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Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh went 141–52 as a head coach, 2004–2023, at San Diego, Stanford and Michigan. His 2023 Michigan team claims the national title. Share
Three seasons our game records don’t credit to him come from the coach’s Wikipedia article: 2004–06 at San Diego. They’re marked in the table.
- Record
- 141–52 career
- Seasons
- 16
- Schools
- 3
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 2023
- Born
- Dec 23, 1963
- Alma mater
- Michigan
- Best season
- 2023 15–0, national champions
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | San Diego * | 7–4 | 2nd (North) | |||
| 2005 | San Diego * | 11–1 | 1st (North) | |||
| 2006 | San Diego * | 11–1 | 1st | Gridiron Classic W | ||
| 2007 | Stanford | 4–8 | T–7th | |||
| 2008 | Stanford | 5–7 | T–6th | |||
| 2009 | Stanford | 8–5 | T–2nd | Sun Bowl L | ||
| 2010 | Stanford | 12–1 | 2nd | Orange Bowl W | 4 | |
| 2011–14: not a college head coach | ||||||
| 2015 | Michigan | 10–3 | 3rd (East) | Citrus Bowl W | 12 | |
| 2016 | Michigan | 10–3 | 3rd (East) | Orange Bowl L | 10 | |
| 2017 | Michigan | 8–5 | 4th (East) | Outback Bowl L | ||
| 2018 | Michigan | 10–3 | T–1st (East) | Peach Bowl L | 14 | |
| 2019 | Michigan | 9–4 | 3rd (East) | Citrus Bowl L | 18 | |
| 2020 | Michigan | 2–4 | T–5th (East) | |||
| 2021 | Michigan | 12–2 | T–1st (East) | Orange Bowl, CFP Semifinal L | 3 | |
| 2022 | Michigan | 13–1 | 1st (East) | Fiesta Bowl, CFP Semifinal L | 3 | |
| 2023 | Michigan coached games 4–9 and 13–15 (9 of 15) | 9–0 | 1st (East) | Rose Bowl, CFP Semifinal W; CFP National Championship W | 1 | |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table. * A season our game records don’t credit to him; its record is the article’s.
Players he coached
Aidan Hutchinson
Toby Gerhart
Andrew Luck
Jabrill Peppers
Jake Butt
Devin Bush
Jake Moody
Blake Corum
Zak Zinter
Jourdan Lewis
Maurice Hurst Jr.
J.J. McCarthy
- Olusegun Oluwatimi2022 Outland Trophy
- Chase BeelerConsensus All‑American, 2010
- Rashan GaryNo. 12 pick, 2019
- Kwity PayeNo. 21 pick, 2021
- Cesar RuizNo. 24 pick, 2020
- Mazi SmithNo. 26 pick, 2023
3 more
Daxton Hill (No. 31 pick, 2022); Taco Charlton (No. 28 pick, 2017); Owen Marecic (2010 Paul Hornung Award).
18 of the 21 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 50 | 25–25 | 50% |
| Against top-10 teams | 26 | 9–17 | 35% |
| Against rivals | 59 | 36–23 | 61% |
| Conference games | 110 | 78–32 | 71% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 11 | 4–7 | 36% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 45 | 24–21 | 53% |
| At home | 82 | 66–16 | 80% |
| On the road | 61 | 38–23 | 62% |
| At neutral sites | 15 | 8–7 | 53% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 106 | 93–13 | 88% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 52 | 19–33 | 37% |
His own 158 games on file, 2007–2023, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Franklin 2015–2022 | 5–3 | Penn State | 8 | |
| Tom Allen 2017–2023 | 6–1 | Indiana | 7 | |
| Paul Chryst 2016–2021 | 3–3 | Wisconsin | 6 | |
| Kirk Ferentz 2016–2023 | 4–1 | Iowa | 5 | |
| Mark Dantonio 2015–2019 | 3–2 | Michigan State | 5 | |
| Chris Ash 2016–2019 | 4–0 | Rutgers | 4 | |
| Greg Schiano 2020–2023 | 4–0 | Rutgers | 4 | |
| Mike Stoops 2007–2010 | 3–1 | Arizona | 4 | |
| Dennis Erickson 2007–2010 | 2–2 | Arizona State | 4 | |
| Jeff Tedford 2007–2010 | 2–2 | California | 4 |
Jim Harbaugh’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Rutgersseries | 9 | 9–0 |
| Indianaseries | 9 | 8–1 |
| Michigan Stateseries | 9 | 5–4 |
| Penn Stateseries | 8 | 5–3 |
| Marylandseries | 7 | 7–0 |
| Ohio Stateseries | 7 | 2–5 |
| Washingtonseries | 6 | 5–1 |
| Notre Dameseries | 6 | 3–3 |
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Michigan’s 2023 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Other roles
- Team MVP, Michigan 1986 (his playing career)
From each season’s Wikipedia article.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994–2001 | Western Kentucky | Offensive consultant | |
| 2002–03 | Oakland Raiders NFL | Quarterbacks coach | |
| 2004–06 | San Diego Toreros | Head coach | |
| 2007–10 | Stanford | Head coach | |
| 2011–14 | San Francisco 49ers NFL | Head coach | |
| 2015–23 | Michigan | Head coach | |
| 2024–present | Los Angeles Chargers NFL | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Jack HarbaughWestern Kentucky
Assistants who became head coaches
- Jack HarbaughWestern Michigan, Western Kentucky
- Ed LambSouthern Utah, Northern Colorado
- Lance AndersonUtah Tech
- David ShawStanford
- D. J. DurkinMaryland
- D.J. DurkinFlorida, Maryland, Auburn
- Mike Sanford Jr.Western Kentucky, Colorado
- Scott ShaferSyracuse
- Willie TaggartWestern Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State, Florida Atlantic
- Brian PolianNevada, John Carroll
- Derek MasonVanderbilt, Middle Tennessee
- Pep HamiltonDC Defenders
- and 21 more
Worked under (1)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Harbaugh | Western Kentucky | 1994–2001 | Offensive consultant |
Coached under him, later head coaches (33)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Harbaugh | San Diego, 2004–06: running backs coach; Stanford, 2009: running backs coach; Michigan, 2023: assistant head coach | Western Michigan, Western Kentucky | |
| Ed Lamb | San Diego, 2005–06: special teams and defensive backs coach | Southern Utah, Northern Colorado | |
| Lance Anderson | San Diego, 2005–06: defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator; Stanford, 2007–09: defensive tackles coach and recruiting coordinator; 2010: outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator | Utah Tech | |
| David Shaw | San Diego, 2006: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach; Stanford, 2007–09: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2010: offensive coordinator and running backs coach | Stanford | |
| D. J. Durkin | Stanford, 2007–09: defensive ends and special teams coach; Michigan, 2015: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Maryland | |
| D.J. Durkin | Stanford, 2007–09: defensive ends and special teams coach; Michigan, 2015: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Florida, Maryland, Auburn | |
| Mike Sanford Jr. | Stanford, 2007–08: offensive assistant | Western Kentucky, Colorado | |
| Scott Shafer | Stanford, 2007: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Syracuse | |
| Willie Taggart | Stanford, 2007–09: running backs coach | Western Kentucky, South Florida, Oregon, Florida State, Florida Atlantic | |
| Brian Polian | Stanford, 2010: special teams and safeties coach | Nevada, John Carroll | |
| Derek Mason | Stanford, 2010: defensive backs coach | Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee | |
| Pep Hamilton | Stanford, 2010: wide receivers coach; Michigan, 2017–18: assistant head coach and passing game coordinator | DC Defenders | |
| Vic Fangio | Stanford, 2010: defensive coordinator; San Francisco 49ers, 2011–14: defensive coordinator | Denver Broncos | |
| Jim Leavitt | San Francisco 49ers, 2011–14: linebackers coach | South Florida | |
| Paul Wulff | San Francisco 49ers, 2012–13: offensive assistant | Washington State, Eastern Washington, Iowa State, UC Davis, Cal Poly | |
| Jedd Fisch | Michigan, 2015–16: quarterbacks and wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator | UCLA, Arizona, Washington | |
| T. J. Weist | Michigan, 2015: offensive analyst | UConn, South Florida | |
| Biff Poggi | Michigan, 2016: analyst; 2021–22: associate head coach | Charlotte, Michigan | |
| Don Brown | Michigan, 2016–20: defensive coordinator | Plymouth State, Northeastern, Massachusetts | |
| Dan Enos | Michigan, 2018: offensive assistant | Central Michigan | |
| Ed Warinner | Michigan, 2018–20: offensive line coach | Avila | |
| Jim McElwain | Michigan, 2018: wide receivers coach | Colorado State, Florida, Central Michigan | |
| Ron Prince | Michigan, 2018: offensive analyst | Kansas State, Howard | |
| Sherrone Moore | Michigan, 2018–20: tight ends coach; 2021–22: co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; 2023: offensive coordinator | Michigan | |
| Nate Woody | Michigan, 2019: defensive analyst | [[Appalachian State Mountaineers football | |
| Bob Shoop | Michigan, 2020: safeties coach | Columbia | |
| Mike DeBord | Michigan, 2020: offensive assistant | Central Michigan | |
| Mike Macdonald | Michigan, 2021: defensive coordinator | Seattle Seahawks | |
| Jesse Minter | Michigan, 2022–23: defensive coordinator; Los Angeles Chargers, 2024–25: defensive coordinator | Michigan, Baltimore Ravens | |
| Kirk Campbell | Michigan, 2022: offensive assistant; 2023: quarterbacks coach | Los Angeles Chargers (OA)--> | |
| Rick Minter | Michigan, 2022: defensive analyst; 2023: interim linebackers coach; Los Angeles Chargers, 2024–25: senior defensive analyst | Cincinnati, Marshall | |
| Marc Trestman | Los Angeles Chargers, 2024: senior offensive assistant | Montreal Alouettes, Chicago Bears, Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Vipers | |
| Adam Fuller | Los Angeles Chargers, 2025–26: safeties coach | Assumption |
Other assistants under him (33)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmie Dougherty | San Diego, 2004: wide receivers coach; 2005: tight ends coach; 2006: quarterbacks coach; Michigan, 2016: offensive analyst | |
| Tim Drevno | San Diego, 2004–06: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach; Stanford, 2007–08: tight ends coach; 2009–10: offensive line coach; San Francisco 49ers, 2011–13: offensive line coach; Michigan, 2015–17: offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | |
| John Morton | San Diego, 2005: passing game and wide receivers coach; San Francisco 49ers, 2011–14: wide receivers coach | |
| Coleman Hutzler | San Diego, 2006: defensive assistant; Stanford, 2007: RA; 2008–09: defensive assistant | |
| Clayton White | Stanford, 2007–09: defensive backs coach | |
| Matt Weiss | Stanford, 2007–08: graduate assistant; Michigan, 2021: quarterbacks coach; 2022: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Andy Buh | Stanford, 2008–09: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Nick Holz | Stanford, 2008–10: offensive assistant, operations assistant and assistant quarterbacks coach | |
| Peter Hansen | Stanford, 2008: strength and conditioning; 2009–10: defensive assistant; San Francisco 49ers, 2011–13: defensive assistant and quality control coach | |
| Ron Lynn | Stanford, 2008–09: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Randy Hart | Stanford, 2010: defensive line coach | |
| Bobby Engram | San Francisco 49ers, 2011: offensive assistant | |
| Mike Solari | San Francisco 49ers, 2011–14: offensive line coach | |
| Greg Mattison | Michigan, 2015–18: defensive line coach | |
| Matt Barnes | Michigan, 2015: defensive assistant | |
| Brian Smith | Michigan, 2016–17: defensive backs coach | |
| Joe Bolden | Michigan, 2016: graduate assistant | |
| Tanner Engstrand | Michigan, 2018: offensive analyst | |
| Anthony Campanile | Michigan, 2019: linebackers coach | |
| Josh Gattis | Michigan, 2019–21: offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Shaun Nua | Michigan, 2019–21: defensive line coach | |
| Steve Casula | Michigan, 2019–21: analyst | |
| Keith Dudzinski | Michigan, 2020: analyst | |
| Matt Limegrover | Michigan, 2020: analyst | |
| Doug Mallory | Michigan, 2021–23: analyst and assistant defensive backs coach | |
| Ryan Osborn | Michigan, 2021: defensive analyst | |
| Steve Clinkscale | Michigan, 2021: defensive backs coach; 2022–23: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; Los Angeles Chargers, 2024–25: defensive backs coach; 2026: passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Bret Ingalls | Michigan, 2022–23: senior offensive assistant | |
| Fred Jackson | Michigan, 2022–23: analyst and running backs coach | |
| Chris Partridge | Michigan, 2023: linebackers coach | |
| Mike Mallory | Michigan, 2023: special teams analyst | |
| Chris O’Leary | Los Angeles Chargers, 2024: safeties coach; 2026: defensive coordinator | |
| Max McCaffrey | Los Angeles Chargers, 2026: running backs coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $1,325,000; $200,000 in bonuses paid; buyout $20,555,556 | $7,004,000 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $1,325,000 | $9,004,000 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $1,175,000 | $7,004,000 USA Today |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Harbaugh’s teams went for it on 20% of fourth downs and on 36% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 44% of plays and took 27.4 seconds a play, 2007–2023.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 11 g | Stanford | 14 of 109 13% | 19% | 56% | 23.6 | −0.18 | |
| 2008 12 g | Stanford | 14 of 83 17% | 32% | 40% | 26.6 | −0.01 | |
| 2009 12 g | Stanford | 16 of 72 22% | 36% | 38% | 28.1 | +0.12 | |
| 2010 13 g | Stanford | 16 of 64 25% | 46% | 42% | 28.4 | +0.14 | |
| 2015 13 g | Michigan | 16 of 91 18% | 28% | 48% | 28.0 | +0.06 | |
| 2016 13 g | Michigan | 20 of 97 21% | 39% | 42% | 26.8 | +0.08 | |
| 2017 13 g | Michigan | 16 of 117 14% | 29% | 44% | 27.8 | −0.10 | |
| 2018 13 g | Michigan | 19 of 90 21% | 42% | 42% | 29.0 | +0.08 | |
| 2019 13 g | Michigan | 22 of 98 22% | 43% | 48% | 25.0 | +0.05 | |
| 2020 6 g | Michigan | 9 of 44 20% | 38% | 57% | 24.2 | +0.12 | |
| 2021 14 g | Michigan | 27 of 94 29% | 53% | 43% | 26.4 | +0.16 | |
| 2022 14 g | Michigan | 21 of 98 21% | 39% | 40% | 28.3 | +0.19 | |
| 2023 15 g | Michigan | 22 of 95 23% | 38% | 42% | 30.6 | +0.15 | |
| All 162 g | 232 of 1152 20% | 36% | 44% | 27.4 | +0.07 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.