The Los Angeles Chargers today agreed to a deal with Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. Harbaugh was a former Chargers quarterback in the 1999 and 2000 seasons and spent the last nine years at his alma mater as the University of Michigan’s head football coach.
Harbaugh returns to the Chargers after leading Michigan to three consecutive Big Ten championships, three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances and a perfect 15-0 record last season, in which the Wolverines were crowned the 2023 National Champions.
“Jim Harbaugh is the personification of football and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers moving forward,” said owner and president Dean Spanos. “As the son of a coach, the brother of a coach and the father of a coach who was coached by names like Schembechler and Ditka, Jim has led hundreds of men to success over the last twenty years wherever he has been as their coach.
And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers, this time as coach. Who has it better than us?“You don’t create a resume like Jim’s by chance, and you don’t do it yourself,” said John Spanos, president of football operations.
“It takes a team. And no one in recent history has built a team as successfully and repeatedly as Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him and his opponents swear by him.
Jim is one of them and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back in the Chargers organization as our head coach.
“Harbaugh brings with him a winning culture, with a 144-52 record as a collegiate head coach and a 49-22-1 record as an NFL head coach.
In four years, he led the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC championship games, including an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.
With a keen eye for talent and the ability to develop players, Harbaugh coached nine eventual first-round selections during his nine seasons at Michigan (2015-23).
Over his four seasons (2011-2014) with San Francisco, Harbaugh coached 17 players to a total of 30 Pro Bowl selections – the second-most Pro Bowlers in the NFL at the time.
Eight of these players were also recognized as first-team All-Pro selections by the Associated Press, including linebackers Patrick Willis (twice) and NaVorro Bowman (three times).
“My love for Michigan, playing there and returning to coach left a lasting impression. I will always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh said.
“I am very lucky to have had the privilege of training in places where my life journey has created strong personal connections for me.
From my work as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, to my time as an assistant with the Raiders, to my role as head coach at USD, Stanford, to the 49ers and Michigan – each had those opportunities.
Which means, each one felt personal. . When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more friendly and welcoming. Coming back here feels like home and it’s great to see that nothing has changed.
