Jim Harbaugh to Coach 49ers

~ The Jim Harbaugh tour has reached it’s destination and the San Francisco 49ers got the man they wanted for the job. Harbaugh leaves a succesful run as head coach at Stanford and accepts a 5 year deal worth $25 million as reported by ESPN (Friday, January 7th) to become the head coach and replace fired coach Mike Singletary. The hiring caps off what was a whirlwind couple of days for Harbaugh, he was actively pursued by the 49ers and Miami Dolphins and rumored to be a canidate for the vacant college head coaching spot at his alma mater Michigan University.

This is pretty much the dream job for Harbaugh. He does not have to relocate his family if he does not want too, and it’s as big a rebuilding job as you can get. A chance to restore some of the luster back to a 49ers team that has not been to the playoffs for 8 straight seasons. It’s a good hire for the 49ers and good PR  too for a team that really needed it after a season like the one they just had.

The time was definitely now for Harbaugh after 4 years at Stanford. He led the Cardinal this season to 12-1 record and a convincing 40-12 win in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech. It was under Harbaugh where Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has emerged as a potential No 1. NFL Draft Pick.  This move has all the makings of something good. The NFL would love for the 49ers to be interesting again and Harbaugh brings name credibility. Can he make the adjustment from college to the pros as a coach? Harbaugh coached a Pro-Style offense at Stanford and his NFL career as a quarterback was long and successful with the Bears, Colts, Ravens, Chargers, and Panthers.

“Losing is not an option … ” – Jim Harbaugh

That mentality has to be music to the ears of the 49er fans.