The Chargers announced they have agreed to terms with Jim Harbaugh as their head coach.
“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers forward,” owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. “The son of a coach, brother of a coach and father of a coach who himself was coached by names like Schembechler and Ditka, for the past two decades Jim has led hundreds of men to success everywhere he’s been — as their coach. And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers, this time as our coach. Who has it better than us?”
Harbaugh won a national championship in his ninth year at the University of Michigan. He came close to a Super Bowl title with the 49ers in 2012, losing to his brother, John, and the Ravens 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII.
He gets a second chance at a Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“You don’t build a resume like Jim’s by accident, and you don’t do it by yourself,” Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. “You need a team. And nobody has built a team more successfully, and repeatedly, in recent history than Jim Harbaugh. His former players swear by him, and his opponents swear at him. Jim is one of one, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him back in the Chargers organization as our head coach.”
Michigan was offering Harbaugh a six-year contract extension worth $11.5 million annually despite two unresolved NCAA investigations. He decided instead to return to the NFL, where he went 49-22-1 in four seasons with the 49ers.
“My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact. I’ll always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh said in a statement. “I’m remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me. From working as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky alongside my father, Jack, and time as an assistant with the Raiders, to being a head coach at USD, Stanford, the 49ers and Michigan — each of those opportunities carried significance, each felt personal. When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been more gracious or more welcoming. Being back here feels like home, and it’s great to see that those things haven’t changed.
“The only job you start at the top is digging a hole, so we know we’ve got to earn our way. Be better today than yesterday. Be better tomorrow than today. My priorities are faith, family and football, and we are going to attack each with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. This organization is putting in the work — investing capital, building infrastructure and doing everything within its power to win. Great effort equals great results, and we’re just getting started.”
During his NFL playing career, Harbaugh was a quarterback for the Chargers in 1999-2000. He made 17 starts.
