_(cropped).jpg) Harbaugh in 2022 | |
| New York Giants | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1962-09-23)September 23, 1962 (age 63) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | Pioneer (Ann Arbor, Michigan) |
| College | Miami (OH) (1980–1983) |
| Position | Safety |
| Career history | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 180–113 (.614) |
| Postseason | 13–11 (.542) |
| Career | 193–124 (.609) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
John William Harbaugh (/ˈhɑːrbɔː/HAR-baw; born September 23, 1962) is an American professionalfootball coach who is thehead coach for theNew York Giants of theNational Football League (NFL). He previously coached the defensive backs for thePhiladelphia Eagles[1] and served as their special teams coach for nine years. In 2008, Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of theBaltimore Ravens, serving in the role for 18 seasons.[2] Harbaugh and his younger brother, formerSan Francisco 49ers and currentLos Angeles Chargers head coachJim Harbaugh, are the first pair of brothers inNFL history to serve as head coaches. Their father,Jack, served 45 years as a college defensive coach, an assistant coach, and a running backs coach.[3] In the2012 NFL season, John and the Ravens defeated Jim and the 49ers inSuper Bowl XLVII.
Harbaugh led the Ravens to 193 wins (including playoffs) over his 18-season tenure, the third-most wins in theNFL over that span, and surpassedBrian Billick for the most wins by a head coach inBaltimore Ravens franchise history. Harbaugh led the Ravens to 13 winning seasons and only three losing seasons. His 24 playoff game appearances are the second-most by any head coach in the NFL since 2008. Harbaugh is also the only head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in six of the first seven seasons of a coaching career and has the most road playoff wins by a head coach (8). Outside of winning Super Bowl XLVII, he guided the Ravens to sixAFC North division championships, fourAFC Championship appearances, and a franchise-best 14–2 record in2019. On January 6, 2026, Harbaugh was fired after 18 seasons as Ravens head coach. Two weeks later, he was hired as the Giants' head coach.
John Harbaugh was born inToledo, Ohio, to Jackie Cipiti andJack Harbaugh.[4] He attended Tappan Junior High School, now Tappan Middle School, and graduated fromPioneer High School inAnn Arbor, Michigan, during which time Jack was an assistant underBo Schembechler at the nearbyUniversity of Michigan. At Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh was a standout three-sport athlete, competing in football, basketball, and track.[5]
Harbaugh attended college and playedvarsity football as a defensive back atMiami University, where he graduated in 1984.[6][7]
Interested in pursuing either law school or coaching after college, Harbaugh chose to enroll in classes atWestern Michigan and work as a volunteer coach underneath his father, Jack, while he decided, turning down offers for coaching positions atKansas andWest Virginia.[8] He continued to coach at Western Michigan through 1986 before going on to work in coaching positions atPitt in 1987,Morehead State in 1988,Cincinnati from 1989 to 1996, and atIndiana in 1997.[9][10][11][12]
He was first hired in the NFL in 1998 by thePhiladelphia Eagles' then head coachRay Rhodes, and was one of four assistant coaches retained by new head coachAndy Reid in 1999.[13][14] As such, he is in theSid Gillmancoaching tree.[15] In 2004, he was mentioned as a possible candidate to replaceGary Darnell as the head football coach at Western Michigan, where he had earned amaster's degree and was an assistant football coach from 1984 to 1987.[16]
In 2007, after serving as Eagles' special teams coach for nine years, he became their defensive backs coach.[17][18] This fulfilled his request to head coach Reid and improved his chances of landing a head coaching job since executives at that time viewed special teams coaches as unqualified to move up to head coach.
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On January 19, 2008, Harbaugh was hired as head coach of theBaltimore Ravens afterJason Garrett, the team's first choice, decided to stay with theDallas Cowboys after receiving a raise and a promotion to assistant head coach.[2][19]
At the time of his hiring, Harbaugh had no head coaching experience at any level, and had never been an offensive or defensive coordinator in the NFL.[20] He impressed team ownerSteve Bisciotti and Vice President of Player Personnel/General ManagerOzzie Newsome.New England Patriots head coachBill Belichick also recommended Harbaugh to Bisciotti by phone during the interview process.[21] On January 23, 2008, Harbaugh hired longtime NFL offensive coach (and former head coach)Cam Cameron asoffensive coordinator.[22]
On September 7, 2008, in his debut as a head coach, John and his Ravens beat theCincinnati Bengals 17–10.[23] In his first season as a head coach, Harbaugh guided the Ravens to an 11–5 regular season record, good enough to qualify them for the playoffs with a Wild Card berth.[24] In the playoffs, he led the team to victories over theMiami Dolphins andTennessee Titans before losing to thePittsburgh Steelers in theAFC Championship Game.[25][26][27]
Following the season, he namedGreg Mattison as the defensive coordinator for the Ravens on January 26, 2009, replacingRex Ryan who had left to take his first head coaching job (with theNew York Jets).[28] Mattison had served as linebacker coach and defensive coordinator for Harbaugh's father, Jack, atWestern Michigan University from 1981 to 1986, when Harbaugh was a graduate assistant and assistant coach for his father.
In his second season as Ravens' head coach, Harbaugh once again led the team to the playoffs with a 9–7 record during the regular season and improved his playoff record to 3–1 with an upset 33–14 victory over theNew England Patriots in the AFCWild Card Round on January 10, 2010, before losing in the AFCDivisional Round 20–3 to theIndianapolis Colts.[29][30][31]
In the 2010 season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 12–4 record and a Wild Card berth.[32] They defeated theKansas City Chiefs 30–7 in theWild Card Round on January 9, 2011, before losing to thePittsburgh Steelers 31–24 in theDivisional Round on January 15 after starting the second half with a 14-point lead.[33][34]
Harbaugh signed a three-year extension on February 14, 2011, that kept him under contract through 2014.[35] John faced his younger brotherJim in Week 12 (2011) onThanksgiving Day when John's Ravens beat Jim'sSan Francisco 49ers 16–6.[36] The Ravens finished the 2011 season with a 12–4 record, winning theAFC North and sweeping thePittsburgh Steelers home and away.[37] The Ravens defeated theHouston Texans 20–13 in theDivisional Round.[38] The Ravens lost theAFC Championship to theNew England Patriots afterLee Evans had a potential late game-winning pass knocked out of his hands by Patriots cornerback Sterling Moore and kickerBilly Cundiff missed a potential game-tying field goal.[39]
Prior to the 2012 season, Harbaugh was awarded the third-highest honor within theDepartment of the Army Civilian Awards, the Outstanding Civilian Service Award, for substantial contributions to the U.S. Army community while serving as the Baltimore Ravens coach.[40]
The 2012Baltimore Ravens finished with a 10–6 record and won the AFC North.[41] They defeated theIndianapolis Colts 24–9 in theWild Card Round and theDenver Broncos 38–35 in theDivisional Round.[42][43] They again met theNew England Patriots in the AFC Championship (on January 20, 2013), got their revenge with a 28–13 victory (coming from behind with a 13–7 second half), and was the first timeTom Brady and Bill Belichick lost a home game after leading at halftime, giving John the opportunity to face brother Jim and theSan Francisco 49ers inSuper Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013.[44][45] Many have pegged Super Bowl XLVII as the "Harbowl". The Ravens were victorious, defeating the 49ers 34–31. Following the victory, John gave his entire staff replica Lombardi trophies to commemorate the victory.[46]
On September 5, 2013, an hour before the Ravens played in theNFL regular season's opening game, it was reported that Harbaugh had signed a four-year contract extension in a deal that was reached "months ago."[47] In the 2013 season, Harbaugh and the Ravens finished with an 8–8 record and missed the postseason.[48]
Following the season, Harbaugh was inducted intoMiami University's "Cradle of Coaches" in 2014.[49]
In the 2014 season, Harbaugh and the Ravens finished with a 10–6 record and finished third in the AFC North. Despite the third-place finish, the Ravens made the postseason.[50] In theWild Card Round of the NFL playoffs, Harbaugh's Ravens beat thePittsburgh Steelers in Heinz Field in a dominant 30–17 victory, which was the Ravens' first playoff victory against the Steelers in the history of the franchise.[51][52] However, the next week, the Ravens lost 31–35 in the AFC Divisional round to theNew England Patriots after the Ravens were unable to hold two separate 14-point leads.[53] After the game, Harbaugh complained about the Patriots' uncommon but legal tactics of declaring receivers eligible and ineligible, saying "It was clearly deception."[54]
In2015, Harbaugh had his first losing season with the Ravens.[55] The Ravens lost many close games and key players likeJoe Flacco,Justin Forsett,Steve Smith Sr.,Eugene Monroe, andTerrell Suggs all suffered season-ending injuries. They finished third in the AFC North with a 5–11 record.[56]
In the 2016 season, Harbaugh and the Ravens finished with an 8–8 record and missed the postseason.[57]
On August 28, 2017, Harbaugh signed a one-year contract extension, keeping him under contract through the 2019 season.[58] In the 2017 season, the Ravens finished with a 9–7 record but missed the playoffs.[59]
In the 2018 season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 10–6 record and won the AFC North.[60] The season featured the emergence of Lamar Jackson as the quarterback of the team.[61] The Ravens faced off against theLos Angeles Chargers in theWild Card Round and lost 23–17.[62]
On January 24, 2019, Harbaugh signed a four-year contract extension, keeping him under contract through the 2022 season.[63]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Harbaugh's 2019 Coach of the Year acceptance speech, Ravens video |
During the season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 14–2 record in the regular season and secured the number 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.[64] In theDivisional Round against theTennessee Titans, the Ravens lost the game 28–12.[65] For his work during the 2019 season, Harbaugh was honored as theAP NFL Coach of the Year.[66][67]
In2020, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a second-place in the AFC North with a record of 11–5, a Wild Card berth as the #5 seed, and their first playoff win since the2014 season in a Wild Card win over theTennessee Titans.[68][69] The win not only helped the Ravens avenge their embarrassing playoff loss the year prior and brought reigning MVP Lamar Jackson to his first postseason win,it also broke the NFL record for most road playoff games won.[clarify][70] In theDivisional Round, the Ravens fell to theBuffalo Bills 17–3.[71]
In2021, Harbaugh led the Ravens to an 8–3 start, and having the number 1 seed by Week 12. However, due to injuries and defensive struggles, the Ravens suffered a late-season collapse, falling to a six-game losing streak to end the season, finishing 8–9 and failing to qualify for playoff contention on the final week of the season to thePittsburgh Steelers.[72][73] It was the first time since 2015 that the Ravens suffered a losing season under Harbaugh, and the first time they finished in fourth place in the AFC North since2007.[74][75] Harbaugh came under scrutiny where he called a two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter twice to put the Ravens up by one, which both failed. Once against the Steelers in Week 13, and the other against thePackers.[76]
On March 29, 2022, Harbaugh signed a three-year extension with the Ravens that ran through the 2025 season.[77] December 11, 2022, marked the 32nd matchup between Harbaugh andPittsburgh Steelers head coachMike Tomlin, surpassingCurly Lambeau andSteve Owen for the second-most head-to-head matchups between head coaches in NFL history (the current record is held by Lambeau andGeorge Halas with 49).[78] The Ravens finished with a 10–7 record and earned a Wild Card berth.[79] The Ravens fell to theCincinnati Bengals in theWild Card Round 24–17.[80]
In 2023, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 13–4 regular season mark and won the AFC North.[81] The Ravens defeated the Texans 34–10 in the Divisional Round before falling to the Chiefs 17–10 in the AFC Championship.[82][83]
In the 2024 season, Harbaugh led the Ravens to a 12–5 record and a AFC North title.[84] The Ravens defeated the Steelers 28–14 in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Bills 27–25 in the Divisional Round.[85][86]
On March 28, 2025, Harbaugh signed a three-year contract extension with the Ravens that ran through the 2028 season.[87] Following the disappointing2025 season in which the Ravens finished 8–9 and missed the playoffs, Harbaugh was fired by the Ravens on January 6, 2026. He had been the second-longest tenured head coach in the NFL at the time of his firing, trailing onlyMike Tomlin of thePittsburgh Steelers.[88] Harbaugh finished his tenure in Baltimore with a 180–113 (.614) regular-season record and a 13–11 (.542) playoff record for a combined record of 193–124 (.609).[citation needed]
Harbaugh is the only head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons, according toNFL Network.[89][90]
In each of Harbaugh's first four seasons and again in 2014, every AFC Champion defeated the Ravens in the playoffs, though only the2008 Pittsburgh Steelers and2014 New England Patriots were able to go on and win the Super Bowl.[citation needed]
Following the Ravens firing him, Harbaugh became one of the top head coach candidates. He had conversations with multiple teams to fill their head coach vacancies, which included the Giants,Atlanta Falcons,Tennessee Titans,Las Vegas Raiders,Arizona Cardinals, andCleveland Browns.[91] He narrowed his search down to the Giants, Falcons, and Titans.[92][93][94] On January 20, 2026, the Giants officially announced Harbaugh, who signed a five-year contract, as the franchise's 21st head coach.[95][96] In his introductory press conference, it was confirmed that Harbaugh only reports to ownerJohn Mara with general managerJoe Schoen confirming he has no authority over Harbaugh.[97]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| BAL | 2008 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC North | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toPittsburgh Steelers inAFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2009 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toIndianapolis Colts inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2010 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toPittsburgh Steelers inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2011 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2012 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC North | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | Super Bowl XLVII champions |
| BAL | 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2014 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3rd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toNew England Patriots inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2015 | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2017 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2018 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 1st in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toLos Angeles Chargers inAFC Wild Card Game |
| BAL | 2019 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 1st in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toTennessee Titans inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2020 | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 2nd in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toBuffalo Bills inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2021 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL | 2022 | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 2nd in AFC North | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost toCincinnati Bengals inAFC Wild Card Game |
| BAL | 2023 | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toKansas City Chiefs inAFC Championship Game |
| BAL | 2024 | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 | 1st in AFC North | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost toBuffalo Bills inAFC Divisional Game |
| BAL | 2025 | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 2nd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| BAL total | 180 | 113 | 0 | .614 | 13 | 11 | .542 | |||
| NYG | 2026 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | TBD in NFC East | — | — | — | |
| NYG total | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| Total | 180 | 113 | 0 | .614 | 13 | 11 | .542 | |||
Harbaugh has served under eight head coaches:
Twelve of Harbaugh's assistants have been hired as head coaches in the NFL or NCAA:
Harbaugh isCatholic.[98][99]He is married to Ingrid Harbaugh, and they have one daughter, Alison.[100] Alison playedlacrosse for theUniversity of Notre Dame during the 2020 to 2024 collegiate seasons, and theUniversity of South Florida for their inaugural season in 2025.[101][102]
Harbaugh's younger brother,Jim, a former NFLquarterback, has been the head football coach of theLos Angeles Chargers since 2024. He was formerly the head coach for theMichigan Wolverines from 2015 to 2023. Their father,Jack, is a former head football coach atWestern Michigan University andWestern Kentucky University. John's sister, Joani, is married toTom Crean, the former head men's basketball coach atMarquette University,Indiana University and theUniversity of Georgia.[103] John was roommates withBrian Pillman of professional wrestling fame while in college at Miami University in Ohio.[104]
