Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh explained in an interview with Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press why he pursued the Vikings’ head-coaching job before eventually deciding to return to Ann Arbor.
“There was a tugging at me that I was once that close to a Super Bowl and I didn’t get it. Some NFL jobs came open. I was contacted by the (Minnesota) Vikings,” Harbaugh said.
“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 (Minnesota) have 100 percent conviction on this, then it’s something I’m gonna do.”
Reports indicated that Harbaugh was planning to become the head coach of the Vikings on Wednesday when he flew out to meet with the team. However, Minnesota never offered him the job and Harbaugh withdrew from the running soon after the meeting.
“I called Warde (Manuel, the Michigan athletic director) and I asked him if he wanted me to be the head coach. And he said, ‘Yes, 100 percent.’ And I said, OK then. That’s what I want to do,‘” Harbaugh explained.
“And I told him, ‘Warde, this will not be a reoccurring theme every year. This was a one time thing.”
Harbaugh admitted that the lure of chasing a Super Bowl title was appealing to him, but this will be the last time he attempts to return to the NFL.
“Sure, the Super Bowl is the greatest prize in our sport,” Harbaugh said. “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, was a first-round pick out of Michigan by the Bears in 1987. He played 14 years in the league before becoming a coach, first with the Raiders. He was hired by San Diego as head coach in 2004 and took the same position with Stanford in 2007.
The 49ers hired Harbaugh as their head coach in 2007. He was fired in 2014 and hired as head coach at Michigan.
During his four years with the 49ers, he led them to a record of 44-19-1 (69.5 percent), which included three playoff appearances and an NFC Championship.
At Michigan, Harbaugh’s teams have produced a record of 61-24 (71.8 percent). That includes a 1-5 record in bowl games.
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