Background
Harbaugh was born in Crestline, Ohio, to Marie Evelyn (née Fisher) and William Avon Harbaugh.
Harbaugh was born in Crestline, Ohio, to Marie Evelyn (née Fisher) and William Avon Harbaugh.
In his junior year, the Falcons finished the season 9–0 and were named the small college division national champions.
He is of German and Irish descent. He played college football for the Bowling Green State University Falcons from 1957 to 1960, where he was a three-time letterman. Harbaugh played professionally for one season, 1961, in the American Football League for the New York Titans, a team that would be renamed the New York Jets two years later.
Harbaugh began as an assistant coach to Jack Donaldson at Perrysburg High School in Perrysburg, Ohio, southwest of Toledo.
(Donaldson later went on to coach the University of Toledo and in the NFL) Both sons were born while Harbaugh was in Perrysburg. In 1964, Harbaugh was the head coach of Eaton High School football team in Eaton, Ohio.
His record was 5–4–1, their first winning season in many years. In 1965 the team went 6–4.
In 1966, Harbaugh was the head coach of the Xenia High School football team in Xenia, Ohio.
His record for the one year that he coached was 8–1–1. From 1982 to 1986, he served as the head football coach at Western Michigan University and compiled a 26–26–3 record. From 1989 to 2002, he was the head football coach at Western Kentucky University.
Harbaugh has also served as an assistant coach at Morehead State University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, Stanford University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of San Diego.
Jack filled in for Willie Taggart, who had recently been hired as the new head football coach at WKU.