Dan Salomone
John Harbaugh led the Ravens to 193 wins, including a Super Bowl victory, over the course of 18 seasons in Baltimore. Now he will lead the New York Football Giants.
But what (and who) led him to East Rutherford?
Below is a look at Harbaugh's distinguished career timeline.
1984-97:Harbaugh coached 10 years on offense and four on defense at the collegiate level, launching his coaching career in 1984 at the age of 21 as a graduate assistant for his father at Western Michigan. In his second position at the University of Pittsburgh (1987), he was mentored by the legendary Sid Gillman, a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Harbaugh also coached the tight ends at Pitt under head coach Mike Gottfried. While at Cincinnati (1989-96), Harbaugh coached special teams, tight ends, outside linebackers and running backs, and he served as the recruiting coordinator.
Harbaugh also coached one season at Indiana in 1997 as the defensive backs coach/special teams coordinator, under former Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, and one year at Morehead State in 1988 as the defensive backs coach/special teams and strength and conditioning coordinator.
1998Eagles head coach Ray Rhodes hires John Harbaugh, who quickly established a reputation as one of the NFL's top special teams coordinators. Subsequently, Harbaugh was one of four assistants retained by Andy Reid in 1999. Following the 2001 campaign, Harbaugh was voted the NFL's Special Teams Coach of the Year by his peers.
Jan. 19, 2008John Harbaugh is introduced as the third head coach in Baltimore Ravens history.
Sept. 7, 2008John Harbaugh makes his head coaching debut in a 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Harbaugh goes on to win 192 more games, including postseason.
Dec. 28, 2008The Ravens defeat the Jaguars 27-7 in the final game of the regular season, securing a postseason berth in Harbaugh's first year at the helm.
Jan. 4, 2009 (Wild Card Round)The Ravens defeat the Dolphins 27-9 on the road in Harbaugh's inaugural season. Harbaugh owns the most road playoff wins (eight) by a head coach in NFL history. Tom Coughlin, the Giants' two-time Super Bowl champion head coach, and Tom Landry are second with seven each. With 13 total victories in 2008, Harbaugh set the NFL record for the most wins ever by a rookie head coach starting a rookie quarterback (Joe Flacco).
Nov. 24, 2011In a Thanksgiving game that features the first-ever NFL game between head coaches who are brothers, John's Ravens bested Jim's 49ers, 16-6.
Jan. 1, 2012The Ravens defeat the Bengals in the regular-season finale, sweeping the division for the first time in team history and capturing the first of six AFC North titles under Harbaugh.
May 23, 2012The late Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno presented Harbaugh and Tom Coughlin with the Outstanding Civilian Service Award during a ceremony at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Virginia.
Feb. 3, 2013John Harbaugh's Ravens defeat the 49ers, 34-31, in Super Bowl XLVII.
April 19, 2014John Harbaugh, a 1984 graduate of Miami University, is inducted into the Cradle of Coaches Association and immortalized with a statue at Yager Stadium's Cradle of Coaches Plaza. The statue of Harbaugh joins the existing Cradle of Coaches statues of Earl "Red" Blaik, Paul Brown, Carm Cozza, Paul Dietzel, Wilbur "Weeb" Ewbank, Ara Parseghian, John Pont and Glenn "Bo" Schembechler. The statues honor Miami graduates who have earned recognition as national collegiate or professional coaches of the year, who have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame or the Pro Football Hall of Fame, or whose teams won national collegiate or professional/Super Bowl championships.
Nov. 30, 2015John Harbaugh surpasses Brian Billick (85 wins) as the Ravens' all-time winningest coach in a Monday night stunner in Cleveland after Brent Urban blocks Travis Coons' field goal attempt and Will Hill returns it 64 yards for a touchdown as time expires.
Nov. 19, 2017With a 23-0 win over the Packers at historic Lambeau Field, John Harbaugh records his 100th victory as head coach (90 regular season plus 10 postseason).
April 26, 2018The Ravens draft future two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson with the final pick of the first round. Winning six of their last seven games that season all with Jackson as the starter Baltimore captures the AFC North title.
Dec. 29, 2019The Ravens win a franchise-record 12th consecutive game to close out the regular season. Baltimore's league-best 14-2 record sets a franchise mark, topping the 13-3 campaign from 2006. Baltimore becomes the first team ever to average 200 passing and 200 rushing yards per game in a season. Unanimous NFL MVP QB Lamar Jackson accounts for a league-high 43 total TDs.
Feb. 1, 2020John Harbaugh is named the 2019 AP NFL Coach of the Year.
2023Baltimore produces the NFL's best regular-season record (13-4) and earns a No. 1 playoff seed again. The Ravens become the first team in league history to finish a season ranking No. 1 in each of the following categories: points allowed (16.5 ppg), sacks (60) and takeaways (31, tied w/ NYG).
Jan. 6, 2026Ravens part ways with John Harbaugh, the winningest coach in franchise history, after an 18-year tenure. "This was an incredibly difficult decision, given the tremendous 18 years we have spent together and the profound respect I have for John as a coach and, most importantly, as a great man of integrity," Owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement. "Throughout what I firmly believe is a Hall of Fame coaching career, John has delivered a Super Bowl championship to Baltimore and served as a steadfast pillar of humility and leadership. He and his family have deeply embedded themselves in this community. For these profound contributions, on and off the field, we should all be forever grateful."
Jan. 17, 2026John Harbaugh is hired as the 21st head coach in New York Football Giants history.
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