Giants hiring John Harbaugh: 9 things to know about the head coach

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After an intense meeting on Wednesday, which came on the heels of an aggressive pursuit, the New York Giants burned the midnight oil, finalizing a deal with John Harbaugh to become their next head coach.

Here are nine quick facts Giants fans should know about Harbaugh.

Comes with many accolades

Harbaugh has compiled a regular-season head coaching record of 180-113 (.614), the 14th most victories in NFL history. He is also 13-11 in the postseason, including a victory in XLVII, and holds the NFL postseason record for road victories (8). Harbaugh is the only head coach in the NFL since the 1970 merger to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons.

Harbaugh is the oldest Giants head coach ever hired

Harbaugh is 63 years old, which makes him the oldest person Big Blue has ever hired to its head coaching position. Tom Coughlin was 57 years old when the Giants hired him to replace Jim Fassel in 2004. He coached until the age of 69, which Harbaugh could match if he has a successful run.

Only Harbaugh's second head coaching gig

Despite being considered one of the NFL's top head coaches, Harbaugh has held only one head coaching job in his four-decade coaching career. That, of course, is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens from 2008 to 2025.

Harbaugh comes from a family full of coaches

Harbaugh is the son of Jack Harbaugh, a long-time high school and college coaching legend who worked at some major programs such as Michigan, Stanford, Pittsburgh, and Iowa.

John's brother, Jim, is currently the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers and has had major success on both the college and pro levels. Harbaugh's brother-in-law, Tom Crean, has served as head basketball coach at Georgia, Indiana, and Marquette.

In 2024, the four men founded the Harbaugh Coaching Academy.

From the Andy Reid coaching tree

Harbaugh served as an assistant to Andy Reid in Philadelphia from 1998 through 2007. Also generating from that coaching tree: Sean McDermott, Steve Spagnuolo, Todd Bowles, Matt Nagy, Doug Pederson, and Ron Rivera.

His area of expertise is special teams

Harbaugh made his name mainly as a special teams coach and coordinator. He ran the teams at Moorehead State, Cincinnati, and Indiana on the college level, and then spent nine years in the NFL in Philadelphia. Giant fans will be happy to know that their special teams are back in good hands.

Played DB at the University of Miami, Ohio

John's younger brother, Jim, is well known for his playing career. First in college at Michigan, then in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts. John never played in the NFL, but did play defensive back in college at the University of Miami, Ohio. The Harbaughs attended Pioneer (Ann Arbor, MI) High School, and both were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2016.

Respectable member of the NFL and society

Harbaugh is a strong advocate of the U.S. Military and was awarded its Salute to Service Award in 2023. In 2008, Harbaugh helped institute Military Appreciation Day in Baltimore and, along with his wife, Ingrid, has been an ardent supporter of scores of other charities and causes.

Well-educated

Harbaugh is a history buff and earned a degree in political science at Miami (OH), where he won the Football Scholar Athlete Award as a defensive back for the Redhawks in 1984. Later on, he earned his master's in physical education at Western Michigan.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants hiring John Harbaugh: 9 things to know about the head coach

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