Now that Jim Harbaugh has executed his crowning achievement, a long-awaited national championship for the University of Michigan, he can leave Ann Arbor for the NFL head coaching opening of his choice and command the largest contract among NFL head coaches.
He will reportedly rejoin an NFL coaching fraternity that includes his older brother, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who greeted and embraced Jim on the sidelines Monday night during Michigan’s 34-13 victory over Washington.
But this time Jim Harbaugh will return with some championship hardware to match brother John, whose shining moment as a head coach was winning Super Bowl XLVII over Jim’s San Francisco 49ers.
The brothers, the sons of longtime college assistant coach Jack Harbaugh, are considered among the best in their profession at any level and have the resumes to prove it. But if you were asked to name one as the head coach of your football team, who would you choose, Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh?
It’s not an easy choice, but let’s try to answer the question.
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Jim Harbaugh has the more diverse portfolio
To compare the brothers, it all starts with their body of work. While the brothers took vastly different routes to get to where they are today, Jim Harbaugh’s portfolio is more diverse than his brother John’s because he’s achieved success at both the college and NFL level.
Coming off a 15-year NFL playing career as a quarterback, Jim Harbaugh became a head coach before John did, at the University of San Diego. He coached in San Diego for three seasons before getting the job at Stanford for four years.
Jim Harbaugh’s coaching record: College -146-52; NFL – 44-19-1; Overall – 190-71-1 overall (.725)
That led to his four-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, where he went to three NFC championship games and one Super Bowl, before leaving to coach at Michigan, his alma mater, for the past nine seasons.
More importantly, though, Jim Harbaugh has been known as a quick-fix coach. At every coaching stop, he immediately transformed the team into a winner.
Jim Harbaugh’s coaching record is a testament to his ability to improve any situation. Along with him being a national champion who’s now reached the pinnacle of the college game, it’s a big reason why he’s in such high demand back in the NFL, where franchises expect instant results.
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John Harbaugh has been a model of consistency
John Harbaugh has always been much more inconspicuous than his younger brother because he didn’t play in NFL. Instead, he played defensive back at Miami (Ohio) and then worked his way through the coaching trenches.
He made stops at Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati and Indiana, making a name for himself in the college ranks as an exceptional special teams coordinator before landing his first NFL job with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he remained for nine seasons.
John Harbaugh’s coaching record: 171-108 (.613) – includes 11-9 record in playoffs
John Harbaugh had zero experience as a head coach or even as an offensive or defensive coordinator, yet the Baltimore Ravens took a chance on him, hiring Harbaugh as their head coach in 2008. And they haven’t regretted the decision ever since.
All John Harbaugh has done over the past 16 seasons is lead the Ravens to 11 playoff appearances, 10 seasons of 10-plus wins, five AFC North titles, three AFC championship games and one victorious Super Bowl appearance.
The Ravens have only had two losing seasons on Harbaugh’s watch, and this season his team enters the playoffs with the NFL’s best record (13-4) and as the early Super Bowl favorite.
So, is it Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh?
Back to the question: Who’s the better head coach? It’s difficult to distinguish whether Jim Harbaugh’s coaching record is superior to John Harbaugh’s record, and vice versa, because both have achieved winning records and won championships.
Does Jim Harbaugh get more credit for bouncing around — from the college game to the pro game back to the college game — and winning each time? Or do you reward John Harbaugh for his consistency and longevity as an NFL head coach, where job security is much harder to maintain from year to year?
This could easily be deemed a push between the two brothers, but we won’t allow for a tie. So, the only possible way to settle this sibling battle is to point to one game on Feb. 3, 2013, when John’s Ravens held off Jim’s 49ers, 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
John Harbaugh, who could be hoisting a second Lombardi Trophy next month in Las Vegas, gets the upper hand on Jim Harbaugh by three points. But Jim might have a chance to even the score with his older brother, depending on where he lands in the NFL.