Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh will always attract attention, and that means NFL attention will follow with each end-of-season coaching cycle.
Just don’t expect Harbaugh to leave that post at Michigan for the NFL. New York Times bestselling author John U. Bacon explored that notion in the 57-page afterword of “Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football.”
Why will Harbaugh — who has guided Michigan to a 6-0 start and the No. 3 spot in the AP Poll — continue to attract that NFL attention?
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“I think there are two reasons,” Bacon told Sporting News. “One, if he’s not the best coach in America, he might be the hottest coach in America in terms of the attention he gets, the acclaim he receives and even the criticism that comes. Two, he’s already been successful at the NFL level.”
The afterword includes two-hour interviews with Jim and Sarah Harbaugh, among others, and sheds some light on Harbaugh’s future. There will be rumors that are sure to come from the NFL ranks, but don’t expect Harbaugh to leave Michigan. Bacon said Harbaugh didn’t wait to hear potential offers from the Jets or Raiders when he decided to take the Michigan job in the first place.
It's always a possibility, but in this case, it seems unlikely that Harbaugh would go anywhere.
“To those of us who prefer the college game to the NFL it’s not surprising,” Bacon said. “And if you know Jim Harbaugh, it’s less surprising.”
Here’s an excerpt from “Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football.” The paperback copy with the afterword is now available:
“The Harbaughs' kids go to Jim's former elementary school. His parents recently moved to the same street, when they could just as easily have relocated near John in Baltimore, or Joanie in Bloomington, Indiana, or stayed in Wisconsin.These decisions are not accidents.
Shifting to football, Sarah said, "Stanford has good fans, the 49ers have great fans, but Michigan football is a way of life here. They've been doing it for years, and they get it from their grandfathers, and their great-grandfathers. They have these memories that stretch back generations. It's great, but to be honest, it makes me sad that I don't have that past with it.'
"Our kids will," Jim said.
Sarah turned serious for a moment, relating how some friends of hers actually hated playing college basketball, because it was such a grind. She then asked her husband, "Did you actually enjoy playing football here?"
"I didn't like playing football here," he said.
"Okay," Sarah replied, sympathetically.
"I loved playing football here!"
Just as the players Harbaugh recruits have their choice of teams, Harbaugh could coach damn near anywhere he wants. He chose to return to Michigan, though the process wasn't easy or obvious, for the most compelling reason of all: it makes him happy.”
