John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh
Harbaugh in 2008.
Date of birth	September 23, 1962 (1962-09-23) (age 47)
Place of birth	Toledo, Ohio
Position(s)	Head coach Defensive back
College	Miami University (OH)
Team(s) as a coach/administrator
1984-1986 1987 1988 1989-1996 1997 1998-2007 2008-present	Western Michigan University (Running backs coach) (Outside linebackers coach) University of Pittsburgh (Tight ends coach) Morehead State (Special teams coach) (Secondary coach) University of Cincinnati (Special teams coordinator) Indiana University (Special teams coordinator) (Defensive backs coach) Philadelphia Eagles (Special teams coordinator) (Defensive backs coach) Baltimore Ravens (Head coach)

John Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Before his assignment with the Ravens, Harbaugh coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served as the Eagles special teams coach for nine years.

Early years

Harbaugh graduated from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, during which time his father, Jack, was an assistant under Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan. He played collegiate football for Miami University, where he was a defensive back.

Coaching career

Harbaugh was hired in 1998 by Philadelphia Eagles then-head coach Ray Rhodes, and was one of four assistant coaches retained by new head coach Andy Reid in 1999. Prior to that, Harbaugh spent time as an assistant at Indiana University (1997), University of Cincinnati (1989–1996), Morehead State University (1988), and Western Michigan University (1984–1987).

In 2004, Harbaugh was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Gary Darnell as the head football coach at Western Michigan University. Harbaugh earned his master's degree from WMU and was an assistant football coach from 1984–1987.

In 2007, after serving as a Special Teams Coach for 9 years, John was switched to Defensive Backs coach. Andy Reid did so in order to fulfill John's desire to obtain a head coaching position in the future, as special team coaches are rarely hired as head coaches. The move paid off the following year, as Harbaugh was announced as Head Coach of the Baltimore Ravens on January 19, 2008. Harbaugh only interviewed for the job after the first choice for the Ravens, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, turned them down, and was not considered a favorite to get the job. But he impressed owner Steve Bisciotti and GM Ozzie Newsome in his interview enough to make the relatively unusual jump from secondary coach to NFL head coach.

On January 23, 2008, Harbaugh hired Cam Cameron to be the Ravens offensive coordinator. Cameron had originally hired Harbaugh as an assistant at Indiana University in 1997. Cameron had also served as quarterbacks coach for John's brother Jim during their time at the University of Michigan.

On September 7, 2008, Harbaugh coached the Ravens to a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in his head coaching debut. Until that point no team had ever won when a coach and a quarterback (Joe Flacco) were both making their NFL debut. However, the feat was amazingly matched that same day by the Atlanta Falcons (coach Mike Smith, and QB Matt Ryan). The Ravens also won starting Ray Rice, a rookie, at running back while rookies Sam Baker, LT, and Curtis Lofton, MLB, started for the Falcons.

On October 27, 2008, Harbaugh announced that the "Suggs package", a two quarterback offense featuring Joe Flacco and Troy Smith would be a viable option for the remainder of the 2008 season.

In his rookie season as a head coach, Harbaugh guided the Ravens to an 11-5 regular season record, good enough to qualify them for the playoffs as a wild card team. In the playoffs, Harbaugh oversaw upset victories over the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans before losing for the 3rd time that season to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

On January 26, 2009, Harbaugh named Greg Mattison as the new defensive coordinator for the Ravens, replacing Rex Ryan, who had left to become head coach of the New York Jets. Mattison served as a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator for Harbaugh's father, Jack, at Western Michigan University from 1981-86. While at WMU, Mattison also coached alongside Harbaugh, who was a graduate assistant and assistant coach for his father.

NFL Head coaching record

Coaching Tree

NFL head coaches under whom John Harbaugh has served:

• Ray Rhodes, Philadelphia Eagles (1998)
• Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2007)

Assistant coaches under John Harbaugh who have become NFL head coaches:

• Rex Ryan, New York Jets (2009–present)

Personal

Harbaugh's younger brother Jim is a former NFL quarterback and current Stanford University football coach. His father Jack is a former football coach of Western Michigan University and Western Kentucky University. His brother-in-law (through sister Joani) is Tom Crean, the current head basketball coach at Indiana. Harbaugh is married to Ingrid Harbaugh and they have one daughter Alison (b. 2001).

Notes and references

External links

• Coach Bios - Philadelphia Eagles.com
• Baltimore Sun: Ravens Hire Harbaugh as Coach