This week Jay Harbaugh, offensive coach at the Baltimore Ravens, turned down the opportunity to work alongside his father, Jim, at the San Francisco 49ers.
At 24, Jay is entering his third full season working under his Uncle John’s tutelage at the Ravens.
The decision to turn down his father’s job offer has been seen by some commentators as a declaration of Jay’s intent to carve out an independent coaching identity as he works to extend the Harbaugh dynasty into a third generation.
Football runs deep in the Harbaugh bloodline.
Jay’s grandfather, Jack, stands at the head of the family tree. Jack enjoyed an accomplished playing career at the college level, but it was in coaching that he really excelled.
Jack acted as the head coach at Western Michigan from 1982-1986 and at Western Kentucky from 1989-2002. In his final season with Western Kentucky, Jack led his team to the NCAA Division I-AA championship.
These genes were clearly passed on to his sons, John and Jim, who now stand as two of the most regarded coaches in the NFL.
A quarterback like his father, Jim enjoyed an illustrious 13-year career as a professional.
Jim spent the majority of his playing career with the Chicago Bears (1987-93) before moving on to the Indianapolis Colts. He finished his career with brief stints with the Ravens and at San Diego.
In contrast to the career path that Jay has taken this week, Jim was given his break in coaching by his father. In Jim’s later playing days, Jack employed him as an offensive consultant at Western Kentucky.
Jay’s decision to remain in Baltimore is perhaps influenced by the fact that John, unlike Jim, did not embark on a coaching career off of the back of a successful spell as a player.
Jay has no real background as a player and perhaps feels that he can learn more working with a coach approaching the game from that same perspective.
Ultimately, though, Jay’s decision to stay in Baltimore appears born of an assessment of professional reality.
Accusations of nepotism would be an inevitable consequence of a son working alongside his father at such an early stage in his career.
Jay clearly has enough faith in his own ability to extend the Harbaugh dynasty without his father’s help.
If family history is anything to go by, he may yet be justified in his decision.
//from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1ogkYZT
via IFTTT August 07, 2014 at 06:18AM
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