John, left, and Jim Harbaughs answer reporters’ questions Friday for the final time before Super Bowl XLVII.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
NEW ORLEANS — Their mom and dad gave them a tough press conference act to follow. So brothers John and Jim Harbaugh, dressed in sharp contrast, both took the low-key approach when they met the media together Friday two days before their clash in Super Bowl XLVII.
John, 50, will coach the Baltimore Ravens. Jim, 49, will coach the San Francisco 49ers. They held a final, joint pregame press conference sitting in chairs just a few feet from the glistening Lombardi Trophy. Only one will hoist it Sunday night. Neither touched it Friday.
Would it bother John to spoil the Super Bowl for a brother with whom he once shared a bedroom?
“No, not at all,” John said with a smile. I suspect he feels the same way. It’s about the teams.”
SUPER BOWL A FAMILY AFFAIR: And it extends beyond Harbaugh family[1]
John wore a black suit and tie. Jim sported his standard coaching garb: khaki pants and a long-sleeved, black 49ers jersey. That was predictable. John is a bit more buttoned down than Jim.
In the crowd were parents Jack and Jackie, both in their 70s, who live in the Milwaukee area. Jack coached in high school and college for more than four decades. The boys grew up around football during Jack’s many coaching stops at places like Iowa, Western Kentucky and Michigan.
At the parents’ press conference earlier this week, they opened with a rousing rendition of the family mantra.
“Whoooo’s got it better than us?” Jack shouted with high enthusiasm.
“Noooooobody,” he and Jackie followed in unison.
That’s not bragging. It goes back to the days when they were moving from place to place, and Jack felt the family needed to keep it spirits up. They’d do that chant in the family car.
Super Bowl coaches historically hold their final press conferences in back-to-back sessions. It would be hard to imagine a dual Q&A at Super Bowl I with Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers and Hank Stram of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Some teams just don’t like each other. This is a Super Bowl clash between two brothers who just plain love each other.
John opened by noting, “Normal Friday practice and we’ll be moving on from there.”
Jim, also sitting with a microphone in his hand, paused for a long moment, smiled and said only, “I concur.”
Looking back on the 49ers’ season, Jim said of his players: “Really a credit to those men, and now we’re looking forward to the game.”
John smiled and said, “I concur.”
PHOTOS: Harbaugh family photos
John said it’s not really about how the coaching brothers will feel after the game.
“For the side that comes up short, it’s going to be a bitter disappointment,” said John. “That’s how football is. That’s how life is.”
Jim’s oldest son, Jay, is a first-year coaching intern on John’s staff with the Ravens.
“I’m really thankful that Jay is doing what he loves to do,” said Jim. “That’s a real blessing, and he’s doing it with the Baltimore Ravens.”
In the closest John came to zinging his brother, he said, “Maybe that (having Jay on the staff) will tip the scale. Maybe that will be our edge.”
Will the brothers shake hands or hug after the game?
“I’ve given absolutely no consideration to the postgame handshake or bear hug or anything else,” said John. “Have you, Jim?”
Jim deadpanned, “I have not.”
VIDEO: Which coach is better to play for?
References
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/01/31/super-bowl-jack-harbaugh-football-families/1881831/ (www.usatoday.com)
- ^ Last Slide (rssfeeds.usatoday.com)
- ^ Next Slide (rssfeeds.usatoday.com)
