Jim Harbaugh returned to the NFL as the Los Angeles Chargers’ new head coach. 2024

Jim Harbaugh is returning to the NFL, this time as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we got him,” the Chargers wrote on X on Wednesday.

The news follows an extremely successful season in which Harbaugh guided the University of Michigan to its first national title since 1997, as well as a nine-year tenure as head coach of the Wolverines.

“Jim Harbaugh is football personified, and I can’t think of anyone better to lead the Chargers forward,” Chargers owner and chairman Dean Spanos said in a statement.

“The son of a coach, brother of a coach, and father of a coach who himself was coached by names like Glenn Edward “Bo”) Schembechler and Mike Ditka, for the past two decades Jim has guided hundreds of men to success everywhere he’s gone—as their coach,” the statement continued. “And today, Jim Harbaugh returns to the Chargers as their coach. “Who has it better than us?”

Jim Harbaugh is final season at Michigan was not without controversy, as he was suspended for half of the regular season due to two separate investigations.

After being caught up in a sign-stealing scam, the Big Ten league banned him for the final three games of the regular season. He had already missed the first three games after accepting the university’s decision to punish him over allegations that he provided misleading statements to NCAA investigators looking into possible recruiting breaches during the coronavirus outbreak.

Jim Harbaugh is new role supports long-held speculations that he will return to the NFL after interviewing with the Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos in the offseason, according to the NFL.

Harbaugh was hired as the Chargers’ head coach following two interviews, according to an NFL news release.

The Chargers sacked their former head coach and general manager following a crushing 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders last month.

Harbaugh initially met with the team a month later, on Jan. 15, according to The Associated Press, making him the eighth of 15 applicants to meet with Spanos and his family to try out for the position.

He was the only one who received a second interview, according to the AP.

Meanwhile, Harbaugh was playing on the field. He interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons on Jan. 16 and booked a second interview with the team before signing with the Chargers, according to the Associated Press.

Jim Harbaugh is new post makes him the first Charger to return as head coach, according to the Associated Press. He finished his playing career with them as a quarterback throughout the 1999 and 2000 seasons before retiring in 2001.

Throughout his extensive NFL career, he also played for the Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Baltimore Ravens. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers prior to the 2001 season; however, he did not appear in any games.

After finishing his career as a quarterback, Harbaugh transitioned to coaching. His most prominent coaching job was with the San Francisco 49ers, which lasted from 2011 to 2014.

Jim Harbaugh is tenure with the 49ers earned him his first Super Bowl trip as a head coach, which ended in a loss against the Baltimore Ravens and his brother, head coach John Harbaugh.

Jim Harbaugh is on-field abilities were initially identified when he began his football career at the University of Michigan. He returned to coach the Wolverines for the 2015 season, hoping to turn around the most successful college football team history.

“My passion for Michigan, both as a player and as a coach, has a long-lasting influence. “I will always be a loyal Wolverine,” Harbaugh declared in a statement. “I’m remarkably fortunate to have been afforded the privilege of coaching at places where life’s journey has created strong personal connections for me.”

The Chargers, coming off a 5-12 season, will be hoping Harbaugh can do the same for them as he did for the Wolverines, with quarterback Justin Herbert.

“When I played for the Chargers, the Spanos family could not have been nicer or more welcoming.” “Being back here feels like home, and it’s nice to see that those things haven’t changed,” Harbaugh said.