Jim Harbaugh has long exited the San Francisco 49ers when Kyle Shanahan took over as their head coach. Despite that, though, Shanahan has a good relationship and history with the Michigan Wolverines coach.
With that said, Shanahan couldn’t help but be happy to see Harbaugh win the national title with the Wolverines on Monday after years of trying to get that top prize.
Speaking to reporters in a conference call on Tuesday, Shanahan was asked if he knows Harbaugh and if he has any relationship with him. Harbaugh used to coach the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and even led the team to a Super Bowl berth in 2013 (though they fell to the Baltimore Ravens), while Shanahan became the Niners’ head coach in 2017.
Surprisingly enough, Shanahan shared that he actually knows the Wolverines coach better than his brother who is actually in the NFL right now, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.
“I’ve gotten to know John Harbaugh a little bit better than Jim, just because I’ve gotten to interview with John a couple times and I’ve seen him at the owner’s meetings. I have a pretty good relationship with him. Jim, I’ve talked on the phone with him a couple times. He hired a few people that worked for me earlier in my career, so I got to connect with him in that way,” Shanahan reminisced, via Sports Illustrated.
“We’ve talked a few times over the years with college stuff and us scouting guys and crossing paths. I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for all the Harbaughs and how they carry themselves, the way they are as football coaches. I loved Jim when he was a player. It was so cool to watch him with the Colts — that was the time I really remember him. I’ve always been a huge fan and that was real cool to watch last night.”
It’s definitely awesome to hear stories like this from coaches. At the end of the day, the NFL is a brotherhood. While everyone competes against each other, they also have a lot of similarities since they work for the same goal.
While Jim Harbaugh himself has been away from the pro scene for a long time, he remains a respected coach in the sport. Kyle Shanahan’s latest remarks prove just that.
Could Jim Harbaugh Compete With San Francisco 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan, Other NFL Coaches Soon?
Sure enough, it will be interesting to see if Jim Harbaugh will give the NFL another shot after winning the national title with the Michigan Wolverines.
Harbaugh’s future with the team has been a huge question mark, and rumors about his potential return in the pro scene only intensified when he hired an agent with NFL connections.
The Wolverines coach has refused to comment about his future after their title win, but with the significant number of interests he’s garnering, he’s bound to make a decision sooner rather than later.
Whatever he decided to do, though, there’s no denying that his legacy is Michigan is all but cemented.
If he ends up going back to the NFL, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the league know they have to step up their games.
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