“I want to get rid of the word ‘Michigan man,'” University of Michigan Athletic Director Jim Hackett remarked earlier this month. He ends December hiring a “Michigan Man” to lead the Wolverines on the gridiron.
The San Francisco 49ers parted ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh Sunday night. By Monday morning, Harbaugh reportedly flew on a jet from the Bay Area to Ann Arbor. The school looks to make the announcement official on Tuesday morning, sources tell Fox Sports, ESPN, and other outlets.
Harbaugh played quarterback for the University of Michigan before enjoying a 14-year career in the National Football League. He compiled a 49-22-1 record in four seasons leading the San Francisco 49ers from the sidelines. Despite taking the team to an unprecedented three NFC Championship Games in his first three seasons, the team and the coach parted ways, largely over a troubled relationship between the front office and the coach, after Sunday’s game.
“For the last four seasons I have had the great privilege to coach one of the storied franchises in the history of football,” Harbaugh said in a 49ers release Sunday night. “We accomplished many great things together as a team during this period, which is a tribute to the incredible efforts of some of the most dedicated players and coaches in the NFL.”
The 49ers finished 2014 8-8, several games better than Michigan’s 5-7 finish under Brady Hoke. Michigan hasn’t won the Big Ten in a decade.
In bypassing potential suitors in the Oakland Raiders and Chicago Bears, Harbaugh seeks to fill the shoes of Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler in his return to the college ranks. Before leading the 49ers, Harbaugh led the University of San Diego and Stanford.