Michigan Football: 3 reasons why Jim Harbaugh owns college football
3. Jim Harbaugh attracted the Jordan brand
The Michigan Wolverines football program was struggling before 2015. Before Jim Harbaugh arrived as head coach, the Wolverines hadn’t won more than 10 games since 2011. They achieved double-digit victories twice since 2006 before Harbaugh’s arrival.
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In his first season, Michigan went 10-3. This past season again they went 10-3 again, with nothing to hang their heads about. No, they didn’t win a Big Ten title nor did they make the College Football Playoff, but look at how far they’ve come.
After all, they are the first-ever football program to be sponsored by the Jordan Brand, primarily a basketball company. The deal turned a lot of heads around the country. It was made after Harbaugh’s first season as head coach. The 15-year deal is set to make the University of Michigan a whopping $173.8 million.
While the sponsorship benefits all of the athletic programs, there are a lot of incentives that go towards success on the football field. More details on the deal can be viewed here.
"Nike will pay Michigan football the following for accomplishments: * $10,000 for a Big Ten title game appearance * $20,000 for a Big Ten title game victory * $25,000 for a CFP semifinal appearance * $50,000 for a national title game appearance * $100,000 for a national title"
What Jim Harbaugh has brought to the Michigan program is a sense of renewed culture. They haven’t had a coach have back-to-back 10-win seasons since Lloyd Carr did so back in 2002 and 2003.