Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh as head coach
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The Los Angeles Chargers have their new head coach.
Jim Harbaugh, fresh off a national championship season at Michigan, has agreed to terms with L.A., the team confirmed Wednesday afternoon hours after ESPN reported the hire.
Harbaugh replaces Brandon Staley who was fired last month.
“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can think of no one better to lead the Chargers forward,” Chargers 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 … Who has it better than us?”
Harbaugh previously coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, leading the squad to a Super Bowl appearance in 2013.
He then returned to his alma mater Michigan, where he took the Wolverines to an undefeated season in 2023 and their first title since 1997.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Indianapolis. Michigan won 26-0. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) FILE – Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, front left, watches against Rutgers as analytics assistant Connor Stalions, right, looks on during an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 23, 2023. A Michigan judge who champions peacemaking principles in court will preside over a hearing on Friday that will determine whether Jim Harbaugh can coach and close the regular season on the field with the third-ranked Wolverines. Attorneys for Harbaugh and the university are asking Judge Timothy P. Connors to at least temporarily lift the Big Ten’s penalty against him for a sign-stealing scheme. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, FILE) Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, left, talks to quarterback J.J. McCarthy before an NCAA college football game against Michigan State, Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis) Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh smiles after defeating Purdue in the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game, early Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, in Indianapolis. Michigan won, 43-22. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
As a quarterback in the NFL, Harbaugh suited up for six teams, including the San Diego Chargers in 1999 and 2000, a year before he retired.
“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 the team’s statement. “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.”
Before agreeing to terms with Los Angeles, Harbaugh had flirted with returning to the NFL before, including with the Minnesota Vikings two years ago and the Denver Broncos last season. He was also rumored to be in discussions with the Atlanta Falcons.
Harbaugh’s brother, John Harbaugh, coaches the Baltimore Ravens, who defeated Jim’s 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.
John Harbaugh has a chance at another Super Bowl this season, with his squad facing the Kansas City Chiefs for the AFC championship on Sunday.
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