Name a greater football entity that Jim Harbaugh

Submitted by Buy Bushwood on December 2nd, 2022 at 11:09 AM

I've thought a lot about this, and can't think of another person who has accomplished more in football than Harbaugh as far as being at the performance apex no matter what he tries.  Sure there are more accomplished QBs in college or the Pros, more accomplished Pro coaches, college coaches.  But is there anyone else in football history like Harbaugh across the spectrum of what can be accomplished?

Resume: Harbaugh was a Heisman finalist and led top 10 teams. He started 140 games in a long NFL career and won accolades.  He was an immediate success in college coaching and resurrected two programs to the apex of performance.  In between he won almost 70% of his NFL games (taking a franchise that was a tire-fire to the verge of the Superbowl his first year and making it the next year) and was the best coach in the NFC during his tenure. 

The only person I could even think of with similar success across the full scope of player-coaching is Steve Spurrier.  He won the Heisman, but had a shorter, less impressive pro career.  He was probably an equal college coach to Harbaugh but sputtered miserably in the pros.  

Thoughts?  Who am I missing?  Or is Harbaugh the ultimate football Swiss-Army knife?

ashwood35

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:26 AM ^

If being fair, Spurrier won a natty as a coach with a better overall winning percentage. I think Jim will get there but too early to call his career equal to Spurrier.

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charblue.

December 2nd, 2022 at 3:03 PM ^

Spurrier accomplished a few coaching firsts during his career. He is the first Heisman winner to coach another during Florida's national championship season in 1996 when Danny Wuerfful was quarterbacking for him and won the Heisman. 

Spurrier was head coach at Florida for 12 seasons, then abruptly resigned and coached the Washington Commanders for three seasons before taking the head coaching job at South Carolina becoming the winningest coach there during a 10-year run. He was also head coach at Duke and won there in 1982, earning Duke its only ACC football championship. 

He won four consecutive SEC titles while coaching the Gators. He is responsible for giving Ben Griffin Stadium on the Florida campus in Gainesville the nickname The Swamp because Gators live in the swamp. He also demanded the school replace the field's surface with real grass which has remained in place ever since.

Spurrier is also renowned for his sharp wit including barbs tossed at former Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer, and Tennessee coming up short in SEC finishes over the years. He noted that you can't spell Citrus Bowl without UT or that he knew why. Peyton Manning came back for his senior year so that he could win his third Citrus Bowl MVP. 

For the Harbaughs, coaching football is not only a way of life but a way of family life. Jim's career especially has followed his dad and brother from his childhood time in Ann Arbor to Palo Alto, Calif. At 56, Jim has never had a break from playing or coaching football at some level since his childhood. Imagine that. 

He split his high school career from his days hanging out at Michigan football practice, playing with Bo's sons and the UM golf course with his brother, John. Jim played 5 years at Michigan, finished third in Heisman balloting his last year, 16 in the pros including a final season for the Carolina Panthers in 2001 after being drafted as a first round pick by the Chicago Bears in 1987.

He and his brother served as unpaid assistant coaches for his dad, Jack, at Western Kentucky, where hs won a national championship.

The thing is, like Spurrier, Jim has won where ever ever he is gone. Both played or coached for the San Francisco 49ers. Spurrier was the 49ers first round pick in 1967. Jim coached the 49ers to three consecutive NFL championship games and a Super Bowl after the team had missed the playoffs prior to his arrival for 8 straight years. 

 

 

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mGo Go Gadget Play

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^

Thinking about great players who are also great coaches, I think Harbaugh and Spurrier are in the conversation, but I don't think Jim yet tops his old coach, three-time Super Bowl champion Mike Ditka.

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GoWings2008

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^

Jimmy Johnson maybe, other than the playing part. I'll admit I don't know much about any playing career he may have had. But it seems he was on the Arkansas national championship team in 1964. Not sure how instrumental he was on those teams in the early 60s.

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stephenrjking

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^

Good answer. Just looked it up on wikipedia:

Johnson played college football as a defensive lineman at the University of Arkansas between 1962 and 1964. He helped lead the Razorbacks to the national championship in 1964 when he was named to the All Southwest Conference team. 

Not QB, but that's quite good. National title in college (and, strategically, was the coach who brought down the wishbone offense) and multiple Super Bowl titles.

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WestQuad

December 2nd, 2022 at 12:51 PM ^

Jimmy Johnson didn't have a pro playing career that I know of, but multiple National Championships and Super Bowl victories and a National Championship as a player is pretty much a winner.    If Harbaugh wins us a National Championship or two I'd give the edge to Harbaugh because being a pro player is nothing to sneeze at...

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XM - Mt 1822

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^

NFL coach of the year.  super bowl coach

CFB coach of the year.  

B10 coach of the year

took USD from nothing to the top

took Stanford from nothing to #4, along the way recording the single greatest upset in CFB history, beating USC who was a 45 pt favorite

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oriental andrew

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:47 AM ^

Speaking of whom, Pete Carroll definitely has the coaching accolades in both college and the NFL. He wasn't quite the college player that Harbaugh was, but he did apparently earn Pacific Coast Conference honors for two years. Never played pro, though.

Ditka was an excellent NFL player and coach, obviously, although he never coached college. 

Also guys like Bobby Ross who played in college and coached college and NFL, but never played in the NFL. 

Harbaugh may be a bit of a unicorn, in more ways than one. 

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XM - Mt 1822

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^

the reality is that most actors never played sports, they did theatre.  they were the biggest wimps at their respective schools.   and when you meet most actors and actresses in person, you will be extremely underwhelmed with their actual physical presence or perceived appearance.  

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Teddy Bonkers

December 2nd, 2022 at 12:16 PM ^

My guess is it's not a fair representation of the kid's ability to throw a football, there maybe a camera crew and other production staff a few feet off screen, so he's probably being asked to throw the ball about four feet and not too fast, but make it look like he's slinging down the field.

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St Joe Blues

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:38 AM ^

The one thing missing from the Harbaugh is a championship. No Super Bowl, no CFB championship. He will get the CFB ring, though.

Remember when the talk was that Harbaugh wears out his welcome sometime around year 4? I guess he put that to rest.

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JoJo5285

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^

Jimmy Johnson won a National Championship as a player, Head coach (Miami), and obviously Superbowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys.  Don't remember if he ever played in the NFL but he has had a pretty successful run.

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flashOverride

December 2nd, 2022 at 11:42 AM ^

"Something something Luck and Kaepernick also some extremely tenuous charge of cheating <spit, drool, fart>!"

- Michigan hater Twitter

I do agree with this though. People who don't like him will take it as some delusional worship because he didn't QUITE win the Heisman or a Natty as a player or a Super Bowl or a Natty (yet) as a coach. But a rational person who doesn't knee-jerk flip out at any praise of anything Michigan gets what you're saying - Heisman finalist, led Top 10 Michigan teams, first-round draft pick, led playoff Bears teams, turned losing teams around as a coach, Super Bowl appearance, Big Ten Championship...success on both the field and the sideline, on both Saturday and Sunday, cannot be denied, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a similar resume.

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