The last name Harbaugh has been a household NFL staple since 1987. Jim Harbaugh was the 26th overall pick by the Chicago Bears that year and had a 15-year playing career. He started coaching in college after his career, following in the footsteps of his father, Jack, and his brother, John.
John played football in college but didn’t have the same illustrious career as Jim. Instead, John got started coaching much sooner and got his first head-coaching opportunity with the Ravens in 2008. He led Baltimore to a Super Bowl in 2013, where he faced his brother Jim.
John may not have had his brother’s established playing career, but he has extra coaching experience. John been the Ravens’ head coach for 17 years.
We know all about John’s accomplishments as an NFL coach, but let’s look back at his playing career.
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John, born in 1962, is Jim’s older brother. The Harbaughs are 15 months apart in age but have vastly different playing careers. Their father, Jack, was a college football coach, so the family was used to moving around. John and Jim both played at Pioneer High School in Michigan for John’s senior year. After Jack became the defensive coordinator at Stanford, Jim transferred to Palo Alto High School in California.
John played defensive back, whereas Jim was under center as the quarterback. John was less highly recruited compared to Jim. John ended up attending Miami University, a.k.a. Miami (OH).
John’s college stats are not readily available, but he did not perform well enough to draw interest from NFL team. He graduated in 1984 with his degree in political science and immediately began coaching at the college level. John did not play in the NFL.
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John attended Miami University. Not to be confused with the University of Miami, which is a Power 5 school in the ACC. Miami (OH) is located in Ohio and is a Group of 5 school in the Mid-American Conference. Harbaugh was inducted into Miami’s “Cradle of Coaches Association” honoring alumni of the school that have gone on the become great coaches.
Ben Solak, ESPNDec 3, 2024, 11:25 AMCloseBen Solak joined ESPN in 2024 as a national NFL analyst. He previously covered the NFL at The Ringer, Bleeding Green Na
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