As his brother John Harbaugh was preparing to coach the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC championship game, Jim Harbaugh briefly stole the collective attention of the NFL world on Wednesday when he left Michigan to become the next coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
While such a move to the NFL had loomed as a possibility for years, and with speculation mounting over the past several weeks, Harbaugh had just led the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1997 earlier this month.
Why would he leave his alma mater after such a momentous accomplishment and with the program well-positioned for many more wins in the years to come? For Harbaugh, the answer was relatively straightforward.
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“There’s no Lombardi Trophy in college football,” Harbaugh said in an interview with CBS’ pregame show ahead of the Ravens’ AFC championship game matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. “I’ve got so many sands left in the hourglass. I want to take a crack at that. There’s nowhere better to do it than with the Los Angeles Chargers.”
Jim Harbaugh talks about taking the Chargers job — as well as AFC Championship memories with Bill Cowher — during an appearance on CBS’ NFL Today. 🏈🎙️ pic.twitter.com/SfjHvVJAAg
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 28, 2024
Harbaugh, who was at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to cheer on his brother, described the decision to leave Michigan as “tough,” adding that he was “torn.”
Ultimately, though, the lure of the NFL and the opportunity to win a Super Bowl proved to be too much.
Harbaugh is among the most decorated figures ever who have coached at the college and professional levels, though for all he accomplished in his first NFL go-around — going 44-19-1 in four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14 — he failed to win that aforementioned Lombardi Trophy. His 2012 49ers team came painfully close, with Harbaugh, quarterback Colin Kaepernick and one of the league’s top defenses guiding them to the 2013 Super Bowl. Once there, they lost to John Harbaugh’s Ravens 34-31.
Though the Chargers finished a disappointing 5-12 last season, they have a number of stars on their roster, players such as quarterback Justin Herbert, safety Derwin James and wide receiver Keenan Allen, whom Harbaugh described as “pro’s pros.” Harbaugh said he has met Herbert, even admitting that he was “a little star-struck” encountering the former Pro Bowl selection.
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Harbaugh finished his nine-year Michigan tenure with an 89-25 record, three Big Ten championships, three College Football Playoff appearances and a national title. Over his final three seasons, the Wolverines went 40-3.
Now with the Chargers, Harbaugh cited the upcoming AFC championship game as something that he’ll use to instill the culture he wants for what has been an underachieving franchise the past several years.
“We work together, we win together,” he said. “It’s worth it. The hard work, the sacrifice, the pressure, all of it. Why would somebody put themselves through that? Because the rewards are just so darn good. You can see that today.”
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jim Harbaugh on why he left Michigan football: ‘No Lombardi Trophy’
