Tag: Jim Harbaugh

On Jim Harbaugh

IS JIM HARBAUGH LEAVING?

The obvious answer is I don’t know.

SHOULD JIM HARBAUGH LEAVE?

Jim Harbaugh came to Michigan to right the ship and return the program to national prominence. Rich Rodriguez went 15-22 at Michigan. Brady Hoke went 31-20, which isn’t terrible overall, but things were going downhill. But that’s a 46-42 record over seven years. Jim Harbaugh is 61-24 with a Big Ten championship and a College Football Playoff appearance. Has he won a national championship? No. But that’s the only feat he hasn’t accomplished, other than some personal goals he might have (winning 100 games, becoming the winningest coach in Michigan history, etc.). Ultimately, seven years is a pretty long tenure for any coach by modern standards, and especially if you consider he was at both Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers for four years each.

Harbaugh’s career is essentially the envy of any coach ever. He’s won in the NFL and gone to the Super Bowl. He’s won in college and coached a team to the playoffs. He’s taken broken and abused programs and turned them into perennial double-digit winning programs.

But if you want to win at the highest level, that’s the NFL.

Hit the jump for more.

Michigan’s National and Big Ten Award Winners

I thought about putting together a post for each of the national awards that Michigan players have won, but that would be a bunch of different posts and a lot to keep udpated. Instead, I’ve decided to compile a bunch of national awards into one post while listing the Michigan winners and their season.

NOTE: If there are any awards you think I should add, please let me know.

NATIONAL AWARDS

HEISMAN TROPHY

• 1940: HB Tom Harmon
• 1991: WR Desmond Howard
• 1997: CB Charles Woodson

AP NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR

• 2021: Jim Harbaugh

BROYLES AWARD (Best Assistant Coach)

• 1997: DC Jim Herrmann
• 2021: OC Josh Gattis

LOU GROZA AWARD (Best Kicker)

• 2021: Jake Moody

TED HENDRICKS AWARD (Best Defensive End)

• 2006: LaMarr Woodley
• 2021: Aidan Hutchinson

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Big Ten Championship: Michigan 42, Iowa 3

BIG TEN CHAMPS!!! A lot of people doubted this Michigan team – including yours truly – but they’re right where almost everyone wishes they could be. They beat the brakes off Ohio State and then the Big Ten West opponent, and now they’re headed to the playoffs. I thought they would be 8-4, so I certainly didn’t think they would be 12-1 and in this spot, but I also never lost faith in Jim Harbaugh’s ability to coach. That 2-4 season in 2020 made a lot of people forget that this guy turned around two other college programs, returned the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and made a 5-7 team into a 10-3 team immediately upon arriving in Michigan. He now averages 9.8 wins per season at Michigan if you give him a full year.

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Michigan 42, Ohio State 27

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Holy Mary, Mother of God. I don’t think I have been that anxious about a Michigan victory since the Wolverines beat Washington State following the 1997 season. I predicted an Ohio State win (shame on me), but I thought Michigan had a chance. What I did not expect is, well, an ass-whooping. When I say an ass-whooping, I don’t mean on the scoreboard or really physically (although there was some of that). I just mean it was like Michigan did whatever they wanted to do the whole game. Run the ball? Yes. Trick plays? Yes. Get after the QB? Yes. Stop the run? Yes. Prevent big plays? Yes. This wasn’t a fluke victory whatsoever. Michigan looked like the better team from start to finish.

Michigan 21, Penn State 17

That was a win. It wasn’t always pretty – especially on offense – but a win in Happy Valley is always nice. It’s not an easy place to play, and the Nittany Lions are usually pretty good, so you take an ugly win if you can get it. I decided to watch the game sans social media and just enjoy the back-and-forth, because I knew there would be a ton of griping. And nobody’s allowed to gripe but me. So I grumbled at times to myself, but for the most part, I thought Michigan played pretty well.

Hit the jump for more.