When Michigan hired its current football coach Jim Harbaugh in 2015, the school knew that it was getting two things.
The first was a great coach who had experience building teams into winners. He turned the University of San Diego and Stanford into winning programs before taking a shot at the NFL with the 49ers. Despite being fired after four seasons, Harbaugh posted a 44-19-1 record in San Francisco and helped them make it to Super Bowl 47.
The Wolverines had been in an elongated rut before hiring Harbaugh, so getting a coach with his proven résumé was seen as a big win. So too was the fact that as a proverbial “Michigan Man,” he had a great understanding of both the school and the program as he looked to make the Wolverines competitive again in the Big Ten.
Harbaugh has achieved that so far, and continues to deliver Michigan the highest of highs on the field, just like he did during his playing days at the school under Bo Schembechler.
MORE: Explaining Jim Harbaugh’s three-game suspension and sign stealing in football
Here’s what to know about Harbaugh’s playing career at both the college and professional levels.
Where did Jim Harbaugh play football?
Harbaugh played his college football at Michigan. He was with the team from 1982 to 1986 and was a three-year starter for the Wolverines.
Harbaugh earned the starting job in 1984 after a three-way competition with Chris Zurbrugg and Russ Rein. His starting debut famously came in Michigan’s 22-14 upset win over a Bernie Kosar-led Miami Hurricanes team that was ranked No. 1 in the country.
Harbaugh would go on to be Michigan’s primary starter for the rest of his career when he was healthy. His performance was strong enough in his role that he became a top NFL prospect; and eventually, he was made a first-round pick in the 1987 NFL Draft.
MORE: Inside Jim Harbaugh’s coaching history at Michigan
Did Jim Harbaugh play in the NFL?
Yes, Harbaugh did play in the NFL. He was drafted 26th overall by the Bears in 1987 and went on to enjoy a 14-season career.
In total, Harbaugh made 140 starts with four different teams across those 14 seasons. He was largely a respectable starter and finished fourth in the MVP voting in 1995, his lone Pro Bowl season.
Jim Harbaugh NFL teams
As mentioned, Harbaugh started games for four NFL teams during his career. That said, he spent time with six different squads during his career. They were as follows:
Chicago Bears (1987-93)
Indianapolis Colts (1994-97)
Baltimore Ravens (1998)
San Diego Chargers (1999-2000)
Detroit Lions (2001)
Carolina Panthers (2001)
Harbaugh spent most of his career with the Bears and posted a 35-30 record as Chicago’s starter. His best statistical seasons, however, came with the Colts. He completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 8,705 yards, 49 touchdowns and 26 interceptions during his four seasons in Indianapolis.
Harbaugh didn’t ever seen in-game action for the Lions or the Panthers during his final year in the NFL. He made a combined 29 starts during his three seasons with the Ravens and the Chargers.
MORE: Jim Harbaugh earns hefty bonus for Michigan beating Ohio State… despite suspension
Jim Harbaugh NFL stats
Harbaugh put together a respectable NFL career as a quarterback. He was a solid starter in both Chicago and Indianapolis before he faded during the latter stages of his career.
Twice during his time with the Bears, Harbaugh posted at least 10 wins in a season. He had one Pro Bowl campaign with the Colts as well during which he went 7-5 as a starter and completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 2,575 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Below is a look at his full career stats.
Year
Team
Record
Comp. %
Yards
Pass TDs
INTs
Rating
1987
Bears
—
72.7
62
0
0
86.2
1988
Bears
1-1
48.5
514
0
2
55.9
1989
Bears
1-4
62.4
1,204
5
9
70.5
1990
Bears
10-4
57.7
2,178
10
6
81.9
1991
Bears
11-5
57.5
3,121
15
16
73.7
1992
Bears
5-8
56.4
2,486
13
12
76.2
1993
Bears
7-8
61.5
2,002
7
11
72.1
1994
Colts
4-5
61.9
1,440
9
6
85.8
1995
Colts
7-5
63.7
2,575
17
5
100.7
1996
Colts
7-7
57.3
2,630
13
11
76.3
1997
Colts
2-9
61.2
2,060
10
4
86.2
1998
Ravens
5-7
56.0
1,839
12
11
72.9
1999
Chargers
6-6
57.4
2,761
10
14
70.6
2000
Chargers
0-5
60.9
1,416
8
10
74.6
Harbaugh played in five playoff games during his career with the Bears and Colts. He went 2-3 in those contests, completing 50.9 percent of his passes for 906 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.
And during his career, Harbaugh also ran for 2,787 yards and 18 touchdowns on 561 attempts. For context, that’s more than Bo Jackson totaled during his storied time in the NFL.
MORE: How Jim Harbaugh, NFL journeyman QB, outran Bo Jackson during his pro playing career
Jim Harbaugh college stats
During his college days, Harbaugh posted similarly solid numbers. That was what originally helped him to get into the NFL.
Below is a look at his stats from the four seasons during which he saw on-field action at Michigan.
Year
Comp. %
Yards
Pass TDs
INTs
Rating
1983
40.0
26
0
0
83.7
1984
54.1
718
3
5
108.3
1985
65.6
1,913
18
6
163.7
1986
65.7
2,557
10
8
157.0
Because NCAA stats count sacks as negative rushing yards, Harbaugh only ran for 326 yards during his time at Michigan. However, he had nine rushing touchdowns during his career, including seven in his final season. That helped to make up for his passing touchdown deficiency as a senior and showcase he could be a multi-faceted threat in the NFL.
Did Jim Harbaugh win a Super Bowl as a player?
No, Harbaugh never won a Super Bowl during his playing days. His deepest playoff run was the 1996 AFC championship game when he was a member of the Colts.
However, Harbaugh did make it to two Super Bowls during his coaching days. The first came when he was a quarterbacks coach for the Raiders in 2002. The Buccaneers beat the Raiders in that Super Bowl, denying Harbaugh a ring.
The second was the famous Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh matchup in Super Bowl 47 during which his 49ers faced his brother John Harbaugh’s Ravens. The 49ers lost that game 34-31 despite a furious comeback effort by the Colin Kaepernick-led squad following a second-half blackout at the Superdome.
So, Harbaugh remains without a Super Bowl ring because of those results. For now, he will hope to get a national championship ring at Michigan.
2023-12-02 12:30:03
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