Jim Harbaugh's History vs. Ohio State Doesn't Matter, for Now

Jim Harbaugh was still hoarse from being doused after his final game with San Francisco as he talked about Michigan’s excellence, building houses and homecoming during his introductory press conference.

When pressed about Michigan’s main rivals, Ohio State and Michigan State, he refused to provide any bulletin board material.

“They’re outstanding programs. No, I make no guarantees. I made a guarantee a long time ago. And I’ve learned from that. I’ve grown. I understand that you don’t make guarantees.”

Harbaugh’s measured responses are somewhat surprising for a man who infuriated coach Bo Schembechler by guaranteeing a victory over Ohio State as a player.

He passed up another golden opportunity to take a shot at Ohio State when he was introduced at halftime of the Michigan basketball game after the press conference. The scene was reminiscent of Jim Tressel’s introduction, but Harbaugh again spoke of Michigan uniting while ignoring its rivals.

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“I’m not agreeing that it’s a turnaround, this is Michigan, and there are no turnarounds [at] Michigan,” said Harbaugh. “This is greatness, and there’s a long tradition of it.”

He also wouldn't make any guarantees about when Michigan would start winning Big Ten championships or competing for national championships.

“We have great expectations for the first week, really great expectations for the first day of practice, the first team meeting,” said Harbaugh. “And I don’t have any guarantee for you if that’s what you’re looking for.”

His decision to return is about fulfilling a lifelong dream to coach at Michigan. He chose his words not for the media or future opponents, but for Michigan fans who long for a return to gridiron glory.

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Harbaugh stood before the largest assembled group of media and supporters since the retirement of Bo Schembechler. They came to hear why he would leave the glory and glitz of professional football for Ann Arbor. Over 600 people packed the event, with fans lining the outside windows for a glimpse of him. Attendees included many former and current players, former coaches Lloyd Carr and Gary Moeller and members of Harbaugh’s family.

He has a long history of antagonizing friends and foes alike. While coaching at Stanford, he traded barbs with rival Pete Carroll, while criticizing Michigan’s academic standards for its athletes.

The barbs will return soon enough, but for now he understands his first job is to rally Michigan fans and start building his team.

Only when his team is ready to play championship football will he challenge them to back up his tough talk, and history shows that should happen pretty quickly.

Phil Callihan is a featured writer for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotations obtained firsthand

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