The Jim Harbaugh era has officially begun. The former 49ers coach and Michigan alum was introduced Tuesday as the football coach at his alma mater.
After trying to lure Michigan alum Les Miles away from LSU in 2007 and 2010, the Wolverines finally landed their "Michigan Man" in Harbaugh to lead the program.
It's official. #WelcomeHomeCoach pic.twitter.com/zgVKI5L7df
— Michigan Football (@umichfootball) December 30, 2014
The introduction got off to a rough start. Harbaugh tripped on his way into the press conference.
"Anybody see me trip in the way in? A lesser athlete would've gone down," Harbaugh joked in a hoarse voice. He blamed Sunday's Gatorade bath for his vocal problems. "I've lost my vocal cords a little bit."
He then went on to explain how happy he is to be back in Ann Arbor.
"I have dreamed about that since I was a young lad, 9, 10 years old ... dreamed about coaching Michigan. Now it's time to live that," Harbaugh said.
Harbaugh replaces Brady Hoke, who was fired Dec. 2 after four seasons. The 51-year-old Harbaugh is a former Michigan quarterback who led the Wolverines to a win in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl and took Michigan to the Rose Bowl a season later. He was the Big Ten player of the year that season and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting. The Michigan faithful are hoping he can find similar success as a coach.
"Jim was surely a candidate for any of the pro jobs that opened yesterday, and yet he chose to come home," said Michigan Athletic Director Jim Hackett before making the official announcement.
The school tabbed Harbaugh as its top choice soon after dismissing Hoke. Harbaugh parted ways with the Niners immediately after Sunday's season-ending 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers finished 8-8 in Harbaugh's final season, a disappointing record on the heels of three consecutive playoff years. San Francisco reached the NFC championship game in 2011 and 2013 and finished the 2012 season in the Super Bowl.
His NFL coaching job came after seven successful seasons as a college head coach. After leading the University of San Diego to a 29-6 record and a pair of Pioneer League titles, he was hired at Stanford. Harbaugh graduated from Palo Alto High School and his return to the city started rocky with 4-8 and 5-7 seasons, but the Cardinal went 8-5 in 2009. The improvement continued in 2010 when Stanford capped a 12-1 season with a victory in the Orange Bowl.
Hackett said Harbaugh got a seven-year contract and will initially make the same salary he had in San Francisco, $5 million annually, with "deferred compensation" set to come his way following the 2015 season. But money didn't seem to be foremost in Harbaugh's mind Tuesday.
"Top to bottom Michigan is about excellence, greatness," he said. "You have my pledge I will carry forward the excellence of Michigan."