Jim Harbaugh James Joseph " Jim " Harbaugh ( ; born December 23 , 1963 ) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played his college football at the University of Michigan , and was an NFL quarterback from 1987 to 2000 . He has been a football coach since 2004 , and first served as a head coach in 2004 for the University of San Diego . After coaching Stanford football from 2007 to 2010 , he became the 49ers head coach in 2011 . Born in Toledo , Ohio , Harbaugh grew up in Ohio , Kentucky , Iowa and Michigan then continued his high school career in Ann Arbor , Michigan and Palo Alto , California , with his father Jack Harbaugh an assistant football coach for various colleges including Michigan and Stanford . Jim then enrolled at the University of Michigan , the school where his father was an assistant coach , and played quarterback on the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1983 to 1986 . As a senior , he led Michigan to the 1987 Rose Bowl and was a Heisman Trophy finalist , finishing third . The Chicago Bears selected Harbaugh in the first round of the 1987 NFL Draft . He played 14 years as a quarterback in the NFL , with Chicago from 1987 to 1993 , the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1997 , the Baltimore Ravens in 1998 , and the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and 2000 . He first became a regular starting quarterback in 1990 with Chicago . In 1995 with Indianapolis , he led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game , was selected to the Pro Bowl and was honored as NFL Comeback Player of the Year . From 1994 to 2001 , while still playing in the NFL , Harbaugh was an assistant coach at Western Kentucky University under his father and head coach Jack . In 2002 , he returned to the NFL as quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders . He then returned to the college ranks as a head coach , starting in 2004 with the University of San Diego . After coaching San Diego to consecutive Pioneer League championships in 2005 and 2006 , he moved up to Stanford , served as head coach from 2007 to 2010 and led the Cardinal to two bowl berths , including the 2011 Orange Bowl . Immediately afterward , he signed a five - year deal as head coach of the NFL San Francisco 49ers and Harbaugh led the team to playoff appearances in his first two seasons there . He and his older brother , Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh , became the first pair of brothers to serve as head coaches in NFL history . Their teams played in a Thanksgiving Classic game in 2011 and Super Bowl XLVII , and Baltimore won both games . Early life . Harbaugh was born in Toledo , Ohio , the son of Jacqueline M . " Jackie " ( née Cipiti ) and Jack Avon Harbaugh . His mother is of half - Sicilian and half - Polish descent , and his father has Irish and German ancestry . Both Jim and his brother John were born in Toledo as his father Jack was an assistant football coach at nearby Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg , Ohio . From an early age , Jim and his brother John were known as the " Double - J ' s " to their family and friends ; Jim now reflects on this affectionate nickname as a prophecy of sorts , as the brothers are now both coaches of majorly successful NFL teams . Jack was an assistant coach in many college football programs , including the University of Michigan . Jim played for the junior league Ann Arbor Packers and then for Tappan Junior High before moving on to Pioneer High School . When Jack became defensive coordinator at Stanford in 1980 , Jim transferred to Palo Alto High School in California , graduating in 1982 . College playing career . Harbaugh was a four - year letterman at the University of Michigan , finishing his college career in the top five in passing attempts , completions , completion percentage , passing yards and touchdown passes in school history . He was the starting quarterback for his last three years at Michigan under head coach Bo Schembechler , although he broke his arm five games into the 1984 season and was out for the rest of his sophomore year . As a junior in 1985 , he came back to lead the nation in passing efficiency as quarterback of one of Schembechler ' s best teams . The 1985 team posted a 10 – 1 – 1 record , defeated Nebraska in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl and finished second in the nation in the Division I - A ( now FBS ) polls , the highest finish for Michigan during Schembechler ' s tenure as head coach . As a senior in 1986 , he guided Michigan to an 11 – 2 record ( which included the victory he had guaranteed over arch - rival Ohio State which Michigan won 26 – 24 on the road in Columbus ) and a berth in the 1987 Rose Bowl . He was honored as Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and finished third in the Heisman balloting . He was also named to the Big Ten ' s All - Academic team and the 1986 AP and UPI All - American teams . He held the career NCAA Division I - A passing efficiency record ( 325 – 399 completions ) for 12 years , leading the nation in passing efficiency in 1985 . NFL playing career . Chicago Bears ( 1987 – 1993 ) . 1987 season . The Chicago Bears selected Harbaugh in the first round ( 26th overall ) of the 1987 NFL draft , picking a quarterback in the first round against experts ' prior speculation that the team would select a defensive lineman or wide receiver in that round . He played that season under coach Mike Ditka , starting poorly by completing only 1 of 15 passes in an August 27 exhibition game against the Phoenix Cardinals . In the regular season , his rookie season , which was marred by a players ' strike that canceled games for a single weekend , he played in a reserve capacity in only six games . In Week 10 ( November 22 ) , a 30 - 10 win over the Detroit Lions , Harbaugh took only one snap and was sacked for 15 yards . In the Week 13 41 - 0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on December 14 , he came back to throw his first NFL passes completing 8 of 11 for 62 yards , was sacked 3 times for 30 yards , and rushed 15 yards on 3 carries . He was inactive for the Bears ' , a 21 - 17 loss to Doug Williams , Joe Gibbs and the eventual Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins . 1988 season . Harbaugh played 10 games in 1988 and completed 47 of 97 passes for 514 yards and 2 interceptions . He also rushed 110 yards on 19 carries . Harbaugh started his first game on Week 14 ( December 5 ) , a 23 - 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in which he completed 11 of 30 passes for 108 yards and 2 interceptions , rushed 32 yards on 6 carries , and was sacked twice for 9 yards . The following game on December 12 , Harbaugh earned his first win as an NFL starter with a 13 - 12 victory over the Detroit Lions . Harbaugh completed 18 of 26 passes for 174 yards and rushed 36 yards in 7 carries . 1989 season . Harbaugh saw more playing time in 1989 after Jim McMahon left the team and started 5 games for Chicago while Mike Tomczak started 11 in a 6 - 10 season for Chicago . 1989 was his first season with over 1 , 000 passing yards , completing 111 of 178 passes in 12 games for 1 , 204 yards for 5 touchdowns and 9 interceptions and was sacked 18 times for 106 yards . His 62 . 4 % completion rate earned him the team record for single - season completion percentage . 1990 season . In 1990 , Harbaugh played and started in the first 14 games of the season . Chicago improved to 11 - 5 and won the NFC Central division , and Harbaugh passed for 2 , 178 yards with 180 of 312 passes completed for 10 touchdowns and 6 interceptions . He was sacked 31 times for 206 yards and rushed 321 yards in 51 carries . Due to a shoulder injury , Harbaugh sat out the last two games of the year as well as the playoffs . 1991 season . Harbaugh passed for a career - high 3 , 121 yards with Chicago in 1991 and became the first Chicago quarterback since Vince Evans to start all 16 regular season games . He completed 275 of 478 passes for 15 touchdowns and 16 interceptions , was sacked 24 times for a loss of 163 yards , and rushed 338 yards on 70 carries . Chicago finished the season 11 - 5 like the year before , but in second place in the NFC Central . On December 29 , 1991 , he made his postseason debut in the , a 17 - 13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys . The Dallas defense overwhelmed him throughout the game , sacking him three times ; and in the final drive of the game that started from Chicago ' s 4 - yard line with 1 : 50 left , he threw an interception to Bill Bates on the fourth play from scrimmage . 1992 season . Chicago regressed to a 5 - 11 record in 1992 , and the team fired coach Ditka afterwards . Harbaugh played all 16 games but started only 13 and had a 5 - 8 record as starter . He completed 202 of 358 passes for 2 , 486 yards , 13 touchdowns , and 12 interceptions , was sacked 31 times for 167 yards , and rushed 272 yards over 47 carries , including one rushing touchdown . 1993 season . In 1993 , Chicago went 7 - 9 . Harbaugh played in and started 15 games and completed 200 of 325 passes for 2 , 002 yards , 7 touchdowns , and 11 interceptions . He was sacked 43 times for 210 yards and rushed 277 yards over 60 carries . Indianapolis Colts ( 1994 – 1997 ) . 1994 season . On April 7 , 1994 , Harbaugh signed with the Indianapolis Colts . He played and started in just nine games in the 1994 Colts season , completing 125 of 202 passes for 1 , 440 yards , 9 touchdowns , and 6 interceptions . Harbaugh took 17 sacks for 72 yards and rushed 223 yards over 39 carries . For the first eight games , Harbaugh was starter , and coach Ted Marchibroda re - instated Harbaugh as starter for Week 15 ( December 18 ) after Indianapolis struggled on offense under quarterback Don Majkowski . 1995 season . In 1995 , Harbaugh achieved career highs in completion percentage ( 63 . 7 ) , passer rating ( 100 . 7 ) , and touchdown passes ( 17 ) and led Indianapolis to the AFC Championship Game . Harbaugh played 15 games in the regular season and started 12 , with a 7 - 5 record as starter in a 9 - 7 team . Harbaugh completed 200 of 314 passes for 2 , 575 yards and just 5 interceptions with his 17 touchdowns and was sacked 36 times for 219 yards . In 52 carries , Harbaugh rushed for 235 yards and two touchdowns . But he strained his right knee after being sacked six times and left the Week 14 ( December 3 ) game against the Carolina Panthers in the third quarter . Indianapolis lost to defending AFC champion San Diego Chargers in Week 16 ( December 17 ) 27 - 24 , with John Carney kicking the winning field goal with 3 seconds left after Harbaugh ' s drive with three straight passes had led to Cary Blanchard ' s field goal that tied the game at 24 with 48 seconds left . In the season finale on December 23 , Harbaugh ' s 32nd birthday , Indianapolis clinched a playoff berth with a 10 - 7 win over the New England Patriots . Completing 20 of 30 passes , he threw for 225 yards and a touchdown . On December 31 , 1995 , in the AFC wild card game against San Diego , Harbaugh scored on a 3 - yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter after a 32 - yard interception return by Jason Belser and Indianapolis won 35 - 20 . Indianapolis won the divisional round game on January 7 , 1996 over the Kansas City Chiefs 10 - 7 , despite only 112 passing yards ( with 12 of 27 passes completed , 1 touchdown and 1 interception ) from Harbaugh . In the AFC Championship Game on January 14 , Harbaugh completed 21 of 33 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown and rushed 29 yards on 6 carries . But Aaron Bailey dropped Harbaugh ' s last - second Hail Mary pass in the endzone , and the Pittsburgh Steelers won 20 - 16 and went on to Super Bowl XXX , which they lost to the Dallas Cowboys . For the season , he was voted to the Pro Bowl , was named Comeback Player of the Year and AFC Player of the Year , and was runner - up in the voting for NFL MVP . 1996 season . With new coach Lindy Infante , Indianapolis again finished 9 - 7 and made the playoffs in 1996 with Harbaugh as signal caller . Harbaugh played and started in 14 games with a 7 - 7 record ; he completed 232 of 405 passes for 2 , 630 yards , 13 touchdowns , and 11 interceptions , with 36 sacks for 190 yards lost and 192 rushing yards on 48 carries and a touchdown . Defending AFC Conference Champion Pittsburgh Steelers defeated Indianapolis in the Wild Card round 42 - 14 as Harbaugh completed only 37 . 5 % of his passes ( 12 of 32 ) for 134 yards , 1 touchdown , and 1 interception . 1997 season . Indianapolis fell to 3 - 13 in 1997 . Despite passing for 2 , 060 yards , 10 touchdowns , and 4 interceptions in 12 games and 189 - for - 309 passing , Harbaugh had a 2 - 9 record as starter . Harbaugh was sacked 41 times for a career - high 256 yards lost . Baltimore Ravens ( 1998 ) . On February 14 , 1998 , the Indianapolis Colts traded Harbaugh to the Baltimore Ravens ( the new team established in 1996 at the Colts ' former city Baltimore , Maryland ) for third - round and fourth - round draft picks in the 1998 NFL Draft . With that trade , Harbaugh reunited with his former Colts coach Ted Marchibroda . During the 1998 season with Baltimore , Harbaugh played in 14 games and started 12 , with a 5 - 7 record as starter in a 6 - 10 season for the Ravens . Harbaugh completed 164 of 293 passes for 1 , 839 yards , just his third season with fewer than 2 , 000 passing yards since 1989 . He had 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in passing , was sacked 23 times for 145 yards , and rushed 172 yards on 40 carries . The Ravens opened a new stadium for 1998 , Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards ( renamed M & T Bank Stadium in 2003 ) . Starting the game in Week 1 ( September 6 ) and completing 4 of 7 passes for 33 yards , Harbaugh left during the second quarter after injuring a finger , and with backup Eric Zeier in for Harbaugh , Baltimore lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 20 - 13 . Baltimore won its next game 24 - 10 over the New York Jets on September 13 ; Harbaugh started and made 5 of 10 passes for 36 yards but again left early and was replaced by Zeier due to injury . Coach Marchibroda again split quarterbacking duties in the following game on September 21 , a 24 - 10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars , with Harbaugh starting and Zeier taking over during the second quarter . With 4 of 9 passes completed for 59 yards , Harbaugh led a drive for a Matt Stover first quarter field goal . Harbaugh then sat out two games and played as Zeier ' s backup for Weeks 6 ( October 18 ) and 7 ( October 25 ) . Those two games had poor performances : Harbaugh completed none of six passes and had one 3 - yard rush in the Week 6 loss to Pittsburgh . Despite only 9 of 20 passes completed and two interceptions in the Week 7 28 - 10 loss to the Green Bay Packers , Harbaugh made his first passing touchdown as a Raven , a 46 - yard pass to Jermaine Lewis in the fourth quarter . In the next game on Week 8 ( November 1 ) , Harbaugh improved in his first full game , with 27 of 34 passes completed over 243 yards for 3 touchdowns and 1 interception and 57 rushing yards in 10 carries . In Week 9 ( November 8 ) , with Baltimore winning 13 - 10 over the Oakland Raiders , Harbaugh got his first win in a full game started despite passing for only 102 yards , no touchdowns , and an interception . In the final two drives of the game , Harbaugh made crucial first - down conversion passes of a 28 - yard pass to Jermaine Lewis and 10 - and 11 - yard passes to Michael Jackson . In Week 12 ( November 29 ) , a 38 - 31 win over the Indianapolis Colts , Harbaugh had his first interception - free full game , with 16 - for - 25 passing over 198 yards for 2 touchdowns . It was the Colts first trip back to Baltimore after the team left it for Indianapolis . In an emotional moment , Harbaugh presented Johnny Unitas with the game ball . Referee Ed Hochuli called a controversial unnecessary roughness penalty against Joe Bowden in Baltimore ' s 16 - 14 loss to the Tennessee Oilers for his hit on Harbaugh on a 2nd - and - 24 play with Tennessee leading 14 - 13 after his 9 - yard scramble towards the sideline , ruling that Harbaugh was in bounds when hit . On 3rd - and - 15in the next series , however , Harbaugh was sacked and Baltimore was forced to punt , so that the penalty didn ' t hurt the Oilers . Harbaugh completed 15 of 28 passes for 214 yards , 2 touchdowns , and 1 interception and rushed 22 yards over 5 carries . After a three - game losing streak , Harbaugh won the final game of the season ( and his final game with Baltimore ) on December 27 , 19 - 10 over the Detroit Lions with 17 of 26 passes completed for 141 yards and a touchdown . San Diego Chargers ( 1999 – 2000 ) . 1999 season . Harbaugh then played two years with the San Diego Chargers . In the 1999 season , Harbaugh started 12 games out of 14 played and had a 6 - 6 record as starter in an 8 - 8 season . Harbaugh completed 249 of 434 passes for 2 , 761 yards , 10 touchdowns , and 14 interceptions . He was sacked 37 times for a total loss of 208 yards and rushed for 126 yards over 34 carries . In his debut with San Diego in the September 19 season opener ( Week 2 ) , Harbaugh threw two touchdowns in 15 - for - 27 passing over 159 yards in a 34 - 7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals . However , San Diego lost the next game to Harbaugh ' s former team Indianapolis Colts 27 - 19 , as Harbaugh completed 15 of 37 passes for 188 yards . With very few seconds left and on the Colts ' 24 , Harbaugh threw an interception to Tyrone Poole . Harbaugh started the Week 4 ( October 3 ) game against the Kansas City Chiefs completing 6 of 9 passes for 38 yards and an interception before leaving due to a bruised right elbow ; he missed the Week 5 ( October 10 ) and Week 6 ( October 17 ) games because of that injury and two broken ribs . Harbaugh returned in Week 7 ( October 24 ) in a 31 - 3 loss to the Green Bay Packers as backup to starter Erik Kramer ; both quarterbacks threw 3 interceptions each . Harbaugh next started a game on Week 9 ( November 7 ) and completed 25 of 39 passes for 235 yards , 2 touchdowns , and 2 interceptions and rushed 14 yards in 2 carries in a 33 - 17 loss to defending champion Denver Broncos . The Chargers lost its sixth game in a row after a 4 - 1 start in Week 12 ( November 28 ) to the Minnesota Vikings 35 - 27 . Robert Griffith intercepted a Harbaugh pass at the Vikings ' 1 - yard line with 4 : 29 left , and Minnesota ran out the clock to seal the win . A 12 - 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins on December 19 ( Week 15 ) disqualified the Chargers from the postseason . Miami ' s defense sacked Harbaugh five times , and Rich Owens strip - sacked Harbaugh at San Diego ' s 20 - yard line . Harbaugh finished the game with 20 of 40 passes completed for 178 yards . With 17 seconds left , Chris Penn caught Harbaugh ' s attempt at a game - winning touchdown pass albeit slightly outside the back of the end zone . John Carney missed a game - tying 36 - yard field goal . After failing to make a passing touchdown for three games , Harbaugh made two passing touchdowns and just one interception on 23 - for - 36 passing over 325 yards in San Diego ' s 23 - 20 win over the Oakland Raiders on the home finale on December 26 ( Week 16 ) . 2000 season . Following an 8 - 8 season in 1999 , San Diego finished 1 - 15 in 2000 with a rotation of Ryan Leaf , Harbaugh , and Moses Moreno as starters . Playing in seven games and starting five , Harbaugh completed 123 of 202 passes for 1 , 416 yards , 8 touchdowns , and 10 interceptions , was sacked 14 times for 96 yards , and rushed 24 yards on 16 carries . Harbaugh played his first game in Week 4 ( September 24 ) , a 20 - 12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks . On 8 - for - 14 passing , Harbaugh passed for 67 yards and an interception . He became starter in Week 5 ( October 1 ) . In the 57 - 31 loss to defending champion St . Louis Rams , Harbaugh was 27 - for - 40 for 348 yards , 2 touchdowns , and 1 interception and was sacked 3 times for 15 yards . Starting the Week 6 ( October 8 ) game , a 21 - 7 loss the Denver Broncos , Harbaugh was 18 - for - 43 for 237 yards , 1 touchdown , and 3 interceptions . Two of Harbaugh ' s interceptions led to short Denver touchdowns , and Harbaugh threw his third interception on fourth - and - goal at Denver ' s 5 - yard line . In Week 7 ( October 15 ) , an overtime 27 - 24 loss to the Buffalo Bills , Harbaugh ' s second interception of the game , by Henry Jones , was in overtime and paved way for Steve Christie ' s game - winning field goal . Following the game , coach Mike Riley said he regretted rotating between Harbaugh and Moses Moreno in the first half , as Moreno lost two fumbles , one of which Buffalo returned for a touchdown . San Diego had an " ESPN Sunday Night Football " game in Week 9 ( October 29 ) following a bye week , lost to the Oakland Raiders 15 - 13 , and fell to 0 - 8 . San Diego took a 13 - 12 lead with 5 : 47 left after Harbaugh made a 21 - yard touchdown pass to Freddie Jones , but failed the two - point conversion attempt paving the way for the Raiders ' Sebastian Janikowski to kick the winning field goal with 13 seconds left . In the final play of the game , following a 47 - yard kickoff return by Ronney Jenkins , Marquez Pope intercepted Harbaugh ' s attempt at a 50 - yard Hail Mary pass that was intended for Trevor Gaylor in the end zone . In that game , Harbaugh completed 25 of 35 passes for 222 yards , 2 touchdowns , and 1 interception and was sacked 3 times for 27 yards . The following game on November 5 ( Week 10 ) , San Diego lost its ninth straight in a 15 - 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks . In the second quarter , Harbaugh lost two fumbles , both of which preceded 10 - yard Seattle passing touchdowns . Having completed 22 of 32 passes for 236 yards , 1 touchown , and 1 interception , he left the game after the third quarter due to groin and abdomen injuries . Harbaugh played what would be his final career game in Week 11 ( November 12 ) , a 17 - 7 loss to the Miami Dolphins . In the final drive of the game he filled in poorly for an injured Ryan Leaf , completing only 2 of 5 passes for 19 yards and throwing an interception . By that time , coach Riley had relegated Harbaugh to emergency duty due to injuries including a mild hernia . Riley had planned to start Harbaugh for the next game on Week 12 ( November 19 ) , but decided to start Leaf instead . Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers ( 2001 ) . Harbaugh signed with the Detroit Lions prior to the 2001 season , where he was expected to back up incumbent starter Charlie Batch . However , on the eve of the regular season , the Lions cut him and traded for Ty Detmer . He then closed out his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers in 2001 , where he dressed for 6 games but didn ' t play . The 2001 Panthers , like the Chargers the year before , finished with a 1 – 15 record . Legacy . For his NFL career , Harbaugh played in 177 league games with 140 starts . He completed 2 , 305 of 3 , 918 passes for 26 , 288 yards with 129 touchdowns . Particularly during his time with Indianapolis , such as when he led the Colts to come - from - behind wins over the Chiefs and Chargers in the 1995 – 96 NFL playoffs and a near upset over the No . 2 AFC seed Steelers , he earned the nickname " Captain Comeback " ( the second player to be so nicknamed after Roger Staubach ) for his ability to win games in the fourth quarter when his team was significantly behind . Harbaugh is 2nd in the Bears ' record book for completions with 1 , 023 . Jay Cutler holds the record with 1034 . In January 2005 , he was inducted into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor as one of the most successful and popular players in the club ' s Indianapolis era . Coaching career . Assistant coaching ( 1994 – 2003 ) . During his final eight seasons in the NFL ( 1994 – 2001 ) , Harbaugh was an NCAA - certified unpaid assistant coach under his father Jack Harbaugh at Western Kentucky University ( WKU ) . Serving as an offensive consultant , he 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 champion team . His father was a football coach for 18 years , including 14 years as head coach at WKU . Harbaugh was quarterback coach for the Oakland Raiders in the 2002 ( under head coach Jon Gruden ) and 2003 ( under Bill Callahan ) . During his tenure with the Raiders , Harbaugh coached starting quarterback Rich Gannon , who led the Raiders ' run to Super Bowl XXXVII and was selected to the 2003 Pro Bowl after the 2002 season . Other Raiders quarterbacks coached by Harbaugh include Rick Mirer , Tee Martin , Marques Tuiasosopo , and Rob Johnson . University of San Diego ( 2004 – 2006 ) . Prior to the 2004 season , Harbaugh was named head football coach at the University of San Diego . In his first year , he directed the Toreros to an overall mark of 7 – 4 , including 5 straight wins to end the season . The following year , the team improved to 11 – 1 and won the 2005 Pioneer Football League Championship . In 2006 , USD again went 11 – 1 winning their second consecutive Pioneer League title in the process . Stanford University ( 2007 – 2010 ) . Harbaugh was named the head football coach at Stanford University in December 2006 , replacing Walt Harris . Harbaugh ' s father , Jack , was Stanford ' s defensive coordinator from 1980 – 1981 , while Harbaugh attended Palo Alto High School , located directly across the street from Stanford Stadium . Harbaugh stirred some intra - conference controversy in March 2007 , when he was quoted as saying rival USC head coach " Pete Carroll ' s only got one more year , though . He ' ll be there one more year . That ' s what I ' ve heard . I heard it inside the staff . " Upon further questions , Harbaugh claimed he had heard it from staff at USC . The comment caused a rebuke from Carroll . ( In fact , Carroll would be at USC for three more years . ) At the Pacific - 10 Conference media day on July 26 , 2007 , Harbaugh praised the Trojans , stating " There is no question in my mind that USC is the best team in the country and may be the best team in the history of college football . " The declaration , especially in light of his earlier comment , garnered more media attention . Later in the season , Stanford defeated # 1 USC 24 – 23 with a touchdown in the final minute . With USC being the favorite by 41 points , it was statistically the greatest upset in college football history . Although Stanford lost to USC in 2008 , Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal upset USC at home again with a score of 55 – 21 on November 14 , 2009 . Stanford ' s 55 points was the most ever scored on USC in the Trojans ' history until Oregon scored 62 in a 62 - 51 win over USC on November 3 , 2012 . It was Pete Carroll ' s first November loss as USC head coach . Harbaugh has never lost in USC ' s home stadium , the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . In January 2009 , Harbaugh was confirmed to have been interviewed by the New York Jets for the head coach position , although the job was eventually offered to Rex Ryan . In 2009 , the Cardinal had a comeback season , finishing the regular season at 8 – 4 , finishing # 21 in the polls , and receiving an invitation to play in the 2009 Sun Bowl , the Cardinal ' s first bowl appearance since 2001 . Running back Toby Gerhart was named a Heisman Trophy finalist , finishing second to Mark Ingram in the closest margin of voting in Heisman history . On December 13 , 2009 , Harbaugh was rewarded with a three - year contract extension through the 2014 season . The 2010 season brought more success for Harbaugh and the Cardinal . The team went 11 – 1 in the regular season , with their only loss coming from Oregon , a team that was undefeated and earned a berth in the BCS National Championship Game . The first 11 win season in program history earned the Cardinal a # 4 BCS ranking and a BCS bowl invitation to the Orange Bowl . Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40 – 12 for the Cardinal ' s first bowl win since 1996 and the first BCS bowl victory in program history . Second year starting quarterback Andrew Luck was the runner - up to for the Heisman Trophy , the second year in a row that the runner - up was from Stanford . Harbaugh was named the winner of the Woody Hayes Coach of the Year Award . San Francisco 49ers ( 2011 – present ) . On January 7 , 2011 , four days after winning the Orange Bowl , Harbaugh agreed to a 5 - year , $ 25 million contract to become the next head coach for the San Francisco 49ers . He succeeded Jim Tomsula , who was interim head coach for only the last game of the preceding season after succeeding the fired Mike Singletary . Though the 49ers were expected to struggle in what was anticipated to be a rebuilding season , with a new scheme and many new players as well as shortened summer practices due to the lockout , Harbaugh led the team to a 13 – 3 record in the regular season , winning the NFC West division while finishing second overall in the NFC and bringing the team to the NFC Championship Game . This was the first time the 49ers had made the playoffs since the 2002 NFL season , generating widespread praise . On November 24 , Harbaugh played his brother John and the Baltimore Ravens , losing the Thanksgiving showdown 16 – 6 . John and Jim Harbaugh are the first pair of brothers to serve as NFL head coaches in the same season . Harbaugh ' s work in San Francisco had resulted in an extremely successful season , revitalizing the career of quarterback Alex Smith and with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio creating one of the leading defensive squads of the 2011 – 2012 season . The 49ers ' season ended with a 20 – 17 loss in overtime to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game . At the conclusion of the season , Harbaugh was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year . In the 2012 season , Harbaugh resolved a quarterback controversy by replacing incumbent starter Alex Smith with backup Colin Kaepernick . Smith was ranked third in the NFL in passer rating ( 104 . 1 ) , led the league in completion percentage ( 70 % ) , and had been 19 – 5 – 1 as a starter under Harbaugh , while Kaepernick was considered more dynamic with his scrambling ability and arm strength . Smith began 2012 with a 6 – 2 record as a starter before suffering a concussion in the following game . He missed the following game , and Kaepernick was 16 for 23 for 243 yards with two touchdowns in a 32 – 7 win over Chicago . Harbaugh was impressed with Kaepernick , and said " we have two quarterbacks that have a hot hand " while dismissing any rule that a player should not lose their starting job due to an injury . Smith was medically cleared to play the day before the next game , but Harbaugh chose not to rush him back and again started Kaepernick , who threw and ran for a touchdown in a 31 – 21 win over New Orleans . The following week , Harbaugh announced that Kaepernick would start for the 8 – 2 – 1 49ers , while also stating that the assignment was week - to - week and not necessarily permanent . However , Kaepernick remained the starter as the 49ers again qualified for the playoffs . Harbaugh led the team to a 11 - 4 - 1 record in the regular season , winning back to back NFC West titles . Harbaugh ' s quarterback decision was on display in the first game of the playoffs . The 49ers won 45 – 31 over the Green Bay Packers , as Kaepernick had 444 yards of total offense ( 263 passing , 181 rushing ) and four touchdowns . Kaepernick set the record for rushing yards by a quarterback in any NFL game with his 181 - yard outburst against Green Bay . On January 20 at the NFC Championship Game , Harbaugh led the 49ers to a 28 - 24 win over the Atlanta Falcons , which sent the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII , and on February 3 , Harbaugh faced his older brother , John Harbaugh and the Ravens in the Super Bowl . It was the first time two head coaching brothers met against each other in the Super Bowl , John Harbaugh and the Ravens won this game with a score of 34 - 31 . Personal life . Harbaugh comes from a coaching family , and is the son of college football coach Jack Harbaugh . Harbaugh has six children . From his first marriage to Miah Harbaugh ( m . 1996 – 2006 ) , he has sons Jay ( a graduate of Oregon State University and is an intern for the Baltimore Ravens with his uncle John Harbaugh ) , and James , and daughter Grace . From his second marriage to Sarah Feuerborn Harbaugh ( m . 2008 ) , he has two daughters , Addison and Katherine , as well as a new baby son , Jack ( named after his grandfather ) . His brother John is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens . His sister Joani is married to Tom Crean , head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men ' s basketball team . He has been very active in community service ventures . He has been actively involved with the Harbaugh Hill Foundation , the Riley Hospital , Western Kentucky University , the Jim Harbaugh Foundation , the Uhlich ' s Children ' s Home and the Children ' s Miracle Network . In 1996 , Harbaugh made an appearance on the popular TV show " Saved by the Bell " , playing the cousin of Screech , the character played by actor Dustin Diamond . Harbaugh is co - owner of Panther Racing in the IndyCar Series . The main car for the team carries Harbaugh ' s old jersey number , 4 . When the team won the 2001 and 2002 IRL championship , the team , which had the option of going to # 1 , chose instead to keep the # 4 for its association with Harbaugh ' s career . On November 15 , 2012 , Harbaugh had a cardioversion procedure to correct an abnormal heartbeat .