What is Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh’s connection to Bowling Green State University?

Harbaugh surprised fans in an interview earlier this week when he said his dad told him that the BGSU Falcons were “going to come up here and kick your ass.” The Wolverine coach has fond memories of his time in Northwest Ohio, where he was born. His dad was a football coach and his family moved around with him in the late 60s to towns like Perrysburg, where he was a high school coach and then to Bowling Green, where he was an assistant coach with the Falcons.

Jim Harbaugh’s family ties to Bowling Green

Although he never played or coached for Bowling Green State University, Harbaugh and his family lived in BG while his father coached there. Both Jim and his brother John, current coach of the Baltimore Ravens, studied at St. Aloysius in Bowling Green (1967-70) before moving to Iowa and then to Ann Arbor, where his dad coached from 1973-1979 and of course where Jim played quarterback under the tutelage of Bo Schembechler from 1982 to 1986. He went on to play 15 years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers.

He began his coaching career in 1994 and moved up through the ranks in the NCAA with teams like the University of San Diego and Stanford University. He coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 - 2014 until returning to the University of Michigan where he has been head coach since 2015.

His ties to Bowling Green came up in an interview at the beginning of the week when asked about the Wolverine’s rival this weekend. He explained to the reporters that his parents met in English class at BGSU and his father is still a big fan of his alma mater, where he played football from 1957 - 1960.

At the press conference on Monday Jim talked about his parents, Bowling Green and that strong connection: “Jack Harbaugh, Bowling Green, I could sing you Ay Ziggy Zoomba if you want me to or he can, that’s something we can remember since we’ve first been around anything,” he said. “First time I remember anything in life was when my dad was coaching at Morehead State but I remember just about everything being 5-6 years old when Dad was coaching at BG. His basement, well-talked about, well-known basement of Jack Harbaugh. If you haven’t been there you oughta go by there sometime. Big section devoted to Bowling Green. My mom and dad met at English class at BG, I’ve heard all those stories.”

Despite his dad’s remarks about who he thinks will win Saturday, the Wolverines are a 40-point favorite against the Falcons.