Jim Harbaugh was an extremely successful coach during his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. His resume says it all: Four seasons, three NFC Championship Games, one Super Bowl.
But that didn't mean all was well behind the scenes. Harbaugh clashed with the front office, and the deteriorating relationship led to Harbaugh's move to the University of Michigan in 2015. Harbaugh has continued to win at his alma mater, and this week he reminisced on his San Francisco tenure during a podcast chat with Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News.
"I don't think that I was there long enough to be compared with Bill Walsh or Coach Seifert," Harbaugh said. "... Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think we did set a record for coaching there the longest under the present ownership. I take pride in that. Maybe there should be an endurance medal, a courage medal for that."
Harbaugh tells no tall tales. Harbaugh's four-year run was positively Shula-esque when you look at the turnover by the bay since 2008. A brief rundown:
Kyle Shanahan will be the fourth coach in as many years for the 49ers when they kick off a new season in September. If his six-year contract holds, Harbaugh will have to ship that medal west.
