Jon Wilner of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS had the obligatory news just hours after Stanford’s monster win @ USC Saturday that the Cardinal’s athletic admin was doing all it could to slap together a contract extension for coach Jim Harbaugh.
(Had ya fooled?)
The past 24 hours I’ve heard several media members say they thought the Palo Alto-raised Harbaugh would stay at Stanford because he had such a good situation. Likewise myoptic Stanford alums, who have been in my ear since Harbaugh extinguished the L.A. Coliseum’s victory torch on Saturday evening, claiming the coach has no interest in going anywhere.
Apparently those folks weren’t paying attention in January.
On Jan. 18, 2009, Mark Purdy of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS reported,
Just for the record, though, Stanford’s Athletic Director, Bob Bowlsby, told the Mercury News that no NFL team had put in a formal request to speak with Harbaugh.
It’s also worth noting that Stanford recruit Tyler Gaffney recently visited Palo Alto and told ESPN.com that Harbaugh didn’t shy away from shooting down the persistent NFL rumors.
“He told us he had no interest and the NFL isn’t for him,” Gaffney said. “He did interview, but it was a while ago. … He said he just wanted to see what it was like. But he’s going to be signing his extension at Stanford in the next week and wants to stay for the long haul.”
That’s funny, when you consider Harbaugh reportedly interviewed with the Jets the week before:
The club secretly interviewed Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh, an NFL quarterback for 15 seasons, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak for the club.
On Thursday, when a Jets contingent flew to Arizona to interview Cardinals assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm, it continued on to the Bay Area to visit with Harbaugh.
This discrepancy wasn’t lost on Purdy and Reid Cherner of USA TODAY:
It’s no sin to be an ambitious coach. And if Harbaugh is using the NFL feelers as leverage to get more money from Bowlsby, that’s also not against the law. But a man should at least be up front about the situation, unless Harbaugh wants to be considered just another borderline greasy coach who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
In case you’re wondering, Harbaugh has never denied he interviewed with the Jets.
So a week after secretly interviewing with the Jet without telling the Stanford AD, Harbaugh told a recruit he had no interest in coaching in the NFL. That a head NFL coaching job “wasn’t for him.”
And I haven’t even brought up Al Davis much-reported courtship of Harbaugh last offseason that the coach failed to shoot down publicly.
Since then, circumstances have changed. The Cardinal are playing better, and fan support has increased, something Harbaugh voiced concern about on more than one occasion.
But it’s clear that Harbaugh has his sights set on a head coaching position in the NFL - like his brother John in Baltimore. So rather than be surprised, I’d advise Stanford fans to brace themselves for the day your program’s latest savior ditches Menlo Park for a play-for-pay ballpark near you.
10:07 pm on November 16th, 2009
Wishful thinking by disheartened Trojans?
Tedford’s my curse, so the sooner Jimmy hits the door, the better in my book. I’m not looking forward to Saturday’s game…..
But, I think Harbaugh’s got more time at Stanford before he hits the NFL.
I think he was smart to be looking elsewhere at the start of the year. January was pretty funky in Palo Alto, and nobody was feeling it much ’cause the program didn’t generate alum interest except for the occassional upset, even through the start of this season. Christ, Stanford put his contract extension “on hold” at the start of the year.
A spotty start to the season, but somebody plugged the cord in the socket in October and Stanford is playing the football that alumni love, hands down. Fun to watch, and if he tightens up the defense, it could be a very good team.
So now the money will come, and Harbaugh’s a pig in sh*t…. $70k crappers are nothing compared to what could come down the pike.
10:22 pm on November 16th, 2009
This is kind of like the USC coach who, upon failing miserably in the pros, hit it big in college, then said he wanted to stay (after they threw more money at him). Whether he stays or not, they sure kicked USC’s asses. Pretty funny considering the average salary of a USC starter is???? Oh, that’s right, the coach didn’t know Reggie Bush was living in a mansion. I don’t like or hate either school, but it’s always nice when a team like Northwestern, Vanderbilt or Stanford is able to beat teams whose players dance through classes and make a mockery of college. I’m not saying they have to get straight A’s, but it’s pretty funny when you look at the “salary cap” of a USC, etc..
By the way, Brooks, regarding your Lakers, ever heard the phrase “better lucky than good” in the past? Lakers were on their way to a first round knockout until Houston lost yet another top scoring starter, and they waltzed by the Magic who were down their all-star point guard. Gee, I wonder what would’ve happened if the Lakers lost one of their top two scorers? Wait, I know…”Trade me” — Kobe Mr. Loyal Bryant.
7:09 am on November 17th, 2009
Brooks, is your whine made from sour grapes?
7:43 am on November 17th, 2009
He takes an NFL job or waits out te inevitable Rich Rod canning in Ann Arbor.
12:30 pm on November 17th, 2009
I doubt Harbaugh becomes an institution at Stanford - he’ll go elsewhere eventually.
As an SC fan, I hope he sticks around a bit - I’d hate to miss a chance to pay him back for that 2-pt conversion attempt. Stanford gets teams like this once a decade, USC will be back.