The 49ers and Jim Harbaugh officially parted ways on Sunday after four seasons, three NFC title game appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl. Harbaugh leaves behind big shoes and a ton of gobble-gobble turkey in his wake. Here are 10 moments that stand out during his consistently entertaining run in San Francisco.
1. The Uniform
Baseball cap. Niners pullover. Khaki pants. Cleats. Harbaugh had the variety of Homer Simpson when it came to fashion. Harbaugh wasn't shy about his bargain-hunting ways, either. "These Dickies cost $23, but they were on sale that day."
2. Harbaughs loves the judge
Pop quiz: What do Jim Harbaugh and my father have in common? They both have a voracious appetite for the syndicated television series Judge Judy. Harbaugh loved the show enough to sit in on a taping with his father in 2013. "When you lie in Judge Judy's courtroom, it's over."
3. Gobble-gobble turkey
Harbaugh is the master of the peculiar sound bite. He was never weirder than when he defended Alex Smith's supposed confidence issues after a win in 2012. "I think it's just a lot of gobble-gobble turkey ... Just gobble-gobble-gobble turkey from jive-turkey gobblers. Think that paints a pretty good picture." People have been placed in mental institutions for lesser offenses.
4. "Who's got it better than us!"
Yeah, John Harbaugh uses the same locker room call-and-answer move, but nobody delivered it with more gusto than Jim. "Who's got it better than us?" Harbaugh yelled to his gathered team in the center of a winning locker room. "Nobody!" On many Sundays, they were right.
5. Niners get over the hump
The Harbaugh era crested on Jan. 20, 2013. That's when the 49ers knocked off the host Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. The Niners fell just short against the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, but Harbaugh leaves behind a legacy of near-constant title contention after an extended dry period for a proud franchise.
6. Harbaugh v. Harbaugh
Harbaugh faced his brother, John, in Super Bowl XLVII, an unprecedented brother vs. brother battle. Jim was in rare form all week, clearly uninterested in feeding into the media hype of the unique situation. Seriously, Jim Harbaughhated this stuff. You get a taste of it in the video above.
7. The Niners' big return
Harbaugh doesn't seem to get enough credit for how quickly he turned around San Francisco's fortunes upon his arrival in 2011. The high point of that first season came in a wild playoff win against the Saints. After Vernon Davis' dramatic game-winning touchdown catch, Harbaugh wraps his arms around the sobbing tight end in one of the most powerful visual moments in recent NFL history. The Niners were back.
8. The back slap heard 'round the NFL
Harbaugh is an excitable guy. This was apparent after a physical win over the Lions in 2012. An amped-up Harbaugh met Jim Schwartz at midfield, slapping the then-Lions coach on the back as the two parted ways. As you can tell in the above video, Schwartz wasn't happy about it. "I was just really revved up, it's totally on me. I shook his hand too hard. It was a strong, kind of a slap-grab handshake. It was on me, a little bit too hard of a handshake right there."
9. We're the San Francisco 49ers!
Harbaugh brought a swagger to the Niners that made them a great heel in the NFL landscape. "We're the San Francisco 49ers. We can do whatever we want" was a throwaway line during an otherwise mundane preseason press conference. But it accurately summed up the 49ers under Harbaugh. Asking his players who had it better than them was rhetorical. Harbaugh knew it.
10. Harbaugh says goodbye
Harbaugh's signature black pullover was soggy with Gatorade as he spoke to the media for the last time as 49ers coach on Sunday. "This has been the time of my life," he said. "That song, '(I Had) The Time Of My Life.' I did, I really did. I had a lot of fun."
What could be more Harbaugh than summing up your 49ers career by citing a 27-year old pop hit off the Dirty Dancing soundtrack?
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