As Jim Harbaugh heads back to Ann Arbor to begin the next chapter in his coaching career, the former star Michigan quarterback is welcomed back with open arms.

Harbaugh will be hailed as a hero at Michigan Stadium, where he earned Big Ten player of the year in 1986 and finished his career in the top five in school history in completions, passing yards and touchdown passes.

As a senior Harbaugh led Michigan to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Rose Bowl. But Harbaugh's time at Michigan wasn't all rosy, and a closer look at his collegiate years reveals no shortage of hurdles that have sculpted him into the tough-love coach he has become.

Harbaugh's career at Michigan began on an ominous note when he showed up late to his first team meeting. Michigan's disciplinarian coach, Bo Schembechler, wasn't too happy.

"It was the very first meeting of the freshmen," Harbaugh once recalled to Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom. "I was out somewhere and I lost track of the time. I got there late. Oh, man. I popped my head in five or 10 minutes late and Bo just exploded. 'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?' he said. I just froze. I couldn't get a word out. 'WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?' he said again. I mumbled something. I was petrified. He was screaming at me in front of all these guys I had never even met before. He goes, 'You of all people! I can't believe you! Your dad's a coach! I'm gonna call him tonight!' He was enraged. He stormed around. Then he said, 'YOU'LL NEVER PLAY A DOWN OF FOOTBALL HERE! NEVER!"

Fortunately for everyone involved, that premonition turned out to be false. Harbaugh only attempted five passes his freshman year, but he earned the starting spot as a sophomore and played for five games before breaking his arm.

Harbaugh's career took off his junior year, when he led the Wolverines to a 10-1-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Nebraska. Michigan finished the season ranked No. 2, which was the best finish of any team Schembechler coached. The next year Harbaugh threw for 2,729 yards and completed 65 percent of his passes, an NCAA accuracy mark which would go untouched for more than a decade. That year Harbaugh finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Despite Harbaugh's enormous success, he said his relationship with Schembechler remained somewhat rocky during his final two years at school. He told Albom, perhaps in jest, that he was thrown off the team twice and that Schembechler called him the "worst quarterback he had seen in 40 years."

Harbaugh has taken after Schembechler as a no-nonsense, sometimes overly intense head coach. He's maintained a tight grip over the teams he's coached (and in the case of the San Francisco 49ers, perhaps too tight). As he transitions to a once-storied program that has lost its way, Harbaugh will be well-advised to use some of that tough love to guide the Wolverines back to the place he left them in 1987.

College Football Coaches Working At Alma Mater

 

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

As a junior in 1985, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a final national ranking of No. 2 after a 10–1–1 season that culminated with a win against Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. Harbaugh finished third in the Heisman voting as a senior while leading Michigan to the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl, where the Wolverines lost to Arizona State 22-15. Harbaugh was the Bears' first-round pick in 1987 and played 14 NFL seasons.

 

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Harbaugh is headed back to Ann Arbor after four seasons with the 49ers that included three consecutive NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance. In his fourth and final season at Stanford, Harbaugh led the Cardinal to a 12-1 record, a win against Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl and a final national ranking of No. 4.

 

Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

Beamer was a three-year starter at cornerback for the Hokies in the 60s, when Virginia Tech twice went to the Liberty Bowl after nearly two decades of not going to a bowl at all. After working his way up the coaching ranks, Beamer became Virginia Tech coach in 1987.

 

Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech

Under Beamer, Virginia Tech has had 22 consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances, including six BCS games. The Hokies just capped their 2014 season by defeating Cincinnati 33-17 in the Military Bowl in Annapolis as Beamer worked the game from the press box while recovering from throat surgery. He has turned down opportunities to leave Virginia Tech.

 

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Gundy was the Cowboys quarterback in the late 80s when he shared a backfield with Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, and helped the team win two bowl games. Gundy's streak of throwing 138 passes without an interception to begin his career stood as an NCAA record until Robert Griffin III broke it in 2008. He began his coaching career as an assistant with Oklahoma State. He also held assistant posts at Baylor and Maryland.

 

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

After serving as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State, Gundy was promoted to head coach when Les Miles left for LSU in 2005. The program progressed gradually under Gundy, with the highlight being the 2011 season that featured a Big 12 championship, a 41–38 win against Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl and a final national ranking of No. 3.

 

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Fitzgerald was a two-time All American linebacker who helped the Wildcats win back-to-back Big Ten championships in the mid-90s. In 1995 he won the Nagurski and Bednarik awards as the nation's best defensive player. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.

 

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Fitzgerald was thrust into the job at age 40 when Wildcats coach Randy Walker died suddenly in the summer of 2006. Fitzgerald led Northwestern to its first bowl win since the 1949 Rose Bowl by beating Mississippi State in the 2013 Gator Bowl. But the team has struggled with consecutive 5-7 finishes after that 10-3 season.

 

David Shaw, Stanford

Shaw was a receiver for the Cardinal in the early 90s, under coaches Dennis Green and Bill Walsh. He made 57 receptions for 664 yards and five touchdowns. Shaw was an assistant for nine years in the NFL with the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens. He joined Jim Harbaugh's staff at University of San Diego in 2006.

 

David Shaw, Stanford

When Harbaugh got the job at Stanford, Shaw came him with him as offensive coordinator. Then after Harbaugh was hired by the 49ers in 2011, Shaw was named his successor at Stanford. The Cardinal won the Pac-12 championship in 2012 and 2013.

 

Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech

Kingsbury won the Sammy Baugh Award as the nation's best passer in 2002 when he threw for 4,445 yards with 41 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Kingsbury appeared in one NFL game with the Jets in 2005. He began coaching with the University of Houston in 2008. He was Texas A&M's offensive coordinator in 2012 when Johnny Manziel won the Heisman.

 

Kliff Kingsbury, Texas Tech

Kingsbury was hired as Texas Tech coach in December 2012 after Tommy Tuberville left for Cincinnati. The Red Raiders went 8-5 in 2013, including a 37-23 win against Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. Injury issues contributed to a 4-8 season in 2014.

 

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin

Chryst was the Badgers quarterback in the mid-80s. His coaching career has included stints with the old World League of American Football and the CFL as well as college programs, including Oregon State and Illinois State. He had two separate tenures as a Wisconsin assistant, first as tight ends coach and then as offensive coordinator.

 

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin

After seven seasons as offensive coordinator with the Badgers, Chryst became Pitt head coach in 2012. He went 19-19 in two seasons with the Panthers. When Gary Andersen left Wisconsin for Oregon State after the 2014 season, the Badgers hired Chryst.

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