Experience Unrivaled

Freshman Jim Harbaugh watched from the visitor’s sideline at Ohio Stadium as unranked Ohio State was on the verge of knocking off his No. 13 Michigan football team in the 79th “Big Game,” one of the country’s top annual rivalry matches.

But just minutes before Harbaugh was to feel the sting of upset, awe hit his Palo Alto home just over 2,400 miles away as well, as Gary Tyrell, a trombonist in the Stanford Band, lay on the dingy field turf of Berkeley’s Memorial Stadium.

The school that he had rooted for since his days of high school stardom had just fallen victim to arguably the most unforgettable play in college football history.

“It’s tough to beat that memory,” Harbaugh says. “I didn’t get to see it on T.V. because we were at the stadium during our game, but I did see it that night on all the replays of it on ESPN. I couldn’t believe it.”

Fast forward 25 years and Harbaugh, now the first-year Cardinal coach, won’t have to worry about missing out again, as he will make his second Big Game debut; this time in the 110th installment of the nation’s 10th oldest college football rivalry.

“This is the game that you prepare for all year round,” Harbaugh says. “Having been around, knowing what it means to our players, what it means to our school and our alumni—you feel that emotion.”

Growing up, Harbaugh had a bit more inclusion in the Big Game than the average Bay Area high-schooler.

His father, Jack, spent the two years preceding “The Play” as Stanford’s defensive coordinator, giving his son the opportunity to watch the 1980 and ’81 Big Games from the sidelines.

“I was a fan of whatever school my dad was coaching at at the time,” says Harbaugh. “So I was definitely a huge fan when my dad was coaching (at Stanford) but afterwards as well because I went to high school across the street and gained a real admiration for Stanford.”

But even before his prep days in Palo Alto, Harbaugh was already well-educated in the rivalry world.

Prior to taking the job with the Cardinal, Harbaugh’s father spent six years in Ann Arbor, his son’s future alma mater, where the two would together take part in six Michigan-Ohio State matchups.

“I think in any rivalry, whether it’s high school or college or pro, (watching) doesn’t compare to when you’re involved,” says Harbaugh. “It’s the biggest game when your school is playing in it or you’re a member of the team or a coach.”

Harbaugh would not give the coaching thing a try for himself until some 18 years later, but it wouldn’t take long for him to taste success.

After a standout 15-year career in the NFL, Harbaugh took his first job as the quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2002, where he helped lead the black and silver to a Super Bowl berth the following year.

In 2004, Harbaugh went back to school, but this time as the head coach at San Diego.

In just his second and third years at the helm, Harbaugh led the Toreros to back-to-back Division I-AA Mid Major National Championships, but there was something missing.

For someone like Harbaugh, on whose athletic career rivalry had been such a large influence, San Diego was not the place to be.

He left Southern California soon after and headed for home, where he will make his return to the sideline of the Big Game, but this time, with a headset on.

“Cal and Stanford, they don’t like each other this week,” Harbaugh laughs. “But there’s tremendous respect that both universities have for the other and that usually leads to a big game.”

This year’s Big Game has turned to be just what Harbaugh predicted—big.

For the first time in four years, the two teams are close in the conference rankings—albeit, near the bottom of the rankings—and the finish could have bowl implications.

Cal, which started the season 5-0, has dropped five of its last six games. Its postseason plans could be in jeopardy if the Bears fall to the Cardinal for the first time in five years.

With that said, Harbaugh seems to have confidence in his squad.

“I’m very excited,” Harbaugh says. “It’ll be an honor competing against Cal.”

Tags: