Jim Haurbaugh’s Coaching Career in the NFL
When Harbaugh left his NFL coaching career while he was doing exceptionally well; many were left clueless of the reasons behind it. Later on, details emerged that there was an irreparable fall-out between Harbaugh and his general manager, Trent Baalke.
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh of the Los Angeles//Getty Images
Jim Harbaugh had one of the most exceptional coaching stints during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers between 2011 and 2014. Harbaugh led the 49ers to three consecutive NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance.
Harbaugh won the AP NFL Coach of the Year award in his first season in the NFL, a feat that caught many by surprise, considering elite coaching talent in the league. His successful four-year run with the 49ers had him ranked as one of the best NFL coaches of all time, even if it came in a more limited sample size than plenty of the other coaches on the list.
Harbaugh's .695 winning percentage ranks fifth all-time among NFL head coaches, though his four seasons as an NFL head coach are the fewest of any coach ranked in the top 10. The next closest is number 6, Tommy Hughitt, who coached Buffalo for five seasons in the 1920s. However, this percentage may change with Harbaugh making a comeback to the big league in 2024, as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
The only head coaches above Harbaugh in win-loss percentage are:
1.Guy Chamberlin (six seasons, .784)
2.John Madden (10 seasons, .759)
3.Vince Lombardi (10 seasons, .738)
4.George Allen (12 seasons, .712).
Jim Harbaugh NFL Coaching record with the San Francisco 49ers
Harbaugh four-year tenure with the 49ers saw him lead the team to a combined record of 44 wins,19 losses and a draw (44-19-1).
| Year | Record | Result |
| 2011 | 13-3 | Lost conference championship |
| 2012 | 11-4-1 | Lost Super Bowl |
| 2013 | 12-4 | Lost conference championship |
| 2014 | 8-8 | Missed the playoffs |
Harbaugh coaching journey has seen him win at every level. He began at the University of San Diego in 2004, where he went for a combined record of 29-6 with the Toreros. In 2007, he moved to Stanford University, where he mended their program and powered them to a 29-21 record during his four years with the Cardinal.
In the Bay area, Harbaugh turned the tide for a franchise that had last been to the playoffs in 2002. The team had maintained a mediocre 46-82 record and four head coach changes during that span.
The 49ers reached the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons, with quarterback Alex Smith posting career high and the 49ers boasting the second ranked defense in the NFL.
Harbaugh’s second season saw him achieve better and reach the Super Bowl, where his younger brother John Harbaugh stood in his way of a first Super Bowl ring as head coach. The two brothers would go on to be the first pair of brothers to ever meet in the Super Bowl as head coaches.
However, in Super Bowl XLVII, the Baltimore Ravens would escape with a narrow 34-31 victory, handing 49ers their first Super Bowl loss in the franchise’s history.
Harbaugh’s third season saw a new era dawn on the 49ers, with the team trading quarterback Alex Smith. Another Super Bowl appearance beckoned, but NFC West rivals, the Seattle Seahawks halted Harbaugh’s dream with a 23-17 victory in the NFC championship game.
Reasons for leaving the NFL
Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke//Getty Images
Following three fruitful seasons in the Bay area, cracks began to emerge. A mid-season slump heightened tensions between Harbaugh and general manager, Trent Baalke, that had emerged the previous season.
Reports emerged, midway through the 2014 season, suggesting that players in the locker-room were losing support for Harbaugh and that the team was considering terminating his contract following the season.
In early December, it was reported that Harbaugh and Baalke had an incident that "irreparably tore at the trust that must exist between a coach and general manager."
The constant drama had taken its toll and the team finished the season with a record of 8-8, missing the playoffs in the process.
On the day of the final game of the season, Harbaugh and the 49ers officially announced that the two sides came to a mutual decision to separate. Two days later, Harbaugh was announced as Michigan Wolverines’ head coach, his alma mater.
The Playing Career of Jim Harbaugh
Jim, the son of a coach, brother of a coach and father of a coach, with himself coached by the likes of Bo Schembechler and Mike Ditka, for the past two decades has led hundreds of men to success everywhere he's been as their coach.
Prior to his time on the sideline, Harbaugh was a quarterback at Michigan who was taken in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, where he would develop into a reliable reserve and eventually, the teams lead signal caller.
Harbaugh would then sign with the Indianapolis Colts, where he played his best NFL football as the starting quarterback. That 1995 season saw him make the Pro Bowl and he was honored as the AFC Player of the Year, after making the AFC championship game.
He would play out his final seasons with the Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers respectively before hanging his boots in 2001.
Return to the NFL
In January 2024, the Los Angeles Chargers agreed to a five-year deal with Harbaugh, who had led the University of Michigan to a national championship earlier that month, to become their next head coach.
Harbaugh, 60, turned down an offer from the Wolverines that would have made him the highest-paid coach in college football, in order to have another crack at the NFL with the Chargers.
Ian Mugo Wanyeki is based in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a sports enthusiast with vast knowledge of different sport disciplines. Ian is a graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science degree from Kenyatta University. He is a Kenyan journalist who’s worked as a sports analyst at Covenant Television Network, as a sports reporter at NTV and as a Sports Correspondent/contributor at Quartz Africa.