Are Jim and John the Harbaugh Brothers Twins?

Although John and Jim Harbaugh are popularly known as the Harbaugh twins, they are only siblings and not twins.

John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh are the sons of legendary football coach Jack Harbaugh and his wife Jacqueline Harbaugh. Fans refer to them as twins as a result of their striking resemblance, and also because they were the first brothers to ever face off in a Super Bowl.

Are Jim and John Harbaugh Twins?

The Harbaugh brothers, Jim and John, are the two sons of Jack Harbaugh and Jacqueline M Harbaugh. They are not twins as many people assume. They are 2 out of the three children that Jack and Jacqueline Harbaugh had together.

Their other sibling is a lady known as Joani. Though not involved in the football business as a coach or technical person, her husband Tom Crean is a basketball coach and currently heads the University of Georgia men’s basketball team known as the Georgia Bulldogs.

In reality, there are no Harbaugh twins but owing to the fame the duo of Jim and John Harbaugh has attained in their career and the few months’ age difference between them, the brothers are often referred to as the Harbaugh twins.

Harbaugh Brothers
Jim and John

How Old Are the Harbaugh Brothers and Is There Any Age Difference?

John Harbaugh is the older of the Harbaugh brothers. He was born on September 23, 1962, and is currently 61 years old. Jim Harbaugh on the other hand was born on December 23, 1963, and is currently 60 years old. This means that John is older than Jim by fifteen months, or the equivalent of a year and three months.

Although they physically look very much alike, there is a great difference between the two brothers when it comes to how well they do what they do. Let’s take a look at their journey through becoming one of the most highly recognized coaches in the history of the National Football League, NFL.

Meet John Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh’s Elder Brother

John Harbaugh is an American football coach and the present head coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL, the National Football League. As the son of a veteran football coach, John started playing football and mastering the philosophies of the game right from his childhood. He and his brother were unofficially coached by their father at home from a very young age.

During the time he spent at the Miami University studying for a degree in political science, he was the defensive back for the school’s team and his playing skills earned him the Football Scholar-Athlete Award. He graduated from the university in 1984.

In recognition of his great contributions to the university’s team, the school has immortalized him by carving a bronze statue of him in the Cradle of Coaches with the likes of Paul Brown, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbank, and Bo Schembechler who are considered graduates and coaching greats of the university.

John Harbaugh’s Coaching Career Started with College Football in 1984

Since he started his coaching career, John has worked as an assistant coach, a special teams coach, and also the head coach of several teams across the country. Here are the teams he has worked with and how well his coaching tactics worked for them.

1. Western Michigan University (1984-1987)

John Harbaugh kicked off his coaching career in 1984 as an assistant coach under his father, Jack Harbaugh who was then the head coach for the West Michigan University football team.

Throughout the time he worked with the team it experienced a series of losses. Their best record was 5-6 in 1984, and their worst was 3-8 in 1986. Upon his graduation, he left the team just after the 1987 season ended and moved to Pittsburgh.

2. University of Pittsburgh (1987)

John got his first coaching contract away from his father in 1987 at the University of Pittsburgh. There, he took charge of coaching the tight ends. During his first season with the team, they had an improvement from the past two 5-5-1 seasons to an 8-4 season and also made the bowl game, their first ever appearance since 1983.

After the end of the 1987 season, he left the team for his first job with special teams.

3. Morehead State University (1988)

For his first special team coaching job, John was hired as the defensive backs coach and special teams coach in 1988 for Morehead State University. He left the team at the end of the 1988 season.

4. University of Cincinnati (1989-1996)

In 1989, John Harbaugh became the special team coordinator for the Cincinnati Bearcats. In 1995, he became the assistant head coach for the team. Throughout his time with the school, he also helped in coaching the outside linebackers, the tight ends, quarterbacks, and running backs, and also was an assistant recruiting coordinator.

In the eight years he spent with the school, John recruited and trained Robert Tate, the NCAA’s top recruit man, and also Chris Hewitt, the second-ranked returner. In 1993, 1995, and 1996, John was a member of the team’s coaching staff to create its first 3 out of 4 winning seasons in 20 years. His stay with the team ended after the 1996 season when he got a new job in a new school.

5. Indianapolis University (1997-1998)

In 1997, the Indianapolis University hired John Harbaugh as their special team’s new coordinator/defensive backs coach. He left the team in 1998 when he got a chance to enter the National Football League just after his first season with them.

John Harbaugh’s NFL Coaching Career Started with Philadelphia Eagles (1998-2007)

John got his first feature in the NFL in 1998 when he was hired by the Philadelphia Eagles as the Special Teams Coordinator for Head Coach Andy Reid. He held this until 2006, and in 2007 he advanced to coaching the team’s secondary.

Under his tutelage, his special teams were routinely listed among the best in the National Football’s League (NFL). Additionally, the Eagles were placed among the Top 10 of The Dallas Morning News’s special teams, ranking five out of the six seasons from 2000 through 2005. In 2001, he was named The Dallas Morning News Special Teams Coach of the year, and was also voted the National Football League’s Special Teams Coach of the Year.

From 1998 through 2001, John Harbaugh moved the Eagle’s special teams from its 29th ranking to first place. John coached David Kicker Akers who joined the team in 1999 up to his three different appearances in the Pro Bowl. He also coached punter Dirk Johnson to the Top 2 punting averages in Eagle’s history at the time. Dirk achieved this with a 37.4 in 2oo4 and a 38.4 in 2005.

Under his coaching, fifteen players of his team were awarded the Team Player of the Week awards. At the end of the 2007 season, John Harbaugh left the Philadelphia Eagles after almost a decade. He left the team for his first promotion since joining the special teams.

He Has Been with the Baltimore Ravens Since 2008

In 2008, John Harbaugh was hired as the new head coach for Baltimore Ravens. Four years after that, he had his first Super Bowl win against the 49ers, making him the first coach in the NFL to win a playoff game in his first four seasons.

After the end of the 2014 season, he was named one of just eight other coaches who made it into the postseason in six of their first seven seasons of coaching in the NFL. He has also recorded the second top playoff winnings by any head coach in the first seven seasons of their career since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Presently, he is the only coach in the history of the NFL to win at least one playoff game in six out of seven of his seasons as a head coach. Since he began coaching the Baltimore Ravens, the team has recorded a lot of successes and is currently the team with the second-most victories in the NFL.

Meet John Harbaugh’s Younger Brother Jim Harbaugh

James Joseph Harbaugh is an American football coach and the current head coach of the Michigan Wolverines. Although he was once the head coach for the San Francisco 49er under the NFL, his contract with the team was terminated in 2014 after they recorded a cumulative loss of 59-36-1 under him.

After he was fired by the San Francisco 49ers he went on to become the head coach of his alma mater, the Michigan University. Let’s take a look at his journey so far as a football coach and former player.

Jim Harbaugh Began His Football Career as a Player in 1983

Before he started a career as a football coach, Jim Harbaugh had previously played professional football for different teams. Here are the teams he played for and how well he did with them.

1. University of Michigan (1983-1986)

From 1983 through 1986, Jim Harbaugh under coach Schembechler was a letterman at the University of Michigan. Throughout his stay on the team, he played two full seasons in 1985 and 1986 as a starter. He graduated from the university’s College of Literature, Science and Arts with a BA in communication.

2. Chicago Bears (1987-1993)

The Chicago Bears selected Jim Harbaugh as the 26th overall pick for its first round of the NFL Draft. He played under the veteran coach Mike Dikta and with 50 touchdowns and 56 interceptions he rounded off his time at the Chicago Bears in 1993 with a record of 35-30.

3. Indianapolis Colts (1994-1997)

Jim Harbaugh signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent in April 1994. He was the team’s starter for 9 years, he lost this position halfway but later reclaimed it in the 15th week. In 1995 he made it to his first and last Pro Bowl and finished as the runner-up in the MVP ranking. That season he won the AFC player of the year and the Comeback Player of the Year Award with 17 touchdown passes.

In the 1996 and 1997 seasons, Jim experienced a setback and he ended his stay at the Colts with a record of 2-9. However, the team still accepted him into their Ring of Honor.

4. Baltimore Ravens (1998)

The Indianapolis Colt traded Jim Harbaugh to the Baltimore Ravens in February 1998 for that year’s third and fourth-round picks. His time at the Baltimore Ravens was not very successful as he was only able to record 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 293 attempts.

5. Detroit Lions and Carolina Panther (2001)

Jim Harbaugh signed with the Detroit Lions in 2001. However, after the 1st week, his stay with the team was cut short. Following that he signed with the Carolina Panthers in the same year, and although he dressed for six of the team’s games he never played in any of them.

Following the regression of his career as a football player, Jim Harbaugh quit playing football in 2001, and in 2002 he began his career as a football coach.

Jim Harbaugh Began His Coaching Career in 2001

Since the beginning of his coaching career in 2002, Jim Harbaugh has coached several teams in the US. And while he has led most of them to great victories, some teams are not exactly fond of the time they spent with him. Here are some of the teams he has coached so far.

1. Western Kentucky (2001)

Jim Harbaugh became an assistant coach for the University of Kentucky where he worked with his brother Jim and his legendary father coach Jack Harbaugh. At the time of his stay in Kentucky, he worked more on the recruiting and offensive areas. However, he was not paid for his services to the team as he started his coaching career while he was still playing quarterback in the NFL.

2. Oakland Raiders (2002-2003)

Jim was hired by the Oakland Raiders as a quarterback coach in 2002. He worked under Bill Callahan who was the team’s head coach at the time. During his time with the Raiders, John coached Rick Gannon, the starting quarterback who won the 2002 AP NFL MVP after he led the team to a Super Bowl appearance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

3. University of San Diego (2004-2006)

Jim Harbaugh got his first job as a head coach for the San Diego Toreros in 2002. In his first season, the team had a 7-4 winning streak, with five consecutive wins. In 2005 and 2006 the team had a 22-2 overall under and consistently won Pioneer League titles under his directives.

4. Stanford University (2007-2010)

In December 2006 Jim Harbaugh was appointed the head coach for the Stanford University Cardinal. In his first season with the team they went 2-1, and the next year they improved to 5-7. In Jim’s final season at the team, they won the Orange Bowl with quarterback Andrew Luck.

5. San Francisco 49ers

In 2011, Jim Harbaugh was appointed the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers after he was handpicked by the team’s manager Trent Baalke. In his first season, the team made its first appearance in the playoffs since 2002. However, they lost to the New York Giants in the NFC title.

In the second season, the 49ers lost the Super Bowl to the Baltimore Ravens who were coached by Jim’s brother John. The following season, the 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks for the third consecutive time in their NFC game.

In December 2014, Jed York stated that the 49ers were relieving Jim Harbaugh of his services to the team. Jim revealed in a podcast with SoundCloud that this was because the 49ers had lost to the Baltimore Ravens

6. The University of Michigan (2014 till date)

After he was fired by the San Francisco 49ers, Jim was hired as the head coach of his alma mater, the University of Michigan. He has held the position since 2014.

What Happened at the Harbaugh Brothers’ Super Bowl?

In 2013, the Harbaugh brothers made history in the National Football League when they were officially recognized as the first pair of brothers to ever face off in the Super Bowl (Super Bowl XLVII). John Harbaugh’s American Football Conference (AFC) champion Baltimore Ravens played against his brother, John Harbaugh’s team – the San Francisco 49ers, National Football Conference (NFC).

The game which was played on the 3rd of February 2013 at the glorious Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA had in attendance about 71,024 persons. The San Francisco 49ers who were favorites to win however lost to the Baltimore Ravens 31 – 34 in what was once the most eventful American football championship games in recent times.

Although John emerged the victor in the 2013 super Bowl, the victory may have come at the expense of the close relationship he shared with his kid brother. In an interview on The Late Show with David Letterman, John revealed that he and Jim only exchanged a few words after the game and did not speak to each other for a long time after that. Jim on the other hand did not make any mention of the game thereafter.

What are the Harbaugh Brothers’ Teams?

As of our last review, John Harbaugh is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens in the National Football League while Jim Harbaugh is the head coach for Michigan Wolverines of the University of Michigan which plays in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division 1.

What are the Harbaugh Brothers’ names?

The names of the Harbaugh brothers are John Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh

Where did the Harbaugh Brothers go to college?

John Harbaugh attended Miami University while his younger brother Jim Harbaugh attended Michigan University.

How many Harbaugh Brothers are there?

John and Jim Harbaugh are the only known Harbaugh brothers. They however have a sister named Joani who is married to Tom Crean. His full name is Thomas Aaron Crean and he is a college basketball coach who was most recently with Georgia Bulldogs men’s basketball.

Chidiebube
Chidiebube
Chidiebube has been writing and editing articles on movies, entertainment and other juicy things for several years. When he is not writing, he spends time outdoors, lost in the beauty of nature or simply travelling around the world. Thank goodness he can do the later with any internet-enabled device

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