Gregory Shamus/Getty Jim Harbaugh looks on with his wife and family as he is introduced as the new Head Coach of the University of Michigan football team at the Junge Family Champions Center on December 30, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh is married to Sarah Feuerborn Harbaugh and the Wolverines head coach has seven children from his two marriages.
Harbaugh comes from a football family. His father, Jack Harbaugh, was a longtime college football coach and his brother, John Harbaugh, is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL. His mother, the matriarch of the pigskin-loving clan, is Jackie Harbaugh. Along with his brother, John, Harbaugh has a sister, Joani.
Harbaugh has three daughters, Grace, Addison and Katherine, and four sons, Jay, James Jr., Jack and John according to his biography on the Michigan Wolverines website. Jim Harbaugh is also a grandfather. His son, Jay, and daughter-in-law, Brhitney, have a son, Jacob, and daughter, Norma, according to the Michigan football website.
Here’s what you need to know about Jim Harbaugh’s family:
1. Jim Harbaugh’s Father, Jack Harbaugh, Coached at Western Kentucky & Several Other Colleges; Jim Harbaugh Faced His Brother in the 2013 Super Bowl While Coaching the 49ers
GettyJim Harbaugh’s parents, Jack Harbaugh and Jackie Harbaugh.
Jim Harbaugh’s father, Jack Harbaugh, was a college football coach from 1967 to 2002 after playing football at Bowling Green State University and also coaching at Ohio high schools, according to his bio on the Stanford University website. He started his career at Morehead State as an assistant. His first head coaching job was at Western Michigan, from 1982 to 1986. He then coached Western Kentucky from 1989 to 2002.
The elder Harbaugh has also been on the sidelines next to his son. He was an offensive assistant for Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego from 2004 to 2006, according to the Toreros website. He then filled in as running backs coach for his son during the 2009 Sun Bowl when Stanford played Oklahoma.
Like Jim, Jack Harbaugh’s other son, John Harbaugh, followed his footsteps into coaching. John Harbaugh has been the head coach of the Ravens since 2008 after several years as an assistant in the NFL and college football. The two Harbaughs faced off at Super Bowl XLVII, while Jim Harbaugh, John’s younger brother, was coaching the San Francisco 49ers. John Harbaugh and Baltimore won the showdown 34-31.
Jackie Harbaugh told ESPN about her sons coaching against each other in the Super Bowl, “These are difficult times when you are playing against your own brother. But at the end of the day, it is still about family and feelings for one another.”
2. Jim Harbaugh Met His Wife, Sarah Feuerborn Harbaugh, in 2006 in Las Vegas & They Have Been Married Since 2008; They Have 2 Sons & 2 Daughters Together
Gregory Shamus/Getty Sarah Harbaugh sits with daughter Katherine prior to Jim Harbaugh being introduced as the new Head Coach of the University of Michigan football team at the Junge Family Champions Center on December 30, 2014 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh and his wife, Sarah Harbaugh, have been married since 2008. They have four children together, two daughters, Addison and Katherine, and two sons, Jack and John, according to the Michigan website.
They met in 2006 in Las Vegas, where the then-Sarah Feuerborn, a Missouri native, was selling real estate. Harbaugh told HBO Sports they met at a P.F. Chang’s Chinese food restaurant.
“Sarah was there getting takeout. I saw her getting takeout and leaving and then I went up to her and asked if I could meet her,” Harbaugh said in the HBO “Real Sports” interview 2015. “And so she said, ‘Sure you can meet me.’ And she gave me her phone number. And I didn’t believe her at first, I thought it was one of those fake numbers she was giving me. But I called her. Multiple times. Like nine times before she returned my call. … I could tell she was a winner all the way.”
In 2019, Sarah Harbaugh told The Brick Magazine about the time she was kicked off of Twitter. It happened in 2017, when her then 5-year-old son was caught on camera crying in the stands after a Michigan loss to Wisconsin. A clip went viral on social media. And Sarah Harbaugh said she fought back against mean comments being made on Twitter.
“That day, a part of me came out that I hadn’t seen before. It’s one thing to say things about Jim, the team or the players. They’re adults. But I wasn’t willing to just sit by and let people say something about our kid,” Sarah Harbaugh told the magazine. “I didn’t use profanity or anything like that, but I gave back everything they dished out.” She said her account wasn’t verified and her string of negative posts led her to be suspended by Twitter.
“I had to draw the line. I didn’t want this to come back on my family. I gave some pretty vicious comebacks that day and I’ve never been on Twitter since,” she said. “I’m sure I’m not the first mom or coach’s wife who’s been through that. But I worry now that the kids are coming of age to see with their own eyes how people can be.”
3. Harbaugh Has 3 Children From His First Marriage to His Ex-Wife, Miah Harbaugh, Including His Son, Jay Harbaugh, Who Is on His Coaching Staff at Michigan
Jim Harbaugh was previously married to Miah Harbaugh from 1996 to 2006. Harbaugh and his ex-wife have three adult children together: a daughter, Grace, and two sons, Jay and James Jr. His son Jay Harbaugh is the special teams coordinator and safeties coach for the Michigan Wolverines, according to the team’s website.
Jim Harbaugh told reporters in September 2022, according to MLive, “I don’t really talk much about Jay, because he is my son. And that’s probably, for right or wrong, a blessing, a curse, I don’t know. But I’d say it’s about time we give him the recognition he deserves. He’s a phenomenal, phenomenal football coach. The way he talks to our team, the way he coaches special teams; he’s recruited a great tight end room, a great running back room.”
Jay Harbaugh told MLive, “It’s kind of a tough thing. I just view myself as part of the staff. There’s times where the relationship kind of flips the switch and it’s more of a family type of relationship. But when we’re here, we’re all just focused on the football team getting better and playing really well. I’m super blessed to be in a position to get to observe him and learn from him everyday. I’ll be grateful for that for the rest of my life, and my opportunity here to learn from the best coach in the world, in my opinion.”
James Harbaugh Jr., graduated from the Univeristy of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts focusing on directing, according to his Twitter page. He is a Delta Air Lines flight attendant, according to his Twitter.
Grace Harbaugh plays water polo at the University of Michigan, according to the Wolverines website. She is entering her senior season. She is also an intern with the Detroit Lions, according to her Instagram.
“Growing up in a family that was passionate about Michigan, the love for the University was instilled in me at a young age. I grew up singing the fight song and watching football games. I fell in love with the traditions, academics, athletics, and opportunities Michigan has to offer,” she said about why she picked the school, according to the Wolverines website.
4. Harbaugh’s Brother-in-Law Is Former College Basketball Coach & Current ESPN Analyst Tom Crean
GettyTom Crean is Jim Harbaugh’s brother-in-law.
Jim Harbaugh’s sister, Joani, is married to former college basketball coach Tom Crean. He was most recently the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 2018 to 2022, according to the school’s website. He previously coached at Indiana and Marquette. Crean currently works as an ESPN college basketball analyst, according to the network.
He told Awful Announcing in December 2022, about being part of the Harbaugh clan, “If there is any type of competition that can even remotely be created, Jim is going to do everything he can to win it. John is not going to give him a leg up. Joani is going to figure out her way to get an edge too. It’s a family that if there’s any type of competition, they’re going to figure out how to win it. But sometimes you just concede it to Jim because he’s just not going to give in.”
Crean added, “One of the best was a few years back in the pool in the summertime. Jim went against all the kids, his own and mine to see who could swim the longest underwater while holding their breath. And he won. He wasn’t going to give in. … My wife is as competitive as any of them. She doesn’t have to win at everything like Jim does, but she wants to win her share. I let her win. Happy wife, happy life. There’s no question about that. And she would say that she would win anyways, but we don’t compete that much. She’s a tennis player. I’m just learning. I don’t get invited to play. I have more fun watching her compete against my son, whether it’s pickleball, tennis, or something else.”
5. Harbaugh Lives With His Wife & Kids in Ann Arbor
Harbaugh lives with his wife and his four youngest kids in a multi-million-dollar home in Ann Arbor, according to public records. Their family is involved in several charities in the Michigan area and he and his wife are also open about their Catholic faith.
In 2019, Sarah Harbaugh told The Brick Magazine about raising children with her husband in the spotlight, “At school the other kids know who Jim is, but I don’t think our kids really understand the magnitude of who their dad is until they’re out and people want an autograph or a picture. The kids get excited and proud about it, but they don’t really say anything: they’re used to it now.”
She added, “It makes me wonder how they’re processing it all. I try to make sure they understand that this isn’t normal or reality for most people. I don’t want them to get complacent or used to being treated this way. … Keeping the kids and my faith front and center has been very grounding for me. I want them to always depend on something higher than them. I also want them to be good kind people.”
Jim Harbaugh told San Diego Family about his parenting philosophy, “There’s an importance in winning. You’ve got to win. You’ve got to be good at what you’re doing. There’s no such thing as having an off day. I think it’s important to understand that, ‘You must win.’ … Every day’s a game day.”
Comments
Jim Harbaugh’s Wife & Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know