Jim Harbaugh is one of a kind. Not only in his career trajectory, but in how he thinks about the gridiron, how he presents himself in the media, and how he acts when he is not involved with whatever team he is coaching.
Every jump of his coaching career since his retirement from the NFL has been to a different level of football with the exception of one in 2006.
His most recent jump was from national-championship winning coach at Michigan, with athletic director Warde Manuel trying to lock Harbaugh down in Ann Arbor for life, to the Los Angeles Chargers, who were looking for a spark, so to speak, to get back into NFL playoff contention.
Not to mention the move from the Wolverines to the AFC West was also to avoid the NCAA coming down with the hammer on him with multiple scandals.
And in his first season in Hollywood, Harbaugh has turned the 11-6 Chargers into contenders once again, with their Wild Card weekend showdown with the Texans looming on Saturday.
Harbaugh does things his way and delivers consistently like few others can. Now that he has reached the mountaintop at the college level, there is plenty of weight behind him eventually finding that same success in the NFL.
Jim Harbaugh is a one-of-a-kind coach, making jumps from the college ranks and the NFL
Harbaugh is tasked with bringing a championship to the Chargers for the first time since 1963
Harbaugh’s unique methods of recruiting and player development
No matter where he ran a program, Harbaugh used every tool at his disposal to bring in the best players and make them their best under his leadership.
He’s gone to class with a high school recruit, got drenched with water at a concert featuring hip-hop group Migos, thought his team should look up to SpongeBob SquarePants, and even got a workout in during a recruiting visit in Florida.
Harbaugh has also tried to inspire his teams with his own birth, which he apparently remembers.
‘I think when he talked about remembering the day that he was born,’ Chargers star quarterback Justin Herbert said this month. ‘It was probably the first day that – he kind of told us the whole story and how he remembered looking out the window. And I think it was a cold, snow day.
‘And I really hope he does remember that, that’d be pretty cool.’
Whatever Harbaugh’s schtick is, it’s working.
Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman (left) resided in the same RV park as Harbaugh
Harbaugh showed off his DVD collection from his RV, which included the movie ‘Joe Dirt’
A house on wheels is still a home!
After accepting the Chargers’ job, where he will make $16million from his first year in Los Angeles, Harbaugh decided to live in an RV for his first two months back as a California resident.
It was parked in Huntington Beach in a close distance to his offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, who also lived out of an RV after being hired by Harbaugh.
Instead of finding other temporary housing until moving into a home with his wife Sarah, he lived in the RV, touting it in a ‘good place to think’ and hailing the ‘solitude’ it provides.
Harbaugh also revealed that the RV had made previous trips to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland and Kansas City, Missouri.
But the trip out to Southern California – which was actually made by his brother-in-law, John Feuerborn, he said – is the truck’s farthest by far.
Harbaugh will make $16million this season after signing a five-year deal with the Chargers
The Chargers fan base has taken Harbaugh in as one of their own, hoping for lots of success
Harbaugh’s unique nature saw him and his father as audience members on ‘Judge Judy’
One of a kind
Even though he is no longer at Michigan, Harbaugh followed through on a promise he made to his Wolverines roster to get the school’s letter M logo alongside the team’s record tattooed on him if they won a national championship.
Harbaugh also suggested to previous players they should not eat chicken. Why? ‘Because it’s a nervous bird.’
The 61-year-old also believes eating chicken, instead of red meat, may cause sickness. His stance changed over time, as he admitted in November 2023.
‘I know there was a time I said that chicken was a nervous bird and I don’t eat chicken, I only eat meat. I was dead wrong. I stand corrected. These chickens are low-maintenance and high-production,’ Harbaugh said.
Eagle-eyed football fans also spotted Harbaugh, next to his father, Jack Harbaugh, in the audience members on ‘Judge Judy’.
Harbaugh’s quips haven’t stopped now that he is back in the NFL. Take this moment from his opening press conference with the team from back in February.
‘The weight room, we’re getting it cleaned up right now. Getting it all set. We had a great day. I mean, talk about fulfillment. Going in there to Home Depot and getting the Shop-Vac. I feel like I’m back at (San Diego). Let’s get this thing right, let’s get this thing good.’
And getting the Chargers good is exactly what Harbaugh has done, as his team has achieved the best record under a first-year head coach for the franchise since Norv Turner in 2007.
QB Justin Herbert and Harbaugh have built a special relationship throughout the season
Now Harbaugh enters his first postseason as Chargers’ head coach with expectations high
The road ahead
A four-game win streak from Weeks 8 through 11 truly cemented Harbaugh’s knowledge of his team and has set it up for success moving forward.
Of course, having one of the best quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert, as a former signal caller himself, has helped Harbaugh exceed expectations thus far.
Now comes his true test, one he never passed as the 49ers head coach, losing his only previously Super Bowl appearance at the helm to older brother John Harbaugh.
The road looks arduous, with a likely road showdown with the Chiefs looming before a trip to the Super Bowl could occur.
Harbaugh may invoke the cliche quote about how hard it is to beat the same team on three occasions in one season, as the Chiefs have already defeated the Chargers by a combined nine points in Weeks 4 and 14.
If there is a team to disrupt the budding Chiefs dynasty, the Chargers are a dark-horse pick to get it done, with those hopeful Californians never counting them out thanks to their talented quarterback and indefatigable head coach.
