Jim Harbaugh Explains Curious Decision to Add His 84-Year-Old Father to Coaching Staff

Jack Harbaugh has an extensive coaching history that dates back to the early 1960s, including tenures as head coach at Western Michigan (1982 to ’86) and Western Kentucky (’89 to 2002). His last coaching job came in ’09, when he worked under son Jim Harbaugh as the running backs coach at Stanford.

Now, for the first time in 14 years, the 84-year-old Harbaugh will return to coaching, filling a gap on Michigan’s staff as assistant head coach while his son serves a three-game suspension to start the year.

While some college football fans have had a lot of fun with that news, Harbaugh thinks it’s a totally reasonable move. He explained himself on Tuesday during a press conference.

“He watches every play, every practice. He’s one of the coaches in the building, probably the most, that I go to,” Harbaugh said. “It’s my dad. That’s my best friend. I do what he tells me to do, when he tells me to do it, how he tells me to do it, and things just keep on working out well for me, so I’m just going to keep rolling with that.”

Jack Harbaugh, who captured a Division I-AA (now FCS) national title at Western Kentucky in ’02, posted a 116-95-3 record as a college head coach. He stepped down from leading that program after the national championship, joining Jim’s staff at the University of San Diego as running backs coach from ’04 to ’06. He later served one year on Jim’s staff at Stanford but has not coached since. Even so, the younger Harbaugh clearly believes his father is the obvious choice to serve as assistant head coach in his absence.

Jim Harbaugh originally was set to serve a four-game suspension to start Michigan’s season through negotiation with the NCAA after the organization handed down a Level I violation for non-cooperation with NCAA enforcement, but the deal was not accepted by the NCAA Committee on Infractions. Instead, Harbaugh will serve a self-imposed three-game ban, missing games against East Carolina, UNLV and Bowling Green.

"I do what he tells me to do, when he tells me to do it, how he tells me to do it, and things just keep working out well for me."

Jim Harbaugh shares why he picked his father, Jack, as assistant head coach. pic.twitter.com/4JbLc0hPkb

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) August 29, 2023

The original violations committed by Harbaugh included impermissible Zoom calls with recruits during the COVID-19 pandemic and paying for recruits’ food at an Ann Arbor burger restaurant.

Along with adding his father to the coaching staff, Harbaugh has taken an interesting approach to the interim head coach position for the three games that he will miss. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will fill the role against ECU on Saturday. Special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, Jim’s son, will handle the first half against UNLV on Sept. 9, while running backs coach Mike Hart will fill the role in the second half. Finally, offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore will serve as head coach against Bowling Green on Sept. 16.