Jim Harbaugh, who was appointed the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football on December 19, 2006, wasted little time in making a big impression in the college football circles in his first season as Stanford’s head coach.

Stanford was one of the most improved teams in the Pacific-10 Conference last season under Harbaugh, whose infectious energy and enthusiasm immediately took hold of the program. The Cardinal finished with a 4-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in conference play last season following a 2006 campaign which saw the team win just one game in 12 outings. Included in last year’s win total was an epic, 24-23 upset win over USC, ranked first in the USA Today Coaches poll and second by the Associated Press at the time, and a convincing win over defending Pac-10 Conference co-champion California, breaking the Bears five-game winning streak in the Big Game.

While a pair of signature victories served notice Stanford’s program was again on the rise, Harbaugh is more than ready to push the envelope a little further this season as the Cardinal continue its journey to the upper echelon of a talent-rich conference in its quest to become perennial bowl participants.

“Winning the USC and Cal games added credibility to the program with alumni, supporters, fans, university staff, friends of Stanford and maybe most importantly the students,” Harbaugh said. “We must challenge ourselves in the areas that need to be addressed to move forward player development, recruiting, research, evaluation, team morale, promotion of the program and the off-season and spring practices.”

Harbaugh came to Stanford from the University of San Diego, where he guided the Toreros to an impressive three-year overall record of 29-6 (.829), including back-to-back 11-1 seasons that netted a pair of Division I-AA Mid Major national titles in 2005 and ’06.

Success is no stranger to Harbaugh. A product of nearby Palo Alto High School, he was one of the most highly-sought after recruits in the nation. He enjoyed a storied career at the University of Michigan, where he led the Wolverines to three bowl appearances and garnered Big Ten Player of the Year and first team All-America honors. As a professional, Harbaugh finished his career ranked among the NFL’s top-50 in several passing categories and was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Year in 1995. During his brief coaching career in the NFL, he helped the Oakland Raiders reach the 2003 Super Bowl as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

As a collegiate player, Harbaugh led the Maize and Blue to a 21-3-1 record and three bowl appearances as a full-time starter from 1984-86. As a senior, he quarterbacked the Wolverines to a Rose Bowl appearance and earned first team All-America and Big Ten Player of the Year honors while finishing third in the Heisman Trophy balloting. As a junior, he led the Wolverines to a Fiesta Bowl victory and a No. 2 ranking in the national polls.

He finished his collegiate career completing 387-of-620 passes for 5,449 yards and 31 touchdowns. Harbaugh became the first Wolverine quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a single game, accomplishing the feat against Indiana on October 25, 1986.

A first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1987, Harbaugh played for five teams over 15 seasons, including the Chicago Bears (1987-93), Indianapolis Colts (1994-97), Baltimore Ravens (1998), San Diego Chargers (1999-2000) and Carolina Panthers (2001). He racked up 26,288 passing yards to go along with 129 touchdown passes, completing 2,305-of-3,918 passes in 177 career games, including 140 starts. Harbaugh ranks among the NFL’s all-time top-50 in career completions (#35), pass attempts (#39) and passing yards (#48).

In Chicago, Harbaugh passed for over 2,000 yards in four consecutive seasons and led the Bears to back-to-back 11-5 seasons in 1990 and ’91. He passed for a career-best 3,121 yards and led Chicago to an appearance in the 1991 NFC Wild Card game. He also quarterbacked the Bears to a playoff win in 1990.

Harbaugh enjoyed some of his most productive seasons as a player with the Indianapolis Colts from 1994-97. In 1995, he led the Colts to the AFC Championship Game and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Year and NFL co-Comeback Player of the Year honors, while landing a spot in the Pro Bowl. He was also the runner up for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player honors and finished as the league’s top-rated passer. Harbaugh turned in another strong season in 1996, passing for 2,630 yards and leading the Colts to a second straight playoff appearance.

In January of 2005, he had his name placed in the Colts Ring of Honor as one of the top players in franchise history.

Harbaugh played for three different teams over his last five NFL seasons. In 1998, he started in 14 games in his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens. In 1999, he passed for 2,761 yards, the second-highest total of his career, while starting for the San Diego Chargers. He completed 60.9% of his passes with San Diego in 2000 before finishing his career with the Carolina Panthers in 2001.

Following his retirement from pro football, Harbaugh spent two seasons (2002-03) as the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders. In his first season, the Raiders posted an 11-5 regular season record and won the AFC Western Division title and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII following playoff wins over the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans.

He laid the groundwork for his coaching career while he was still competing as a player in the NFL, serving as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky, where he worked with his father and Hilltopper head coach Jack Harbaugh from 1994-2001. As an offensive consultant, Harbaugh scouted and recruited prep prospects in several states, including Florida, Illinois and Indiana and was involved in recruiting 17 players on WKU’s team that captured the 2002 Division I-AA National Championship.

Harbaugh comes from a family of coaches. In addition to his father, Jack, who coached for 41 years, including 14 at Western Kentucky, his brother John was recently named head coach of the Baltimore Ravens after spending 10 years in the Philadelphia Eagles organization.

His brother-in-law, Tom Crean, is the head basketball coach at Indiana University.

Harbaugh is co-owner of Panther Racing in the Indy Racing League, which won the 2001 and 2002 IRL championship. In addition, he has been actively involved in community service ventures, including the Harbaugh Hill Foundation, the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children (Indiana University), the Jim Harbaugh Foundation, the Uhlich Children’s Home and the Children’s Miracle Network.

Jim has three children – sons Jay and James, Jr. and daughter, Grace. He married the former Sarah Feuerborn in January of 2008.

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