Luck Had Nothing To Do With It: Harbaugh Headed to the 49ers

Weeks of speculation about the future of the now former Stanford Cardinal football head coach Jim Harbaugh has come to an end. Late Friday afternoon, Harbaugh agreed to a five-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers. The deal is reported to be worth a total of $25 million.

Harbaugh was a candidate for just about every head coaching job in the country, whether it be at the professional or college level. 

He was the biggest target for the University of Michigan’s current head coaching vacancy. Harbaugh is a former Michigan quarterback and his father, Jack Harbaugh, was a defensive backs coach under Bo Schembechler from 1973-79. 

However, the Wolverines were never near the top of Harbaugh’s list. 

Many believed it was because he was passed over for an opportunity to be Michigan’s quarterbacks coach back in 2002. The job eventually went to Scott Loeffler, who developed quarterbacks John Navarre and current Miami Dolphins starter Chad Henne.

Some also thought Harbaugh’s jab at Michigan’s academic standards for athletes had a role in his decision not to return to Ann Arbor. Whatever his reasons were, it was clear early on he would not be the next Michigan head coach. 

Just a couple of days ago, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, also a Michigan alum, flew out to California to meet with Harbaugh about their head coaching job. This move was seen as a major stab in the back to current head coach Tony Sparano. 

After meeting with Harbaugh, the Dolphins decided to retain Sparano for this season and are now considering giving him an extension. Miami never made a formal offer to Harbaugh.

Denver’s new general manager and former Bronco great John Elway made a play for Harbaugh on the sideline of this year’s Discover Orange Bowl. Elway was an honorary captain for Stanford’s 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech. Harbaugh never gave Denver much thought either.

Many people began to think Harbaugh may head back to Stanford after the surefire No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Andrew Luck, decided to return for his junior year at Stanford to earn his degree. The Cardinal also return many key players from this year’s team, which is likely to finish in the top four of the final polls.

But in the end, the team that was first rumored to have shown interest in Harbaugh from the NFL ranks, the 49ers, got their man. 

Why San Francisco? It’s easy to say it was for the money, which is rumored to be around $2 or $3 million more than he was making at Stanford. This is all speculation due to the fact that Stanford is a private institution, and that information is protected by privacy laws.

Another reason the 49ers job is so intriguing is the fact that they play in the weak NFC West division. This year, the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks won the division and clinched an automatic playoff berth. The 49ers finished the season 6-10, just one game behind St. Louis and Seattle in the division standings.

As wonderful as all of that is for Harbaugh, the main reason he likely chose San Francisco was his family. 

Harbaugh’s family lives in the San Diego area and attended high school in Palo Alto, CA. The transition into the NFL will be much easier for his family in San Francisco, as opposed to Miami or Denver. He’ll also get to renew his sibling rivalry with his brother John Harbaugh, who is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens.

There are also rumors that Harbaugh will be given a lot of player and personnel control, which was something else Harbaugh wanted if he were to coach an NFL team. 

Harbaugh has put together an exemplary resume at the college level. He put together a 29-6 overall record at the University of San Diego and took Stanford from the Pac-10 conference cellar to a national championship contender in just four seasons in Palo Alto.

The Cardinal were 1-11 the year before Harbaugh took over as head coach. The team struggled to 4-8 and 5-7 records in his first two seasons, but went 8-5 the following season and won a school record 12 games in 2010.

His chance for success with the 49ers is very high. San Francisco has a lot of talented players at their skill positions, but lacks a quarterback. If Harbaugh can get a solid quarterback in the draft or via trade or free agency, they have a good chance to win the NFC West next season.

This is something Harbaugh should be very capable of and something he knows plenty about. He was a proven NFL quarterback from 1983-2001. 

Many prominent college coaches have tried and failed at coaching in the NFL, with the most recent examples being Bobby Petrino in Atlanta and Nick Saban in Miami. However, Bill Walsh, a former Stanford head coach, and Jimmy Johnson were able to make the transition and have great careers in the NFL.

Only time will tell whether or not Harbaugh can achieve the same success his brother John has had in Baltimore. One thing is for sure, though; John has set the bar pretty high for his little brother.