Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said he no longer is interested in seeking employment in the NFL.
Following an interview with the Minnesota Vikings, Harbaugh told the Detroit Free Press that the idea of winning the Super Bowl spurred his interest in the NFL. He was unsuccessful in his lone appearance in the big game as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013.
“Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport,” Harbaugh told the newspaper. “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.”
Harbaugh, 58, met with the Vikings this week, however the club reportedly is expected to hire Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell following Super Bowl LVI.
“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 newspaper. “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 (the Vikings) have 100 percent conviction on this, then it’s something I’m gonna do.'”
New Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was in the research and development department with the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and 2014 when Harbaugh was the team’s head coach. Harbaugh was 44-19-1 with the 49ers with three NFC Championship game appearances. His Super Bowl loss was to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his older brother, John.
Harbaugh guided the Wolverines to the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff in 2021. They lost to eventual champion Georgia in the semifinals.
He owns a 61-24 record during his seven seasons at Michigan, his alma mater.
–Field Level Media
