ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the second straight week, Jim Harbaugh was not on the sidelines for a Michigan football game. But he was on the sidelines somewhere.
On Saturday, videos started surfacing on social media and were eventually put on television of the Wolverines’ head coach working the chain gang at his son Jack’s football game. Taking place in the morning, Harbaugh’s “enthusiasm unknown to mankind” presented itself in a much different role than it usually does once college football season kicks off.
“Oh, it was great. You know, it’s like you go to the games and you got to ask the parents to do something, do some kind of job,” Harbaugh said. “Last week was a Friday game and we were responsible for the Gatorade and some of the snacks. And this week they needed somebody on the chains. So it was good, we got to get right close to the field and watch the game and our team needed to win. And they played really well. We got a young star in (one of the players), No. 24. And my son Jack played really good. They do a great job, the Ann Arbor Saints — coaching, fun to watch, fun to watch the practices. They do a really good good job training the guys and we’ve lost a couple of close ones. And this week we broke through with a big win so as it was neat to see the kids’ enthusiasm for that and confidence as as they left the field. Makes them want to come back, makes them like football. It was cool to be a part of.”
Jim Harbaugh spent the morning working the chains at his son's football game. pic.twitter.com/RPqy4m4DkI
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) September 9, 2023
By the time he was done with his son’s game, Harbaugh still had time to get home and settled in before his actual team kicked off. The Wolverines played at 3:30 p.m. against UNLV, but the Michigan head coach took the opportunity to get some chores done before and after the game. He even skipped out to get himself and the kids some fast food during the halftime break.
“I watched that at home,” Harbaugh said. “Johnny, my six-year-old, and Katie, my 12-year-old, and I — we watched the game from the TV. Got the front lawn cut pregame and then I got the back lawn cut after the game was over. A good productive day!
“I think we forgot to eat, I forgot to feed them! Oh, no we did! At halftime, we went to McDonalds. At halftime, we went to the McDonalds on Washtenaw.”
Harbaugh will have one more game away from the sideline for the maize and blue. Week 3 is the last of the program’s self-imposed suspension. He will return in Week 4 when Michigan hosts Rutgers.