It was never quite the moment John Harbaugh had imagined as the pinnacle of his coaching career. As a young boy, he’d watched Super Bowl-winning coaches revel in the glory of victory, carried off the field by their players, or drenched in celebratory Gatorade showers. But when the Baltimore Ravens triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, John found himself standing alone on the field. The grand moment of victory was overshadowed by something deeper—a realization about his brother, Jim.
Having just won the Super Bowl, John made his way across the field to find Jim, his younger brother, who was coaching the 49ers that day. There, in the middle of the chaos and jubilation, John reached out to offer his brother an embrace, only for Jim to put an outstretched forearm into John’s chest. “There will be no hug,” Jim told him, a statement that spoke volumes about the nature of their fierce competition.
Fast forward more than a decade, and John and Jim are set to meet once again as opposing head coaches—this time, for the first time since that historic Super Bowl. On Monday night, John will take his Ravens (7-4) across the country to face Jim’s Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) at SoFi Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
Although the stakes aren’t as high as they were in Super Bowl XLVII, where the Lombardi Trophy was on the line, the game still carries significant weight. Both teams are fighting for playoff positioning in the AFC, but for the Harbaugh brothers, bragging rights will always remain part of the equation. For John, who has defeated Jim twice in previous matchups, including the iconic Super Bowl victory, he insists his record stands at 3-0, adding a preseason win in 2014 when the Ravens and 49ers faced off.
“People always say it’s 2-0. I say, no, it’s 3-0,” John explained, referencing that preseason victory. “I beat Jim in that game, too.”
For the Harbaughs, the significance of this meeting is less about the scoreboard and more about their family legacy and the rivalry that has defined their relationship as coaches. From backyard games to their dueling leadership roles in the NFL, competition has always been at the heart of their bond. While it may not be a Super Bowl showdown this time, the rivalry between the brothers still runs deep.
The first time the Harbaugh brothers faced off as NFL head coaches came in 2011 when John’s Ravens defeated Jim’s 49ers 16-6 on Thanksgiving Day. The second meeting came in the Super Bowl the following year, a matchup that brought with it more than just family bragging rights. John’s Ravens came out on top again, but the subject remains rarely discussed between the two. It wasn’t until three years ago that Jim, during a visit to John’s home, offered a rare acknowledgment of that loss.
“We don’t really talk about that, do we, Dad?” Jim’s son, Jack, asked while seeing a picture from the Super Bowl hanging in John’s recreational barn.
Jim, to Jack’s surprise, finally spoke about it. “It’s okay to talk about that. That was a great day for Uncle John. We’re happy to celebrate that.”
Despite this, others close to the Harbaughs suggest Jim may still be processing that Super Bowl loss. Their father, Jack Harbaugh, believes Jim is “still working on it.”
However, the story of that Super Bowl is not just about the final score. Jim still vividly remembers what he views as a pivotal moment in the game—an officiating call that he believes cost his team the victory. With San Francisco trailing by three points in the final minutes, quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree sailed over his head. The officials ruled that Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith’s contact with Crabtree was incidental, but Jim argued that a holding penalty should have been called. This non-call remains a source of frustration for Jim, one that lingers to this day.
After the Super Bowl, Jim didn’t speak to John for five days. It wasn’t until John was on a train to New York, heading to appear on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” that Jim finally called. While the conversation started on a positive note, it soon turned to the controversial officiating decision.
“It was kind of left at that over the years,” John recalled. “But it was a good conversation until that point.”
John and Jim’s coaching careers have since followed different paths. John is now in his 17th season as head coach of the Ravens, making him the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL behind only Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jim, after four seasons with the 49ers, left to coach at the University of Michigan, where he spent nine years before returning to the NFL to coach the Chargers this year.
Despite their professional differences, the brothers continue to maintain a close family bond. Both John and Jim regularly send game film to their father, Jack, a former college coach who won the Division I-AA title at Western Kentucky in 2002. Jack, who has always been deeply involved in his sons’ careers, watches the footage and often calls his sons to share his thoughts on their performances.
But since Jim’s return to the NFL in January, Jack has found himself in a delicate position, caught between his sons’ professional secrets. As he puts it, “If there’s any thought that you would share it with the other one, I’m not going to do it.”
The rivalry between the brothers extends beyond the field. Their mother, Jackie, points out the strong similarities between them: “They’re almost like twins.” Born just 15 months apart, John and Jim mirror each other in many ways, from their football philosophy to their choice of wardrobe and coaching style. Both are known for their commitment to a physical brand of football, focusing on the run game and establishing dominance at the line of scrimmage.
Their coaching styles are also reflected in their personnel choices. Jim is coaching seven former Ravens players, including running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, tight end Hayden Hurst, and several others. Meanwhile, John’s backup quarterback, Josh Johnson, was coached by Jim during his time at the University of San Diego.
The two coaching staffs also share several connections. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who served as John’s offensive coordinator in Baltimore from 2019-2022, previously worked with Jim as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter also spent time working under John as a defensive assistant with the Ravens.
Even off the field, the rivalry persists. A viral video from this year’s training camp showed Jim, at 60 years old, taking part in reverse sled pulls, showcasing his competitive nature. Both brothers have proven time and again that they are relentless in their pursuit of victory, a quality that was instilled in them by their father.
As John and Jim prepare for their first coaching showdown in over a decade, the emotional weight of their shared history is ever-present. Though the game may not carry the same stakes as a Super Bowl, it represents yet another chapter in the ongoing saga of the Harbaugh brothers—two men who have dedicated their lives to the game of football and, in doing so, have created a family rivalry unlike any other in NFL history.