How Jim Harbaugh Is Bringing Bo Schembechler Back to Michigan

Despite his brother being in charge, John Harbaugh felt unwelcome in Ann Arbor.

Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl-winning head coach, was in town to speak at his younger brother Jim's first high school coaching clinic as Michigan's head coach. But as John watched the Wolverines practice one afternoon, he noticed a familiar anger come over his brother and soon found himself on his way out the door.

"He threw everybody out of practice," John told reporters. "It got a little crazy because there was so many people there visiting. About halfway through he said, 'Hey, everybody out of here!' I turned around, [former Michigan quarterback] Rick Leach turned around, everybody started walking away. He says, 'No, John, you can stay.'"

"He pulled a classic Bo. I know the guys thought Bo was back."

Bo, of course, is legendary Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler, for whom Jim played quarterback in Ann Arbor from 1983-86. Known for his no-nonsense style, Schembechler won 13 Big Ten championships in his 21 seasons with the Wolverines, his iconic personality helping to shape the program into a perennial powerhouse.

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But following five largely successful seasons under Gary Moeller and 13 under Lloyd Carr—both Schembechler disciples—Michigan has managed to lose its luster. In succeeding Carr, Rich Rodriguez lasted just three seasons in Ann Arbor, compiling a 15-22 record as the Wolverines' head coach, while Brady Hoke went 31-20 in four seasons that saw his record decline with each passing year.

Under Rodriguez, Michigan's culture declined—players transferred at a rapid race, even to rival Ohio State—and under Hoke, the quality of football being played in The Big House did as well. Save for Hoke's 11-2 Sugar Bowl-winning debut season, the Wolverines haven't been nationally relevant—in a positive way—since losing to FCS program Appalachian State in their season opener in 2007.

Enter Harbaugh, who has consistently kept Michigan in the headlines since taking over the program late last December. But it's not just his crazy recruiting pitches, must-follow Twitter account or highway heroics that have fans in Ann Arbor buzzing as much as it is the tales that have emerged from the Wolverines' first few weeks of spring practice—all of which Jim has coached while wearing the same block "M" hat that Schembechler did.

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"It was a Michigan practice," John answered when asked what he saw while watching the Wolverines. "It was physical, the guys really practiced hard. It was demanding. As Jim told the guys, they're building callouses. You callous your football, your character, your football toughness, your body."

It's no secret that Jim's coaching style has been heavily influenced by Schembechler, and not just thanks to his All-American career playing under him in the mid-1980s.

A native of Toledo, Ohio, Harbaugh moved to Ann Arbor in 1973 when his father, Jack Harbaugh, took a job as Schembechler's secondary coach. At his introductory press conference in December, Jim recalled running around the Michigan facility as a child, developing a personal relationship with the Wolverines legend.

"I remember thinking about this as a youngster, nine, 10 years old," Jim said. "There was a time sitting in Coach Schembechler's office. I was sitting in his chair and I had my feet up on the desk, and he walked in and said, 'How are you doing?' and I looked at him and said, 'I'm doing great, Bo, how are you doing?' He said 'What are you doing?' 'I'm sitting in your chair, coach.' I couldn't think of anything better to say.

"There have been times in my life where I've thought and dreamed about it. Now it's time to live it."

Throughout his stops at San Diego, Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh relied on the lessons he learned from Bo, whether it be the importance he placed on road games or the emphasis he placed on "The Team, The Team, The Team." That obviously won't change now that Harbaugh is back at Michigan, not so much coaching in Schembechler's shadow as recreating it.

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The reaction from the Wolverine players has been positive, despite four-hour spring practices filled with a new type of intensity as Harbaugh re-acclimates to the college game after four years in the NFL. Sure, there's been the typical attrition that comes with any head coaching change—most notably in the form of quarterback Russell Bellomy and center Jack Miller—but thus far, Harbaugh has been as good as advertised in Ann Arbor.

Of course, setting a tone is one thing, but in order for Harbaugh to truly emulate his mentor, he's going to have to find success on the field. Rodriguez and Hoke talked a big game early in their tenures too, but when push came to shove, neither managed to win on a consistent basis.

Harbaugh's brother, however, believes Jim is unquestionably the right man for the job.

"There's no doubt that Michigan's going to win," John said. "Obviously the variable's going to be time and how fast they can pick it up and how the ball bounces and those kind of things. He's got a bunch of good players out here who love to practice and love football. There's no question that he's going to make the transition perfectly well."

And as for the ex-players he kicked out of practice?

"The old players were laughing about it," John said. "They were saying, 'That's exactly what Bo would have done."

Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten Lead Writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. All statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com. Recruiting rankings courtesy of 247Sports.