Jim Harbaugh has become a fixture in football, both at the professional and collegiate level, but if it weren’t for that, the Michigan football coach says he would’ve pursued a career mowing lawns.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated published Monday, Harbaugh talked about the joy he still gets from cutting his own lawn at 59 years old and how, if it weren't for playing and coaching football, it’s likely a career he would’ve pursued.
Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh celebrates after the Big 10 Championship game against the Purdue Boilermakers on Dec. 3, 2022, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"A lawnsman!" Harbaugh responded when asked. "That’s what I do. Mowing the lawn is one of the great feelings I have in life."
"It accomplishes three things," he continued. "I’m clearing my mind or thinking of new plays; I feel good about what I accomplish; and I either make money or I save money."
After playing football at the University of Michigan, Harbaugh was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the No. 26 overall pick in 1987. He played the majority of his 14-year NFL career in Chicago before playing with the Colts, Ravens, Chargers and Panthers, briefly.
But Harbaugh is more known for his abilities as a head coach. Before returning to his alma mater in 2014, he served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014, where he reached the conference championship in his first three seasons with the team, resulting in a Super Bowl appearance in 2012.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Wolverines gives a fist bump against the Colorado State Rams at Michigan Stadium on Sept. 03, 2022, in Ann Arbor. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
But years later, fame and success have not gotten in the way of Harbaugh doing what he loves to do: mowing his lawn.
And he notes, sadly, that it’s a habit that most young people tend to avoid.
"It makes me sad sometimes when I drive around Ann Arbor. It used to be kids mowing the lawns. I was that kid, out mowing lawns, earning some money. Now it’s a truck and a crew at every house."
Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh walks out of the tunnel prior to the spring football game at Michigan Stadium on April 2, 2022, in Ann Arbor. (Jaime Crawford/Getty Images)
Michigan announced in January that Harbaugh would be back in Ann Arbor for his ninth season as head coach in 2023, ending any speculation that the former 49ers head coach was eyeing a return to the NFL.
He had been linked to several teams that parted ways with their respective coaches last season, including the Denver Broncos.
In eight seasons as Michigan’s head coach, Harbaugh compiled a 74-25 record. Michigan was 13-0 this season before getting upset by TCU in the College Football Playoffs.