It wasn't the moment John Harbaugh had envisioned as the pinnacle of his career. As a child, he watched Super Bowl-winning coaches being carried off the field by their players or doused with Gatorade showers.
But when the Baltimore Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to win Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, John found himself alone on the field, a feeling that took him by surprise. And then it hit him—he knew what he had to do.
After the only Super Bowl featuring siblings as opposing head coaches, John walked over to his younger brother Jim, shook his hand, and began to lean in for a hug. But Jim quickly put his forearm against John's chest.
"There will be no hug," he said.
On Monday, John and Jim Harbaugh will meet again as opposing coaches for the first time since their historic and emotionally charged Super Bowl matchup more than 11 years ago. John’s Ravens (7-4) will travel across the country to face Jim’s Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) at SoFi Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
While the stakes aren’t nearly as high this time, with both teams vying for playoff positioning rather than the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy, the feeling among family members is this won't be "Har-Bowl, Part 2." Nevertheless, for two brothers who have competed both in the backyard and on the sport's biggest stage, bragging rights are always on the line. When people remind John that he’s 2-0 against Jim, he quickly corrects them: he’s 3-0, citing a preseason win in 2014 when the Ravens faced the 49ers.
John recently recalled something Jim said in the lead-up to their Super Bowl meeting.
"'When that game starts, my brothers are going to be the guys on the sideline with me,'" John remembered Jim saying. "That’s the way it works. When you’re on that sideline, you stake your claim in the game, and you’re with your family."
The Harbaugh brothers are the only siblings to ever face off as head coaches in the NFL’s 105-year history, as well as in the championship game of a major American sport. Their first meeting came on Thanksgiving in 2011, when the Ravens defeated the 49ers 16-6. The next matchup was in the Super Bowl a year later, which resulted in another win for John—but this is a topic rarely discussed between the two.
It wasn’t until three years ago that John heard Jim acknowledge the loss. Jim had driven with his son, Jack, from Michigan to John’s home in Maryland. As they entered John’s barn, which features a Super Bowl photo on the wall, Jack spoke up.
“We don’t really talk about that, do we, Dad?” Jack, now 12, asked.
Jim replied, “It’s okay to talk about that. It was a great day for Uncle John. We’re happy to celebrate that.”
As for others, they’re not so sure Jim has fully come to terms with that Super Bowl loss.
“I think he’s still working on it,” said their father, Jack.
John and Jim Harbaugh's father, Jack, has become the center of the most debated story surrounding the family’s Super Bowl experience.
According to Jim, after losing Super Bowl XLVII, he couldn’t sleep and started flipping through channels when he saw his father on TV celebrating at the Ravens' victory party. Jim claimed Jack was dancing the twist while smoking a cigar.
John quickly shot down the story. “That’s not true,” he said.
Jim retorted, “I don’t lie.”
Jack also denied it, saying, “I’ve never had a cigar in my mouth.”
While Super Bowl XLVII is remembered for Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis’ final game and the 34-minute blackout that disrupted play at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, for Jim, it’s the pivotal non-call in the final moments that still lingers. With the 49ers trailing by three, quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s fourth-down pass to Michael Crabtree from the 5-yard line sailed over Crabtree’s head in the end zone. Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith made contact with Crabtree, but officials ruled it incidental. Jim insists there should have been a holding penalty called.
After the Super Bowl, Jim didn’t speak to John for five days. John was en route to New York for an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman when Jim finally called. John believes Jim reached out because he feared his older brother would share to a national audience that he hadn’t heard from him. The conversation started well, but when Jim brought up the officiating, things soured.
“It was kind of left at that over the years,” John said.
Now in his 17th season as head coach of the Ravens, John is the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL, behind only Mike Tomlin of the Steelers. Jim coached the 49ers for four seasons (2011-2014) before moving to Michigan, where he spent nine years.
Both brothers typically send game film to their father, a former college coach who led Western Kentucky to a Division I-AA title in 2002. Jack watches the tapes and calls his sons to share his thoughts.
Since Jim’s return to the NFL this year, after leaving Michigan following a national championship, the dynamic has shifted. There’s a clear understanding that no team secrets can be shared with Jack, especially in the lead-up to this week's game.
“It’s both of them,” Jack explained. “They’ll say, ‘I’d like to tell you this, but if there’s any thought you would share it with the other one, I’m not going to do it.’”
Jackie, their mother, often says, "They're almost like twins."
Born just 15 months apart, John and Jim Harbaugh are remarkably alike, from their football philosophies to their wardrobes and coaching staffs. Both are committed to a physical style of play, emphasizing the run game, and are known for wearing ball caps and khakis on the practice field. They also love repeating the mantras their father used to share with his players. In his first news conference, Jim declared, "We're going to be a tough team, a resilient team, a relentless team, a physical team; that's what we're going to aspire to be. Don’t let the powder blues fool you." Meanwhile, John frequently rallies his players with the chant, "Who's got it better than us?"
These similarities are even evident in the locker room. Jim is now coaching seven of John's former players, including running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, center Sam Mustipher, safety Tony Jefferson, cornerback Shaun Wade, tight end Hayden Hurst, and center Bradley Bozeman—all of whom joined the Chargers after Jim took over as head coach in January. John’s backup quarterback, Josh Johnson, also played under Jim at the University of San Diego.
Their coaching staffs are also intertwined. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman was John’s offensive coordinator with the Ravens from 2019 to 2022, after having the same role with the 49ers during Jim’s tenure. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter got his first NFL job as a defensive assistant under John with the Ravens from 2017 to 2020. Three other Chargers coaches—Andy Bischoff (tight ends), Mike Devlin (offensive line), and Marc Trestman (senior offensive assistant)—previously worked with John as well. Additionally, Chargers GM Joe Hortiz spent 26 years in the Ravens’ front office, helping build the Super Bowl-winning team that defeated Jim’s 49ers.
When the Ravens needed a defensive backs coach this offseason, John hired Doug Mallory, a college teammate of Jim’s, who had spent the last three seasons as a defensive analyst at Michigan. Mallory recalls being asked during a coaches’ meeting five years ago who was the most competitive person he knew, to which he answered Jim. However, after working with John this year, Mallory said he’d now include both Harbaugh brothers.
"They don’t like to lose," Mallory said. "They're going to do everything they can to win."
During this year’s training camp, a video of 60-year-old Jim participating in reverse sled pulls went viral, further highlighting the competitive nature that both brothers share.
Two weeks later, not to be outdone, 62-year-old John participated in a fumble recovery drill, where a player would jump on the ball while others sprayed him with water hoses. In the process, John injured his shoulder.
"They're very passionate about the game of football," said Josh Johnson. "It's the environment they create. The winners are the workers. They're going to push you in a way that ensures your team is ready to compete and can will its way to victory."
Long before they were competing in billion-dollar NFL stadiums, John and Jim Harbaugh were challenging each other in their backyard. As kids, they played a game of "chicken," firing a football at each other from progressively closer distances until one of them dropped it or backed out.
Their one-on-one battles also extended to the driveway, where armed with tennis balls and hockey sticks, they took turns aiming at a goal made of chicken wire. Many of their shots, however, ended up shattering the windows of their one-car garage.
"We didn’t have any pads or anything, and we’d go for hours, just counting who could score more against the other," John recalled. "We knocked out every window eventually. I think Mom put cardboard on all those windows."
Jim was the bigger and stronger athlete. He became a star quarterback at Michigan and went on to start for the Bears, Colts, Ravens, and Chargers. John, on the other hand, was a defensive back at Miami (Ohio), earning a partial scholarship.
"Jim was one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the history of the NFL," John said. "And I’ve said that many times."
The Harbaugh brothers have always had each other's backs. When John was a junior cornerback at Pioneer High in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Jim, a freshman at the time, was too young to play on varsity but would watch from the stands.
In one game, John was having a standout performance, knocking down a couple of passes on out routes. Jim, sensing the opposing team was setting up a double move to target his brother, was urged by their father to warn John. Jim ran down the steps and yelled from the fence, "Out-and-up! Out-and-up!"
When the other team attempted the double move, John was ready for it. "I'm glad we got to him," Jim said, proud of the heads-up play.
Eventually, Jim made the varsity team, and during a game, he threw a pass to John, who also played receiver in high school. The announcer called it, "Harbaugh to Harbaugh."
"That was one of those moments that stay with me for a long time," said Jackie, their mother.
The only time they faced off on opposing teams growing up was in baseball, as teenagers. John was recruited to play for a higher-level travel team, while Jim played for a team coached by their father.
When they played against each other, John's team won 1-0.
"So I won that one, too," John said, grinning.
When the NFL announced the 2024 schedule in May, Jackie couldn't believe the date for the Ravens-Chargers game—it fell on November 25, the 63rd wedding anniversary of her and Jack.
"What the heck is the NFL trying to do here?" Jackie remembers asking.
These days, Jack and Jackie don't watch games together. Jack prefers the upstairs TV, while Jackie watches from downstairs.
Jackie has to be on her feet during the game, calling out plays and criticizing the officials. Jack, on the other hand, is the quieter one, with just one complaint when they're in the same room.
"Sometimes she gets in the line of vision where I can't see," Jack says.
To which Jackie responds, "For God's sake!"
When the Ravens and Chargers play in Los Angeles, Jack and Jackie will be in Florida with their daughter, Joani Crean, and her family. (Joani is married to Tom Crean, the former Indiana and Georgia men’s basketball coach, now an ESPN analyst.) The plan is to watch the game together, all in the same room.
Asked how her parents will handle the latest chapter of the Harbaughs’ sibling rivalry, Joani recalls the Super Bowl, when the family was in NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s box.
"It was the quietest any of us have ever been watching a game," she says. "So I think I’m expecting that... maybe."
For the first time since that Super Bowl, football’s greatest sibling rivalry will play out once again. But those closest to John and Jim don’t expect the same level of drama this time around.
"I guess everybody’s more weathered to it," Joani adds. "It’s not something you circle on your calendar."
Earlier this year, John told Jack that Monday night’s game would be easier for everyone since it wasn’t the Super Bowl. This time, win or lose, John and Jim will still have a shot at leading their teams to the postseason and, ultimately, an NFL title.
"So, when he said that, it made sense," Jack said. "I kind of shook my head and said, 'There's probably a lot of truth to that.'"
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