John Harbaugh facts for kids
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Harbaugh in 2022
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| Baltimore Ravens | |
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| Position: | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | September 23, 1962 Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Pioneer (Ann Arbor, Michigan) |
| College: | Miami (OH) |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
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| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season: | 172–104 (.623) |
| Postseason: | 13–11 (.542) |
| Career: | 185–115 (.617) |
| Coaching stats at PFR | |
John William Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the Ravens, he coached for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was their special teams coach for nine years. He also coached their defensive backs.
John Harbaugh and his younger brother, Jim Harbaugh, are the first brothers to be head coaches in the NFL. Jim is currently the head coach for the Los Angeles Chargers. Their father, Jack Harbaugh, was a college football coach for 45 years. In 2013, John's Ravens played against Jim's San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. John's team won the game 34–31.
Since becoming head coach in 2008, Harbaugh has led the Ravens to 185 wins. This includes wins in the regular season and playoffs. He has more wins than any other head coach in Baltimore Ravens history. In his sixteen years with the Ravens, his teams have had twelve winning seasons. They have only had two losing seasons. He has led the Ravens to 22 playoff games. This is the second-most by any NFL head coach since 2008. He is also the only NFL head coach to win a playoff game in six of his first seven seasons. He holds the record for the most road playoff wins with 8. Besides winning Super Bowl XLVII, Harbaugh has guided the Ravens to six AFC North division championships. They have also reached the AFC Championship four times. In 2019, his team had a franchise-best record of 14 wins and 2 losses.
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Early Life and College Football
John Harbaugh was born in Toledo, Ohio. His parents are Jackie Cipiti and Jack Harbaugh. John went to Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. At that time, his father Jack was an assistant coach at the nearby University of Michigan.
Harbaugh played varsity football as a defensive back at Miami University. He graduated from there in 1984.
Coaching Journey
College Coaching Years
Harbaugh started his coaching career as an assistant at several colleges. He worked at Western Michigan from 1984 to 1986. Then he coached at Pitt in 1987. He also coached at Morehead State (1988), Cincinnati (1989–1996), and Indiana (1997).
Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Coach
In 1998, John Harbaugh was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was brought on by then-head coach Ray Rhodes. When Andy Reid became the new head coach in 1999, Harbaugh was one of the few assistant coaches who stayed.
For nine years, he was the Eagles' special teams coach. In 2007, he asked to become the defensive backs coach. This change helped him get noticed for a head coaching job. At that time, many thought special teams coaches were not ready to become head coaches.
Baltimore Ravens Head Coach
On January 19, 2008, John Harbaugh became the third head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. He was not expected to get the job because he had no head coaching experience. He also had never been an offensive or defensive coordinator in the NFL. However, he impressed the team owner, Steve Bisciotti, and General Manager, Ozzie Newsome. Even New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick recommended Harbaugh.
On September 7, 2008, Harbaugh coached his first game. His Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals 17–10. In his first season, he led the Ravens to an 11–5 record. They made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team. They won against the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans. They then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game.
In his second season, the Ravens again made the playoffs with a 9–7 record. They upset the New England Patriots 33–14 in the Wild Card Round. They later lost to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round.
The 2010 season saw the Ravens finish with a 12–4 record. They won their Wild Card game against the Kansas City Chiefs 30–7. However, they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–24 in the Divisional Round.
In 2011, Harbaugh signed a contract extension. That year, he coached against his brother Jim on Thanksgiving Day. John's Ravens beat Jim's San Francisco 49ers 16–6. The Ravens finished 12–4 and won the AFC North. They beat the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round. They lost the AFC Championship to the New England Patriots.
The 2012 Baltimore Ravens finished 10–6 and won the AFC North. They beat the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos in the playoffs. They then got revenge against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, winning 28–13. This set up the "Harbowl" in Super Bowl XLVII against his brother Jim's San Francisco 49ers. The Ravens won the Super Bowl 34–31.
In 2013, Harbaugh was honored by the United States Department of the Army for his contributions. He was also inducted into Miami University's "Cradle of Coaches." The Ravens finished 8–8 in 2013 and missed the playoffs.
Harbaugh is the only NFL head coach to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons.
In 2014, the Ravens finished 10–6 and made the playoffs. They beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 30–17 in the Wild Card Round. This was their first playoff win against the Steelers. However, they lost to the New England Patriots 31–35 in the Divisional Round.
The 2015 season was Harbaugh's first losing season with the Ravens. Many key players were injured. The team finished 5–11. In 2016, they finished 8–8 and missed the playoffs.
In 2017, the Ravens finished 9–7 but missed the playoffs. In 2018, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 10–6 record and won the AFC North. Quarterback Lamar Jackson became a star this season. The Ravens lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Round.
Harbaugh signed another contract extension in 2019. He led the Ravens to a fantastic 14–2 record. They earned the top seed in the AFC playoffs. However, they lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round. For his great work in 2019, Harbaugh was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year.
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In 2020, the Ravens finished 11–5 and made the playoffs as a Wild Card. They won their first playoff game since 2014, beating the Tennessee Titans. This win was Lamar Jackson's first playoff victory. It also set an NFL record for most road playoff wins. The Ravens then lost to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional Round.
In 2021, the Ravens started strong with an 8–3 record. But they had many injuries and struggled defensively. They lost six games in a row to end the season 8–9. They missed the playoffs. This was their first losing season since 2015.
On March 29, 2022, Harbaugh signed a new contract extension. On December 11, 2022, Harbaugh coached his 32nd game against Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. This is the second-most head-to-head matchups between coaches in NFL history. The Ravens finished 10–7 and made the playoffs. They lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round.
In 2023, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 13–4 regular season record and won the AFC North. They defeated the Texans in the Divisional Round but lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
In the 2024 season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 12–5 record and another AFC North title. They beat the Steelers in the Wild Card Round but lost to the Bills in the Divisional Round.
On March 28, 2025, Harbaugh signed a new three-year contract extension with the Ravens. This contract keeps him with the team through the 2028 season.
Head Coaching Record
Accurate through week 18 of the 2024 NFL season.
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BAL | 2008 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC North | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Indianapolis Colts in AFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2010 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Pittsburgh Steelers in AFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2011 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2012 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC North | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XLVII champions |
| BAL | 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to New England Patriots in AFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2015 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2017 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2018 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Los Angeles Chargers in AFC Wild Card Game |
| BAL | 2019 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 1st in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Tennessee Titans in AFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2020 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2021 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2022 | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2nd in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Cincinnati Bengals in AFC Wild Card Game |
| BAL | 2023 | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2024 | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Buffalo Bills in AFC Divisional Game |
| Total | 172 | 104 | 0 | .623 | 13 | 11 | .542 | |||
Coaching Connections
John Harbaugh has worked under eight different head coaches during his career:
- Jack Harbaugh, Western Michigan (1984–1987)
- Mike Gottfried, Pittsburgh (1987)
- Bill Baldridge, Morehead State (1988)
- Tim Murphy, Cincinnati (1989–1993)
- Rick Minter, Cincinnati (1994–1996)
- Cam Cameron, Indiana (1997)
- Ray Rhodes, Philadelphia Eagles (1998)
- Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2007)
Also, ten of Harbaugh's assistants have gone on to become head coaches themselves in the NFL or NCAA:
- Rex Ryan, New York Jets (2009–2014), Buffalo Bills (2015–2016)
- Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders (2011), Cleveland Browns (2016–2018)
- Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts (2012–2017)
- Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions (2014–2017)
- Mike Pettine, Cleveland Browns (2014–2015)
- Gary Kubiak, Denver Broncos (2015–2016)
- Vic Fangio, Denver Broncos (2019–2021)
- Thomas Hammock, Northern Illinois (2019–present)
- David Culley, Houston Texans (2021)
- Mike Macdonald, Seattle Seahawks (2024–present)
Family Life
John Harbaugh is a Roman Catholic. He is married to Ingrid Harbaugh. They have one daughter named Alison. Alison played lacrosse for the University of Notre Dame and the University of South Florida.
John's younger brother, Jim Harbaugh, is also a well-known football coach. He used to be the head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. Now he coaches the Los Angeles Chargers. Their father, Jack, was a head football coach at Western Michigan University and Western Kentucky University. John's sister, Joani, is married to Tom Crean. He is a former college basketball coach.
