How is Ravens HC John Harbaugh related to Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh?

John Harbaugh could win the Super Bowl while Jim Harbaugh could win the College National Championsip in the same season.

How is Ravens HC John Harbaugh related to Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh?

John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh (Image via ESPN)

Eleven years after their family reunion in the Super Bowl, John and Jim Harbaugh are making headlines once again. But they are once again on the cusp of making history, but at a different forefront.

While John wrapped up the 2023 NFL season as the #1 AFC seed, Jim clinched the Michigan Wolverines’ first college football playoff final (CFP) since 1997. It’s a unique feat and hardly seen in the world of football.

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But the family should be used to all the publicity by now. They met each other at the end of the 2012 season when John Harbaugh’s Ravens met Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. On that day, a certain Joe Flacco threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns to win the Ravens their second Lombardi Trophy.

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Jim stayed in California for one more season. Then he left to manage Michigan and has been working to bring the glory days back to the college program.

Joani Crean, their sister, told CBS News:

I've never seen either of them have as much fun with their team as they're having now. It brings a pure smile to my face.

Are John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh brothers?

John and Jim Harbaugh are the sons of former high school football head coach Jack Harbaugh. They are brothers, but not fraternal twins as they were born two years apart in the Midwest in Toledo, Ohio.

How is Ravens HC John Harbaugh related to Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh?
John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh in the 2012 Super Bowl (Image via CBS Sports)

During his 44-year-long coaching career, Jack only managed two teams. His first gig was at Western Michigan from 1982 until 1986, and then at Western Kentucky from 1989 until 2002.

John Harbaugh’s coaching career

John Harbaugh began coaching in 1984 under his father as an outside linebacker coach at Western Kentucky. He then had stints at Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati, and Indiana from 1987 to 1995. Then, in 1998, he switched to the NFL and became the special teams coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. A year as the defensive backs coach followed, and then in 2008, the Baltimore Ravens hired him as their head coach, and he has won the AFC North five times. His NFL record is 171–107.

Jim Harbaugh’s coaching career

Jim Harbaugh had a long playing career as an NFL quarterback before becoming a coach. The 59-year-old led the Indianapolis Colts to the AFC Championship game in 1995 and even won the NFL Comeback Player Award.

He began coaching in 2002, joining the Oakland Raiders as their quarterback coach. Then he went on to lead his former side, the San Diego Chargers, to three divisional titles (2004–2006). Then he decided to try his hands at college football with the Stanford Cardinals. With the Cali program, he had a mixed record of 28–21. Their best period was when Andrew Luck had his breakout year, and they bagged the Orange Bowl (2010).

Jim returned to the NFL to coach the 49ers from 2011 until 2014. He had a 44-19 record and made the postseason in three out of four seasons. In 2015, Michigan hired him as their head coach. Since then, he has taken the program from ranked 7 to ranked 1. He has won the Big 10 title three times, most recently in 2023. But January 8, 2024, will be the first time he plays in the college football finals. In it, they will face the Washington Huskies.

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