06-06-2017, 09:40 AM
It's really tough to argue with results. To wit:
He took a Stanford team that was 1-11 before he arrived and took it to a BCS bowl (Orange Bowl, which, by the way, counts as a marquee win similar to Shaw's Rose Bowl win over Iowa).
He took a 49ers team that had been 6-10 under Mike Singletary and had not been to the playoffs since 2002, and took them to two NFC championship and one Super Bowl in four years. Their record since his departure has been 5-11 and 2-14; they have fired two coaches in two years.
At Michigan he took over a team that had gone 5-7 and in two years he has had 2 10-win seasons.
Whether he is a good X's and O's coach or not is not the question. The man can win, and he saved Stanford from the depths of a 1-11 season. Without Harbaugh, we don't have David Shaw delivering us 3 Rose Bowls in 6 years. I'm a big fan of Shaw, and 6 years in he has built Stanford into a durable winner. But Harbaugh resurrected Stanford and he will always have my appreciation for it.
We will see what happens at Michigan after another couple years. Harbaugh may start to wear thing, and I suspect players won't be as enthusiastic about his schtick if he goes through some tough times. But right now, he is rightfully considered one of the best coaches in the country.
BC
He took a Stanford team that was 1-11 before he arrived and took it to a BCS bowl (Orange Bowl, which, by the way, counts as a marquee win similar to Shaw's Rose Bowl win over Iowa).
He took a 49ers team that had been 6-10 under Mike Singletary and had not been to the playoffs since 2002, and took them to two NFC championship and one Super Bowl in four years. Their record since his departure has been 5-11 and 2-14; they have fired two coaches in two years.
At Michigan he took over a team that had gone 5-7 and in two years he has had 2 10-win seasons.
Whether he is a good X's and O's coach or not is not the question. The man can win, and he saved Stanford from the depths of a 1-11 season. Without Harbaugh, we don't have David Shaw delivering us 3 Rose Bowls in 6 years. I'm a big fan of Shaw, and 6 years in he has built Stanford into a durable winner. But Harbaugh resurrected Stanford and he will always have my appreciation for it.
We will see what happens at Michigan after another couple years. Harbaugh may start to wear thing, and I suspect players won't be as enthusiastic about his schtick if he goes through some tough times. But right now, he is rightfully considered one of the best coaches in the country.
BC