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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Workers Author
It was not what John Harbaugh had envisioned as the head of his sport. Rising up, he watched Tremendous Bowl-winning coaches being carried off the sector by their gamers or drenched in Gatorade showers.
However when the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to seize Tremendous Bowl XLVII in 2013, John was stunned to search out himself alone on the sector. Then it dawned on him. He knew what he needed to do.
After the one Tremendous Bowl that includes siblings as head coaches, John discovered his youthful brother Jim and shook his hand. Then, he began to lean in for an embrace, however Jim put an outstretched forearm into John’s chest.
“There shall be no hug,” he advised John.
On Monday, John and Jim will meet once more as opposing coaches for the primary time since that historic and emotionally taxing matchup over 11 years in the past. John will take his Ravens (7-4) throughout the nation to face Jim’s Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) at SoFi Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
The sensation amongst relations is this may not be Har-Bowl, Half 2. The stakes aren’t practically as excessive this time round. John and Jim’s groups are battling for AFC playoff seeding, not soccer’s largest prize — the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
However for brothers who competed within the yard and on the largest stage in soccer, bragging rights will at all times be on the road. When folks level out John is 2-0 in opposition to Jim, John makes a correction: He is 3-0. John beat Jim in a preseason recreation between the Ravens and 49ers in 2014.
John just lately recited what he heard Jim say throughout the week main as much as their Tremendous Bowl.
“‘When that recreation begins, my brothers are going to be the blokes on the sideline with me,'” John mentioned. “That’s the approach it really works. Once you get on that sideline, you stake out your territory on a soccer recreation and also you’re with your loved ones over there.”
The Harbaughs are the one brothers to face one another as head coaches within the NFL’s 105-year historical past and within the championship recreation of a significant American sport. The primary assembly occurred on Thanksgiving in 2011, when the Ravens beat the 49ers 16-6. The following got here within the Tremendous Bowl a season later, which was one other triumph for John — however that is hardly ever spoken about between the brothers.
John did not hear Jim communicate positively about that recreation till three years in the past. Jim had pushed along with his son Jack in an RV from Michigan to John’s home in Maryland. They went into John’s leisure barn, which has an image from the Tremendous Bowl hanging inside.
“We do not actually speak about that, will we, Dad?” mentioned Jack, now 12 years previous.
Jim replied, “It is okay to speak about that. That was a fantastic day for Uncle John. We’re joyful to rejoice that.”
Others are not sure whether or not Jim has absolutely come to phrases with that loss.
“I believe he is nonetheless engaged on it,” mentioned their father, Jack.
JOHN AND JIM’S father has change into the topic of probably the most debated Tremendous Bowl story within the household.
In response to Jim, he could not sleep after dropping the Tremendous Bowl and began channel browsing when he noticed his father on TV celebrating on the Ravens’ victory social gathering. Jim mentioned Jack was doing the twist whereas smoking a cigar.
“That is not true,” John mentioned.
Jim shot again, “I do not lie.”
Jack pushed again as properly, saying, “I’ve by no means had a cigar in my mouth.”
Tremendous Bowl XLVII is remembered as Corridor of Fame center linebacker Ray Lewis’ ultimate recreation and for an influence outage that brought on a 34-minute blackout on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. However for Jim it is the pivotal non-call within the ultimate minutes that has caught with him.
With San Francisco trailing by three factors, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s fourth-down move from the 5-yard line sailed over vast receiver Michael Crabtree’s head ultimately zone. Officers decided that Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith’s contact with Crabtree was incidental, however Jim insisted a holding penalty ought to have been referred to as.
Jim did not communicate to John for 5 days after the Tremendous Bowl. John was on a practice to New York, heading there to look on the “Late Present with David Letterman,” when he lastly bought a name from Jim. To this present day, John believes Jim referred to as him out of worry that his older brother would inform a nationwide viewers that he hadn’t heard from him.
John recollects it being a fantastic dialog till Jim introduced up the officiating.
“It was sort of left at that over time,” John mentioned.
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John is in his seventeenth season teaching the Ravens, making him the second-longest tenured coach within the league, behind solely Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Jim spent 4 seasons with the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 earlier than leaving to teach at Michigan for 9 years.
Each normally ship recreation movie to their father, a longtime school coach who received the Division I-AA title at Western Kentucky in 2002. Jack watches the tape and calls his sons along with his ideas.
These calls with Jack have been completely different since January, when Jim left Michigan after profitable the nationwide championship and returned to the NFL. There’s an understanding that you may’t inform any crew secrets and techniques to Jack, particularly this previous week.
“It is each of them,” Jack mentioned. “They are saying, ‘I wish to inform you this, but when there’s any thought that you’d share it with the opposite one, I am not going to do it.'”
JACKIE, THEIR MOTHER, says, “They’re nearly like twins.”
Born 15 months aside, John and Jim mirror one another, from soccer philosophy to wardrobe to personnel and training staffs.
Each wish to play a bodily model of soccer by establishing the run, usually put on ball caps and khakis on the apply area and love parroting the mantras their father shared along with his gamers. In his first information convention, Jim advised reporters, “We’ll be a tricky crew, a resilient crew, a relentless crew, a bodily crew; that is what we will aspire to be. Do not let the powder blues idiot you.” In postgame speeches, John has shouted to his gamers, “Who’s bought it higher than us?”
The similarities prolong to the locker room. Jim is teaching seven of John’s former gamers — working backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, heart Sam Mustipher, security Tony Jefferson, cornerback Shaun Wade, tight finish Hayden Hurst and heart Bradley Bozeman — all of whom joined the Chargers after Jim turned coach in January. John’s backup quarterback is Josh Johnson, who was coached by Jim on the College of San Diego.
Even the teaching staffs are intertwined. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman served as John’s offensive coordinator for the Ravens (2019-22) after he was the 49ers’ OC throughout Jim’s 4 seasons. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter acquired his first NFL job beneath John, serving as a Ravens defensive assistant (2017-20). Three different Chargers coaches — Andy Bischoff (tight ends), Mike Devlin (offensive line) and Marc Trestman (senior offensive assistant) — beforehand labored beneath John. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz additionally spent 26 years within the Ravens’ entrance workplace, the place he helped construct the Tremendous Bowl-winning crew that beat Jim.
When the Ravens wanted a defensive backs coach this offseason, John employed Doug Mallory, a school teammate of Jim’s who spent the previous three seasons as a defensive analyst at Michigan. Mallory remembers being in a coaches assembly with the Atlanta Falcons 5 years in the past and being requested who was probably the most aggressive particular person he knew. Mallory mentioned Jim on the time, however he would most likely embody each Harbaugh brothers after working with John this 12 months.
“They do not wish to lose,” Mallory mentioned. “They will do every little thing they’ll to win.”
Throughout this 12 months’s coaching camp, a video of a 60-year-old Jim taking part in reverse sled pulls went viral.
ur coach may by no means pic.twitter.com/cXolRbnX9l
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 26, 2024
To not be outdone, two weeks later, the 62-year-old John joined a fumble restoration drill that concerned a participant leaping on the ball whereas others douse him with water hoses. John injured a shoulder.
Final one greatest one 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/cUdc9gI77d
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 6, 2024
“They’re very passionate in regards to the recreation of soccer,” Josh Johnson mentioned. “It is the atmosphere that they create. The winners are the employees. They will work you in a approach the place your crew goes to be able to compete and may will your technique to victory.”
LONG BEFORE THEY competed in billion-dollar NFL stadiums, they tried to greatest one another of their yard. John and Jim performed a childhood recreation of “rooster,” firing a soccer at one another from more and more shut vary till considered one of them dropped it or give up.
There have been additionally one-on-one battles within the driveway. Armed with tennis balls and hockey sticks, John and Jim took turns aiming at a purpose fabricated from rooster wire, although most of the pictures ending up hitting the home windows of their one-car storage.
“We did not have any pads or something, and we’d go for hours and simply tabulate who may rating extra in opposition to the opposite man,” John mentioned. “Knocked out each window finally. I believe Mother put cardboard on all these home windows.”
Jim was the larger and stronger athlete. He starred as quarterback at Michigan and have become a starter for the Bears, Colts, Ravens and Chargers. John was a partial-scholarship defensive again at Miami (Ohio).
“Jim was one of the crucial underrated quarterbacks within the historical past of the Nationwide Soccer League,” John mentioned. “And I’ve mentioned this many occasions.”
The Harbaughs have at all times had one another’s backs. When John was a junior cornerback at Pioneer Excessive in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jim was a freshman who watched from the stands, too younger to play on varsity.
There was a recreation when John was dominating, pulling down a few passes on out patterns. Jim sensed the opposing crew was establishing John for a double transfer, and their father urged Jim to go inform his brother. After working down the steps, Jim yelled from the fence: “Out-and-up! Out-and-up!”
When the opposite crew tried the double transfer, John was throughout it. “I am glad we bought to him,” Jim mentioned.
Ultimately, Jim made varsity, and when he threw a move to John (who additionally performed receiver in highschool), the announcer declared, “Harbaugh to Harbaugh.”
“That was a kind of moments that stick with me for a very long time,” Jackie mentioned.
The one time they performed on opposing groups rising up was in baseball, as youngsters. John bought recruited to play for a higher-level journey crew, and Jim performed for a crew that was coached by their father.
After they confronted one another, John’s crew got here out on high 1-0.
“So I received that one, too,” John mentioned with a smile.
WHEN THE LEAGUE introduced its 2024 schedule in Could, Jackie could not imagine the date for the Ravens-Chargers recreation. It is Nov. 25, Jackie and Jack’s 63rd wedding ceremony anniversary.
“What the heck is the NFL attempting to do right here?” Jackie remembers asking.
Jack and Jackie do not watch video games collectively anymore. Jack sits in entrance of the upstairs TV, whereas Jackie watches the downstairs one.
Jackie must be on her ft when the sport is on, calling performs out and criticizing the officers. Jack is the quieter one — who has one criticism after they’re in the identical room.
“Generally she will get within the line of imaginative and prescient the place I can not see,” Jack mentioned.
Upon listening to this, Jackie cried out, “For God’s sake.”
When the Ravens and Chargers play in Los Angeles, Jack and Jackie shall be in Florida with their daughter, Joani Crean, and her household. (Crean is married to former Indiana and Georgia males’s basketball coach Tom Crean, at present a TV analyst for ESPN.) The plan is for everybody to look at the sport collectively — in the identical room.
Requested how her father and mom will deal with this newest recreation between John and Jim, Joani recollects the Tremendous Bowl when the household was in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s field.
“It was the quietest any of us have ever been watching a recreation,” she mentioned. “So I believe I am anticipating that … perhaps.”
For the primary time since that Tremendous Bowl, soccer’s biggest sibling rivalry shall be rekindled. However these closest to John and Jim do not anticipate the identical stage of drama.
“I assume all people’s extra weathered to it,” Joani mentioned. “It is not one thing you circle in your calendar.”
Earlier this 12 months, John advised Jack that Monday night time’s recreation must be simpler on everybody as a result of it isn’t the Tremendous Bowl. This time, no matter occurs, John and Jim nonetheless have an opportunity to guide their groups to the postseason and an NFL title.
“So, when he mentioned that, it made sense,” Jack mentioned. “I sort of shook my head and I mentioned, ‘There’s most likely numerous fact to that.'”
Kris Rhim contributed to this story.
