According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh of Toledo, Ohio as their new head coach. At 60 years of age, Harbaugh is considered one of the very best football coaches.
This will be the second head coaching job in the National Football League for Harbaugh. He was in charge of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014. During those four years, the 49ers had an overall record of 44 wins, 19 regulation losses, and one tie for an excellent winning percentage of .695. In 2011, Jim Harbaugh was the NFL Coach of the Year after the 49ers had a regular season record of 13 wins and three losses. The 49ers reached the Super Bowl in 2013, but Jim Harbaugh lost to his brother John, as the Ravens were crowned champions with a 34-31 victory. Ironically, John Harbaugh is still the coach of Baltimore. The Ravens qualified for the 2024 AFC Championship, with a 34-10 win over the Houston Texans a week ago.
Jim Harbaugh has also made his mark on the college football scene. From 2015 to 2023, he was the head coach at the University of Michigan. In that time, the Wolverines had a regular season record of 128 wins and 45 losses, and won the College Football Playoff national championship last month. On January 8 in Houston, the Wolverines defeated the University of Washington Huskies 34-13.
Harbaugh also brings NFL playing experience to the Chargers. He was a quarterback for 14 NFL seasons from 1987 to 2000. Harbaugh was with Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and San Diego Chargers. While with the Colts in 1995, he was selected to the Pro Bowl. In 177 NFL games, Harbaugh completed 2305 passes in 3918 attempts for 26288 passing yards, 129 touchdowns, and 117 interceptions. He also had 2787 rushing yards and 18 touchdown rushes.
