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Michigan Football: Top 10 greatest coaches in program history

By Quinn Douglas

University of Michigan's head coach Lloyd Carr wonders what is going on during his teams loss to Ohio State University at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 19, 2005. Ohio State won the game 25-21. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
University of Michigan's head coach Lloyd Carr wonders what is going on during his teams loss to Ohio State University at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 19, 2005. Ohio State won the game 25-21. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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10. Jim Harbaugh: 2015-present

  • Career Record: 28-11

The current man in charge of the Michigan program starts off the list. Jim Harbaugh was a star quarterback for Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines in the mid-1980’s. Following a solid NFL career, he earned his first full-time coaching job as quarterbacks coach of the Oakland Raiders. Two years later, he became head coach of San Diego University and lead the Toreros to two conference titles in three years. In 2007 he was hired by Stanford and led a significant turnaround of the Cardinal program, the pinnacle being a 12-win season in 2010.

Following a successful turnaround of the Stanford program, Harbaugh became head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and led them to the Super Bowl in his second season. His 49ers career ended not long after due to a fallout with 49ers management, which allowed him to return to Ann Arbor in 2015. His first season was a successful one, leading Michigan to a 10-3 record and a bowl win. In 2016, the pressure was on for the Wolverines to contend for a national title. They did reach 9-0, but a stunning road loss to Iowa, followed by a loss to rival Ohio State, sent them spiraling out of playoff contention.

Michigan was expected to reload in 2017, but did not do so effectively, finishing the season with an 8-5 record and a bowl loss to South Carolina, leading to some questioning Harbaugh’s job security, absurdly enough. There’s no question Harbaugh knows how to win in Ann Arbor and many expect him to be higher up on this list once he is done coaching the maize and blue.

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