John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Before his assignment with the Ravens, Harbaugh coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served as the Eagles special teams coach for nine years. Harbaugh and his younger brother, San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, are the first pair of brothers to serve as head coaches in NFL history.

Early years
Harbaugh graduated from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, during which time his father, Jack, was an assistant under Bo Schembechler at the nearby University of Michigan. He played collegiate football for Miami University, where he was a defensive back.

Coaching career
Harbaugh was first hired in the NFL in 1998 by Philadelphia Eagles then-head coach Ray Rhodes, and was one of four assistant coaches retained by new head coach Andy Reid in 1999. Prior to that, Harbaugh spent time in the college ranks as an assistant at Indiana University (1997), University of Cincinnati (1989–1996), Morehead State University (1988), and Western Michigan University (1984–1987).

In 2004, Harbaugh was mentioned as a possible candidate to replace Gary Darnell as the head football coach at Western Michigan University. Harbaugh earned his master's degree from WMU and was an assistant football coach from 1984–1987. In 2007, after serving as a Special Teams Coach for 9 years, John was switched to Defensive Backs coach. Andy Reid did so in order to fulfill John's desire to obtain a head coaching position in the future, as special team coaches are rarely hired as head coaches. The move paid off the following year, as Harbaugh was announced as head coach of the Baltimore Ravens on January 19, 2008. Harbaugh only interviewed for the job after the first choice for the Ravens, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, turned them down, and was not considered a favorite to get the job. He impressed owner Steve Bisciotti and GM Ozzie Newsome and during the interview process, Bill Belichick called Bisciotti and recommended Harbaugh. This was enough to help Harbaugh make the relatively unusual jump from secondary coach to NFL head coach.

On January 23, 2008, Harbaugh hired Cam Cameron to be the Ravens offensive coordinator. Cameron had originally hired Harbaugh as an assistant at Indiana University in 1997. Cameron had also served as quarterbacks coach for John's brother Jim during their time at the University of Michigan.

On September 7, 2008, Harbaugh coached the Ravens to a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in his head coaching debut. Until that point no team had ever won when a coach and a quarterback (Joe Flacco) were both making their NFL debut.

On October 27, 2008, Harbaugh announced that the "Suggs package," a two-quarterback offense featuring Joe Flacco and Troy Smith would be a viable option for the remainder of the 2008 season.

In his rookie season as a head coach, Harbaugh guided the Ravens to an 11–5 regular season record, good enough to qualify them for the playoffs as a wild card team. In the playoffs, Harbaugh oversaw upset victories over the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game.

On January 26, 2009, Harbaugh named Greg Mattison as the new defensive coordinator for the Ravens, replacing Rex Ryan, who had left to become head coach of the New York Jets. Mattison served as a linebacker coach and defensive coordinator for Harbaugh's father, Jack, at Western Michigan University from 1981-86. While at WMU, Mattison also coached alongside Harbaugh, who was a graduate assistant and assistant coach for his father.

In Harbaugh's second season as the Ravens' head coach, he once again led the team to a playoff berth with a 9-7 record during the regular season. Harbaugh improved his playoff record to 3-1 with an upset victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Wild Card round on January 10, 2010. He then lost the following week, bringing his record to 3-2.

In 2010 season, he once again went to the playoffs, beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card on January 9, 2011. However, he then lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round 31-24 on January 15, after leading by 14 points in the beginning of the 2nd half.

Harbaugh signed a three-year extension on February 14, 2011 that will keep him under contract through 2014. Harbaugh and his younger brother Jim met in Week 12 on Thanksgiving Day between the Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. John defeated Jim in the Thanksgiving matchup 16-6. Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 12-4 record, winning the AFC North division and sweeping the Steelers. The Ravens lost in the AFC Championship Game to the New England Patriots after Lee Evans dropped the game-winning pass and kicker Billy Cundiff missed the potential game-tying field goal. Neither Evans nor Cundiff are on the 2012 53-man roster.

Coaching tree
NFL head coaches under whom Harbaugh has served:
 * Ray Rhodes, Philadelphia Eagles (1998)
 * Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2008)

Assistant coaches under John Harbaugh who have become NFL head coaches:
 * Rex Ryan, New York Jets (2009–present)
 * Hue Jackson, Oakland Raiders (2011)
 * Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts (2012–present)

Family
Harbaugh's younger brother, Jim, a former NFL quarterback, is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Their father, Jack, is a former head football coach at Western Michigan University and Western Kentucky University. John's sister, Joani, is married to Tom Crean, the head men's basketball coach at Indiana University. A lifelong Catholic, Harbaugh is married to Ingrid Harbaugh, a Lutheran, and they have one daughter.