Over the past three decades, John Harbaugh has become synonymous with the Baltimore Ravens franchise.
Harbaugh, who has been in the coaching ranks for over 40 years, has spent nearly half of his coaching career on the sideline in Baltimore. The 2024 season marks Harbaugh's 17th leading the Ravens and is the second-longest tenured NFL head coach behind Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin.
Despite a brief history, the Ravens are one of the NFL's most successful franchises, and Harbaugh has led the franchise for over half of its existence. As he looks to lead Baltimore to the third Super Bowl in franchise history, look back at how Harbaugh got to this point.
Here's everything to know about Harbaugh's history as head coach of the Ravens.
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John Harbaugh teams coached
Interestingly, Harbaugh's post with the Ravens is the only head coaching job of his 40-year coaching career.
Harbaugh worked his way up the ranks and the Ravens are one of just two NFL franchises he has worked for.
- Baltimore Ravens (2008-Present)
In January 2008, Harbaugh succeeded Brian Billick. Harbaugh is one of three head coaches in Ravens franchise history and one of the winningest coaches in the NFL.
Longest-tenured NFL head coaches
| Rank | Coach | Team | Hired |
| 1. | Mike Tomlin | Pittsburgh Steelers | 2007 |
| 2. | John Harbaugh | Baltimore Ravens | 2008 |
| 3. | Andy Reid | Kansas City Chiefs | 2013 |
| 4. | Sean McDermott | Buffalo Bills | 2017 |
| Sean McVay | Los Angeles Rams | 2017 | |
| Kyle Shanahan | San Francisco 49ers | 2017 |
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Who coached the Ravens before John Harbaugh?
Brian Billick coached the Ravens before John Harbaugh.
In 1999, Baltimore hired Billick as the second head coach in franchise history. Billick posted an 85-67 record over nine seasons as the Ravens head coach, leading the franchise to a victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl 35.
Billick was fired after leading Baltimore to a 5-11 record in 2007. He was inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor during the 2019 season. Billick, 70, is now an offensive analyst and advisor to the head coach at Arizona State University.
John Harbaugh coaching timeline
Harbaugh began coaching in 1984 after a four-year playing career at Miami of Ohio.
Over the next 14 years, Harbaugh was a position coach and coordinator at Western Michigan, Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati, and Indiana before taking his first NFL job as a coordinator for the Eagles.
After 10 seasons with the Eagles, Harbaugh got his first shot as a head coach, landing the Ravens job at 46.
| Year(s) | Team | Position(s) |
| 1984-87 | Western Michigan | Running backs/outside linebackers |
| 1987 | Pittsburgh | Tight ends |
| 1988 | Morehead State | Special teams coach/secondary coach |
| 1989-1996 | Cincinnati | Special teams coordinator |
| 1997 | Indiana | Special teams coordinator/defensive backs |
| 1998-2006 | Philadelphia Eagles | Special teams coordinator |
| 2007 | Philadelphia Eagles | Defensive backs coach |
| 2008-Present | Baltimore Ravens | Head coach |
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John Harbaugh coaching record
Harbaugh has a coaching record of 161-101 in the regular season and 12-10 in the playoffs. He has led Baltimore to 11 playoff appearances, five AFC North titles, and a Super Bowl victory in the 2012 season.
In Harbaugh's first 15 seasons, Baltimore has only posted losing records in 2021 (8-9) and 2015 (5-11). He is among the top-20 winningest coaches in NFL history.
| Season | Record | Postseason Record | Finish |
| 2008 | 11-5 | 2-1 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2009 | 9-7 | 1-1 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2010 | 12-4 | 1-1 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2011 | 12-4 | 1-1 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2012 | 10-6 | 4-0 | Won Super Bowl 47 |
| 2013 | 8-8 | — | Missed Playoffs |
| 2014 | 10-6 | 1-1 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2015 | 5-11 | — | Missed Playoffs |
| 2016 | 8-8 | — | Missed Playoffs |
| 2017 | 9-7 | — | Missed Playoffs |
| 2018 | 10-6 | 0-1 | Lost in Wild Card Game |
| 2019 | 14-2 | 0-1 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2020 | 11-5 | 1-1 | Lost in Divisional Round |
| 2021 | 8-9 | — | Missed Playoffs |
| 2022 | 10-7 | 0-1 | Lost in Wild Card Game |
| 2023 | 13-4 | 1-1 | Lost in AFC Championship |
| 2024 | 1-2 | — | — |
| Career | 161-101 | 12-10 |
