Jim Harbaugh sings Michigan fight song after selecting Junior Colson in NFL Draft
Former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is fresh off leading the Wolverines to a national championship and an unblemished 15-0 record. Even though he decided to pack his bags and become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers this offseason, his passion for the Wolverines will never leave him.
Shortly after he picked former Michigan linebacker Junior Colson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Harbaugh sang the school fight song, “Hail to the Victors!”
Jim Harbaugh isn’t leaving any room for questions as to why he’s making the jump back to the NFL. He wants to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, the one thing he hasn’t done in his coaching career.
For Harbaugh, that meant leaving his alma mater Michigan after leading them to its first national championship since 1997. Now head coach of the Chargers, Harbaugh will get to work immediately in instilling a winning culture in Los Angeles, the same as he did with the San Francisco 49ers over a decade ago.
Asked on FS1‘s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” if he had any doubts about taking on that challenge, Harbaugh answered with an emphatic no.
“No, I mean it’s — to me it’s, you know, Faith, Family, Football, the challenge,” Harbaugh said. “Take another crack at, you know, winning the Lombardi, being known as simply world champions. And then the family. I mean, I was — the Spanos family, it’s all about that. You know, coached some of the nephews and, you know, go back with John Spanos many years and Dean Spanos, I played for the played for the Chargers. I’m a Midwest guy, but then half of me is a California guy as well.
“Graduated high school from Pally High in Palo Alto, California. My first coaching job was with the Raiders when they were in Oakland, then I went to USD, that was my first head coaching job, then Stanford and the 49ers. My only coaching job outside is Michigan and you know, now back here. There’s definitely an emotional connection not only to the team but to the state. As Ronald Reagan said and let me see if I can get this one, right if I remember, you know, California isn’t a place. It’s a way of life.”
Jim Harbaugh has high expectations for Justin Herbert
Chances are, if Harbaugh and the Chargers accomplish their goal of winning a Super Bowl championship together, quarterback Justin Herbert will have a lot to do with it. In just four seasons, Herbert has built up quite the resume, becoming the fastest quarterback to record 1,500 completions. He also set the record for most passing yards through his first four seasons, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. He now sits at 17,223 yards to go along with 114 touchdowns.
On3’s Nick Geddes also contributed to this article.