Expect Jim Harbaugh to stick with college football.
After an open dalliance with the Minnesota Vikings that would return him to the NFL ranks, the Michigan coach says he will no longer chase NFL coaching gigs.
Harbaugh, who returned to his alma mater after four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, always wanted to achieve what he believes is the biggest accomplishment in football: a Super Bowl win. That dream was inflamed after San Francisco’s 2012 season, when Harbaugh’s squad brother John’s team in Super Bowl 47.
“There was a tugging at me that I was once that close to a Super Bowl and I didn’t get it,” Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press. “Some NFL jobs came open. I was contacted by the Vikings. For better or for worse, it was something I wanted to explore. I went in thinking, ‘I’m gonna have 100 percent conviction on this, and if they [Minnesota] have 100 percent conviction on this, then it’s something I’m gonna do.”
It is unclear if the Vikings offered the head coaching job to Harbaugh — the vacancy is expected to be filled by Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell — though he informed Michigan he was there to stay.
Jim Harbaugh plans to stay at his alma mater for good. AP“I called Warde [Manuel, the Michigan athletic director] and I asked him if he wanted me to be the head coach,” he said. And he said, ‘Yes, 100 percent.’ And I said, ‘OK then. That’s what I want to do.’ And I told him, ‘Warde, this will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one-time thing.”
Now, Harbaugh has refocused his Super Bowl dream to the college football national championship. This season, the Wolverines had an impressive showing, falling to eventual national champion Georgia in the semifinals.
Harbaugh’s last Super Bowl run was in the 2012 season when he competed against his brother, John. AP“Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport,” he said. “But winning a national championship, that’s pretty darn great. Let’s do that. There was a pull to the NFL because I got that close to the Super Bowl, but this was the time [to try and return.] And this is the last time. Now let’s go chase college football’s greatest prize.”
