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Stanford Hires Jim Harbaugh

by Thomas Jensen on Wednesday, December 20th, 2006

Stanford Hires Harbaugh

Stanford University officially introduced Jim Harbaugh as its new head football coach on Tuesday at a press conference held at Kissick Auditorium on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, California.

Harbaugh has spent the last three seasons (2004-06) as the head coach at the University of San Diego, leading the Toreros to Division I-AA Mid-Major national titles each of the past two campaigns. Harbaugh posted an impressive three-year overall record of 29-6 (.829) at San Diego, including 11-1 campaigns each of the past two years that also included a school record 18-game win streak over the period and two Pioneer Football League championships.

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He played for five teams over 15 seasons (1987-2001) as a quarterback in the National Football League after entering the NFL as a first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1987. He also saw NFL action with the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers. Harbaugh's professional playing career was highlighted by his 1995 season when he led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship game while earning AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors during a Pro Bowl campaign. He was also the runner-up for the NFL's Most Valuable Player honor in 1995 and the league's top-rated passer. Harbaugh's most statistically successful NFL season came in 1991 when he passed for a career-best 3,121 yards and led Chicago to an NFC Wild Card game. He also led the Bears to an NFC Division playoff contest after winning an NFC Wild Card game in 1990.

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Harbaugh began his coaching career while still playing in the NFL as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach under his father, Jack, at Western Kentucky University for eight seasons from 1994-2001. Serving as an offensive consultant, Jim scouted and recruited high school student-athletes throughout several states including Florida, Indiana and Illinois. He was involved in recruiting 17 players on WKU's 2002 Division I-AA National Championship team. His dad was a football coach for 41 years, including 14 seasons as the head coach at Western Kentucky. His brother, John, is currently the special team’s coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles and in his ninth year with the organization; and his brother-in-law, Tom Crean, is in his eighth campaign as head men's basketball coach at Marquette University.