Marquette University in Wisconsin. He was an associate athletic director there. His son-in-law, Tom Crean, was the head coach for the men's basketball team at Marquette. Harbaugh also served as an assistant coach at several other universities, including Morehead State University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, Stanford University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of San Diego.
Harbaugh officially retired in 2006. However, he returned to coaching for a short time in 2009. He coached running backs for Stanford in the 2009 Sun Bowl under his son, Jim. He filled in for another coach who had taken a new job.
In 2023, Jack Harbaugh came out of retirement again. He became an assistant head coach for Michigan when his son Jim was suspended for three games. He helped the team win the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship alongside his son.
Harbaugh Family Life
Jack Harbaugh married Jacqueline M. "Jackie" Cipiti in 1961. They have three children: John, Jim, and Joani. Jack and Jackie settled in Mequon, Wisconsin, when he took his job at Marquette University. Jack Harbaugh is also a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at Bowling Green State University.
The Famous Harbaugh Brothers
His two sons, John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh, are both head coaches in the National Football League (NFL). John coaches the Baltimore Ravens, and Jim coaches the Los Angeles Chargers. They were the first pair of brothers to ever be head coaches in the NFL.
They even coached against each other in a game on Thanksgiving Day in 2011. This game was unofficially called the 'Harbaugh Bowl' or 'Har-bowl'. John's Ravens beat Jim's 49ers 16–6. This game happened just one day before Jack and Jackie's fiftieth wedding anniversary!
They faced each other again in a second 'Har-bowl' on February 3, 2013. This was at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans. Baltimore won against San Francisco with a score of 34–31. Jim also played as a quarterback at Michigan and for 15 seasons in the NFL for six different teams before he started coaching.
A Family of Coaches
Their daughter, Joani, is also married to a coach. Her husband is Tom Crean. He has been the head men's basketball coach at Marquette, Indiana, and Georgia. Jack and Tom met when Jack was the head football coach at Western Kentucky University, and Tom was an assistant basketball coach there.
