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Jim Harbaugh

Harbaugh as Michigan Wolverines head coach, 2018

Los Angeles Chargers

Position:

Head coach

Personal information

Born:

December 23, 1963 (age 61)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Weight:

215 lb (98 kg)

Career information

High school:

Palo Alto (Palo Alto, California)

College:

Michigan (1982–1986)

NFL Draft:

1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26

Career history

As player:

As coach:

Western Kentucky (1994–2001)
Offensive consultant
Oakland Raiders (2002)
Quarterbacks coach
San Diego (2004–2006)
Head coach
Stanford (2007–2010)
Head coach
San Francisco 49ers (2011)
Head coach
Michigan (2015–2023)
Head coach
Los Angeles Chargers (2024–present)
Head coach

Career highlights and awards

As a player:

Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor (2005)
George Halas Award (1997)
NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1995)
Pro Bowl (1995)
NFL passer rating leader (1995)
Chic Harley Award (1986)
Second-team All-American (1986)
Big Ten Most Valuable Player (1986)
Big Ten Player of the Year (1986)
First-team All-Big Ten (1986)

As a coach:

CFP national champion (2023)
3× Big Ten champion (2021–2023)
4× Big Ten East Division champion (2018, 2021–2023)
Big Ten Coach of the Year (2022)
AP College Football Coach of the Year (2021)
NFL Coach of the Year (2011)
Woody Hayes Trophy (2010)
2× PFL champion (2005, 2006)
2× Consensus Mid-Major champion (2005, 2006)
PFL North Division champion (2005)

Career NFL statistics

Passing attempts:	3,918
Passing completions:	2,305
Completion percentage:	58.8%
TD–INT:	129–117
Passing yards:	26,288
Passer rating:	77.6

Head coaching record

Regular season:

NFL: 52–25–1 (.673)
NCAA: 128–45 (.740)

Postseason:

NFL: 5–4 (.556)
NCAA: 6–7 (.462)

Career:

NFL: 57–29–1 (.661)
NCAA: 133–52 (.719)

Player stats at PFR

Coaching stats at PFR

James Joseph Harbaugh (/ˈhɑːrbɔː/ HAR-baw; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback. He is currently the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers in the National Football League (NFL). Before this, he was the head coach at the University of Michigan from 2015 to 2023. He also coached the San Francisco 49ers (2011–2014), Stanford University (2007–2010), and the University of San Diego (2004–2006). Harbaugh played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He then played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, from 1987 to 2000. His longest time as a player was with the Chicago Bears (1987–1993).

Early Life and Family Background

Jim Harbaugh was born in Toledo, Ohio, on December 23, 1963. His parents are Jacqueline M. "Jackie" and Jack Harbaugh. His mother has Sicilian and Polish family roots. His father's family is Irish and German. Both Jim and his brother John were born in Toledo. At that time, their father was an assistant football coach nearby.

The Harbaugh family moved often when Jim was growing up. His father worked as an assistant coach at several universities. Jim went to high school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Palo Alto, California. He graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1982. He then went back to Ann Arbor to attend the University of Michigan.

College Football Career

Harbaugh played quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines football team. He started for three seasons. In 1986, as a senior, he led Michigan to the 1987 Rose Bowl. He was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing third.

Playing for the Wolverines

Harbaugh was the quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines

Harbaugh joined the Michigan football team in 1982. He was known as a "slick California passer" from high school. As a freshman, he did not play in any games. This allowed him to save his eligibility for future seasons.

In 1983, he was the third-string quarterback. He completed only two passes in limited playtime. His coach, Bo Schembechler, said Harbaugh had a lot to learn.

Becoming a Starter

In 1984, Harbaugh competed for the starting quarterback job. He impressed his coaches during spring practice. He was named the starting quarterback for the season. In his first college start, Michigan beat the No. 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes. Harbaugh completed 11 passes for 162 yards.

Later that season, Harbaugh broke his left arm. This injury happened during a game against Michigan State. He missed the rest of the 1984 season.

Success in 1985 and 1986

Harbaugh's arm healed by 1985. He started all 12 games for Michigan. The team had a great season, winning 10 games. They defeated Nebraska in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl. Michigan finished the season ranked No. 2 in the country. Harbaugh set a school record with 283 passing yards in a game against Indiana. He also led the nation in passing efficiency that year.

In 1986, his final season, Harbaugh started all 13 games. He led Michigan to an 11–2 record. He famously guaranteed a victory over Ohio State, and Michigan won 26–24. Harbaugh set a Michigan season record with 2,729 passing yards. This record stood until 2002. He finished second in the country in passing efficiency.

Harbaugh received many awards in 1986. He was named the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference. He also finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. He was selected as a second-team All-American. Harbaugh ended his college career as Michigan's all-time leader in passing yards.

Professional Playing Career

The Chicago Bears picked Jim Harbaugh in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft. He played 14 years as a quarterback in the NFL.

Time with the Chicago Bears

Harbaugh played for the Bears from 1987 to 1993. He was a backup quarterback for his first few seasons. In 1990, he became the regular starting quarterback. He helped the Bears win their division. In 1991, he passed for a career-high 3,121 yards with Chicago. He started all 16 games that season. Harbaugh finished his time with the Bears with a winning record as a starter.

Indianapolis Colts and "Captain Comeback"

In 1994, Harbaugh joined the Indianapolis Colts. In 1995, he had his best season. He led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl and named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He earned the nickname "Captain Comeback." This was because he often led his team to win games in the fourth quarter when they were behind.

Later NFL Teams

After the Colts, Harbaugh played for the Baltimore Ravens in 1998. He then played for the San Diego Chargers from 1999 to 2000. He ended his NFL playing career with the Carolina Panthers in 2001, though he did not play in any games for them.

For his NFL career, Harbaugh played in 177 games. He completed 2,305 passes for 26,288 yards and 129 touchdowns. In 2005, he was honored by the Colts. He was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor.

NFL Career Statistics

Legend
	Led the league
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games			Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
1987	CHI	6	0	—	8	11	72.7	62	5.6	0	0	86.2	4	15	3.8	0	4	45	0	0
1988	CHI	10	2	1–1	47	97	48.5	514	5.3	0	2	55.9	19	110	5.8	1	6	49	1	0
1989	CHI	12	5	1–4	111	178	62.4	1,204	6.8	5	9	70.5	45	276	6.1	3	18	106	2	1
1990	CHI	14	14	10–4	180	312	57.7	2,178	7.0	10	6	81.9	51	321	6.3	4	31	206	8	5
1991	CHI	16	16	11–5	275	478	57.5	3,121	6.5	15	16	73.7	70	338	4.8	2	24	163	6	3
1992	CHI	16	13	5–8	202	358	56.4	2,486	6.9	13	12	76.2	47	272	5.8	1	31	167	6	3
1993	CHI	15	15	7–8	200	325	61.5	2,002	6.2	7	11	72.1	60	277	4.6	4	43	210	15	7
1994	IND	12	9	4–5	125	202	61.9	1,440	7.1	9	6	85.8	39	223	5.7	0	17	72	1	1
1995	IND	15	12	7–5	200	314	63.7	2,575	8.2	17	5	100.7	52	235	4.5	2	36	219	4	2
1996	IND	14	14	7–7	232	405	57.3	2,630	6.5	13	11	76.3	48	192	4.0	1	36	190	8	4
1997	IND	12	11	2–9	189	309	61.2	2,060	6.7	10	4	86.2	36	206	5.7	0	41	256	4	3
1998	BAL	14	12	5–7	164	293	56.0	1,839	6.3	12	11	72.9	40	172	4.3	0	23	145	7	1
1999	SD	14	12	6–6	249	434	57.4	2,761	6.4	10	14	70.6	34	126	3.7	0	37	208	12	3
2000	SD	7	5	0–5	123	202	60.9	1,416	7.0	8	10	74.6	16	24	1.5	0	14	96	5	2
2001	CAR	0	0	DNP
Career		177	140	66–74	2,305	3,918	58.8	26,288	6.7	129	117	77.6	561	2,787	5.0	18	361	2,132	79	35

Postseason

Year	Team	Games			Passing								Rushing				Sacked		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
1987	CHI	0	0	DNP
1988	CHI	0	0
1990	CHI	0	0
1991	CHI	1	1	0–1	22	44	50.0	218	5.0	1	2	53.0	7	26	3.7	0	3	11	1	1
1995	IND	3	3	2–1	49	87	56.3	554	6.4	4	2	81.3	20	87	4.4	1	7	52	2	0
1996	IND	1	1	0–1	12	32	37.5	134	4.2	1	1	48.2	3	6	2.0	0	3	29	1	1
Career		5	5	2–3	83	163	50.9	906	5.6	6	5	67.2	30	119	4.0	1	13	92	4	2

Coaching Career Highlights

Jim Harbaugh has had a successful coaching career in both college and professional football.

Early Coaching Roles

While still playing in the NFL, Harbaugh was an unpaid assistant coach. He worked for his father, Jack Harbaugh, at Western Kentucky University from 1994 to 2001. He helped recruit players for the team.

From 2002 to 2003, he was the quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders. He coached Rich Gannon, who won the NFL MVP award in 2002.

Leading College Teams

In 2004, Harbaugh became the head coach at the University of San Diego. He led the team to two championships in 2005 and 2006.

He then moved to Stanford University in 2007. At Stanford, he led the team to two bowl games. One of these was a big win in the 2011 Orange Bowl. In 2007, Stanford had a huge upset win against #1 ranked USC. This was considered one of the biggest upsets in college football history. In 2010, Stanford had an 11–1 regular season. Harbaugh won the Woody Hayes Trophy as Coach of the Year.

Coaching in the NFL: San Francisco 49ers

Harbaugh coaching the San Francisco 49ers in September 2013

In 2011, Harbaugh became the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers had not had a winning season since 2002. Harbaugh quickly turned the team around. He led them to a 13–3 record and the NFC Championship Game in his first year. He was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year.

In 2012, Harbaugh led the 49ers to the Super Bowl XLVII. This was a special game because he faced his older brother, John Harbaugh, who coached the Baltimore Ravens. It was the first time two brothers were head coaches in the Super Bowl. The Ravens won the game 34–31.

Harbaugh led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game for a third straight season in 2013. This made him the first NFL head coach to do so in his first three seasons. In 2014, the 49ers had an 8–8 season and missed the playoffs. Harbaugh and the 49ers decided to part ways after the season.

Return to College: Michigan Wolverines

Harbaugh during his introductory press conference as Michigan's coach

On December 30, 2014, Harbaugh became the head football coach for the University of Michigan.

Building Success at Michigan

In his first season (2015), Michigan finished with a 10–3 record. They won the Citrus Bowl against Florida. In 2016, Michigan started strong. They defeated #8 Wisconsin, their first win over a top ten team since 2008. Michigan finished the season 10–3.

The 2017 season ended with an 8–5 record. In 2018, Michigan won 10 games again. They beat rival Michigan State and Penn State.

The 2020 season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Michigan had a tough year, finishing with a 2–4 record.

Championship Seasons

Harbaugh in 2021

In 2021, Michigan had a fantastic season. They finished the regular season 11–1. They beat Ohio State for the first time under Harbaugh. Michigan then won the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time. They earned a spot in the College Football Playoff. Harbaugh was named the Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award.

Harbaugh during The Game, 2022

The 2022 season was even better. Michigan went 13–0 in the regular season. This was the program's best start since 1905. They won their second straight Big Ten East Division title. They also won the Big Ten Championship Game again. Michigan earned another College Football Playoff spot. Harbaugh was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.

Harbaugh lifts the 2024 Rose Bowl trophy

In 2023, Michigan had an undefeated regular season (12–0). Harbaugh was suspended for some games due to violating rules. Despite this, Michigan won all their games. They defeated Ohio State 30–24. Harbaugh returned to coach Michigan to a 26–0 win in the Big Ten Championship. They then won the 2024 Rose Bowl in overtime. Finally, Michigan won the CFP National Championship 34–13 against Washington. This was Michigan's first national championship since 1997.

Harbaugh (first from left) alongside Blake Corum, Will Johnson, and J. J. McCarthy at a post-game press conference after winning the 2024 CFP Championship

Los Angeles Chargers

On January 24, 2024, Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. In his first season with the Chargers, he led them to an 11–6 record and a spot in the playoffs.

Head Coaching Records

College

Year	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Bowl/playoffs	Coaches^#	AP^°
San Diego Toreros (Pioneer Football League) (2004–2006)
2004	San Diego	7–4	3–1	2nd (North)
2005	San Diego	11–1	4–0	1st (North)
2006	San Diego	11–1	7–0	1st	W Gridiron Classic
San Diego:		29–6	14–1
Stanford Cardinal (Pacific-10 Conference) (2007–2010)
2007	Stanford	4–8	3–6	T–7th
2008	Stanford	5–7	4–5	T–6th
2009	Stanford	8–5	6–3	T–2nd	L Sun
2010	Stanford	12–1	8–1	2nd	W Orange^†	4	4
Stanford:		29–21	21–15
Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten Conference) (2015–2023)
2015	Michigan	10–3	6–2	3rd (East)	W Citrus	11	12
2016	Michigan	10–3	7–2	3rd (East)	L Orange^†	10	10
2017	Michigan	8–5	5–4	4th (East)	L Outback
2018	Michigan	10–3	8–1	T–1st (East)	L Peach^†	14	14
2019	Michigan	9–4	6–3	3rd (East)	L Citrus	19	18
2020	Michigan	2–4	2–4	T–5th (East)
2021	Michigan	12–2	8–1	T–1st (East)	L Orange^†	3	3
2022	Michigan	13–1	9–0	1st (East)	L Fiesta^†	3	3
2023	Michigan	12–0	9–0	1st (East)	W Rose ^†, W CFP NCG^†	1	1
Michigan:		86–25	60–17
Total:		144–52
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth
Expression error: Unexpected >= operator. ^#Rankings from final Coaches Poll. ^°Rankings from final AP Poll.

NFL

Team	Year	Regular season					Postseason
Team	Year	Won	Lost	Ties	Win %	Finish	Won	Lost	Win %	Result
SF	2011	13	3	0	.813	1st in NFC West	1	1	.500	Lost to New York Giants in NFC Championship Game
SF	2012	11	4	1	.719	1st in NFC West	2	1	.667	Lost to Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII
SF	2013	12	4	0	.750	2nd in NFC West	2	1	.667	Lost to Seattle Seahawks in NFC Championship Game
SF	2014	8	8	0	.500	3rd in NFC West	—	—	—	—
SF total		44	19	1	.695		5	3	.625
LAC	2024	11	6	0	.647	2nd in AFC West	0	1	.000	Lost to Houston Texans in AFC Wild Card Game
LAC total		11	6	0	.647		0	1	.000
Total		55	25	1	.685		5	4	.556

Personal Life and Family

Harbaugh with his son

Jim Harbaugh comes from a family of coaches. His father, Jack Harbaugh, was a college football coach. Jim has seven children. His sons, Jay and James, and daughter Grace are from his first marriage. From his second marriage, he has two daughters, Addison and Katherine, and two sons, Jack and John.

Jim's older brother, John Harbaugh, is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. They made history as the first brothers to be head coaches in the NFL. They even coached against each other in the Super Bowl.

Harbaugh has also appeared on TV shows. He was in The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. and Saved by the Bell: The New Class. He also appeared on the Comedy Central series Detroiters.

He was also a co-owner of Panther Racing, an IndyCar Series team. The team's main car used Harbaugh's old jersey number, 4.

Advocacy and Community Involvement

Harbaugh supports equal access to justice for people in America. He has spoken about the need for legal help for low-income families.

He has also spoken out against police brutality. In 2020, he joined a protest in Ann Arbor after the murder of George Floyd. He said that all injustice should be confronted. Former President Barack Obama praised Harbaugh for taking a stand on this issue.

Images for kids

Harbaugh as Michigan Wolverines head coach, 2018
Harbaugh was the quarterback for the University of Michigan Wolverines
Harbaugh with Stanford in 2010
Harbaugh coaching the San Francisco 49ers in September 2013
Harbaugh during his introductory press conference as Michigan's coach
Harbaugh in 2021
Harbaugh during The Game, 2022
Harbaugh lifts the 2024 Rose Bowl trophy
Harbaugh (first from left) alongside Blake Corum, Will Johnson, and J. J. McCarthy at a post-game press conference after winning the 2024 CFP Championship
Harbaugh with his son