The Harbaugh Effect: 1985

Turning a football team around after a dismal season is nothing new to Jim Harbaugh. Heck, he did it in his junior year at Michigan. This is the second in a three-part series that looks back at each of Harbaugh’s three seasons as starting quarterback for the Wolverines.

If you think Michigan football is in a state of uncertainty now, you must not remember 1985.

Bo Schembechler had just experienced his first non-winning season since arriving in Ann Arbor 16 years ago. The Wolverines suffered their worst three-year stretch since the Lyndon Johnson administration, and things weren’t looking any brighter as the new season approached. After an unheard-of seven straight weeks out of the AP and UPI polls, Schembechler entered the fall unranked for the first time since 1969.

To make matters worse, Michigan’s non-conference schedule was as formidable as any in recent memory. The Wolverines opened against three straight top-20 teams. In all, they would face six ranked opponents in 12 games. Six quarterbacks that would play in the NFL. Students, alums and fans weren’t calling for Bo’s head, but they weren’t giving him a vote of confidence either.

#13 Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor as decided favorites to start the 1985 season. A hot and sunny Big House afternoon greeted a subdued and skeptical crowd, the weather providing a necessary distraction from a field-goal filled first half. Three times the Irish drove for points on their way to a 9-3 halftime lead. The Michigan offense looked shaky and indecisive, with Harbaugh missing his targets all over the field. I was an impressionable college kid at the time, enjoying one too many refreshments, but even in my state I could sense the immediate concern among the maize and blue faithful.

All would change soon enough. The second half kickoff floated high and deep, into and out of the arms of Alonzo Jefferson. The Notre Dame return man was hit by onrushing Wolverines and safety Deter Heren pounced on the loose ball at the Irish 14. Two Jamie Morris runs gained little, so on third and six Harbaugh called his own number on a quarterback draw. The defense was caught flat-footed as the junior dove into the end zone for the lead.

Notre Dame recaptured the lead on John Carney’s fourth field goal, but Harbaugh would not be denied. Suddenly every ball he tossed into the air found a blue jersey. A long drive ended with a Gerald White touchdown run, and the Wolverines pulled off the upset, 20-12.

Back in the rankings at #19, Michigan headed for Columbia to play a South Carolina team fresh off a 10-win season. Williams-Brice Stadium had been sold out for months, and Gamecock fans were as rabid as any outside of Columbus. They fed their team’s momentum for as long as they could, until Harbaugh’s methodical offense smothered the life out of them.

On third and one at the Michigan 43 halfway through the first quarter, Harbaugh went play action from I-formation, slinging the ball on a rope and hitting split end Paul Jokisch in stride at the South Carolina 16. Two plays later the junior ran triple option right to perfection, tucking the ball in and diving into the end zone. The Wolverines wouldn’t look back. The day ended with Harbaugh leading the Michigan offense to four touchdowns and passing for 164 yards in a 34-3 rout.

Next up was Bobby Ross’s #17 Maryland Terrapins. The Wolverines were hostile hosts, shutting out quarterback Stan Gelbaugh’s offense 20-0. Wisconsin fell the following week, 33-6. Michigan State was next, getting decimated 31-0 on their own field. By this point it was clear this wasn’t merely a different Michigan team than the year before, but one destined for something special.

Two dominating aspects began to emerge. First, the defense. Gary Moeller’s troops were aggressive and wildly opportunistic, with 15 interceptions in the five wins. In the end they would allow a measley five touchdowns over the entire regular season, their 8.2 points allowed ranking tops in the nation. And second, Harbaugh. The epitome of a do-whatever-it-takes athlete, he threw just 227 passes in 1985 but completed 145 for 1,976 yards, leading the NCAA in passing efficiency.

Harbaugh spread the ball equitably among his receivers, his two favorite targets being a freshman (split end John Kolesar) and a senior (tight end Eric Kattus). Kattus led the receiving corps with 38 receptions for 582 yards and 8 touchdowns. Kolesar came on late but proved electrifying when the team needed it most.

Case in point, the renewal of a certain bitter rivalry on the last day of the regular season. A Wolverine defense that had allowed only three touchdowns in 10 games had just given up its second touchdown in a little over three quarters. Buckeye quarterback Jim Karasatos heaved a fourth-and-10 prayer toward all-American Cris Carter, who leaped and made an acrobatic catch across the goal line. As night fell, Ohio State had momentum and enough time to make up a meager 20-17 deficit. Michigan had a long field in front of them. And a quarterback who was money.

After a three yard gain, Harbaugh heaved a rocket toward his fleeting freshman. Kolesar got cornerback William White to bite on a post pattern, then let fly. Jimmy’s dart hit him in stride and 77 yards later, the Buckeyes were crushed.

The Wolverines had one heroic second-half comeback left in the tank for New Year’s Day, erasing a 14-3 Nebraska lead with 24 third-quarter points and holding on for a 27-23 Fiesta Bowl victory. When the dust settled Michigan sat at 10-1-1 and #2 in both polls, behind 11-1 Oklahoma. Only a last-second Rob Houghtlin field goal in a 12-10 loss at then-#1 Iowa, and a sloppy 3-3 stalemate in Champaign—preserved when Illinois’ last-second game-winning field goal hit the crossbar—kept Michigan from a perfect season and a national championship.

A far cry from 6-6 last season. With the most noticeable difference being The Harbaugh Effect.

The Harbaugh Effect: 1984

Nobody knows just how big an impact Jim Harbaugh will have on Michigan’s football fortunes this season. But if the impact he had during his playing career in Ann Arbor is any indication, we should be in for quite a ride. This is the first in a three-part series that looks back at each of Harbaugh’s three seasons as starting quarterback for the Wolverines.

In the fall of 1983, an apple-cheeked freshman from Palo Alto by the name of Jimmy Harbaugh joined the varsity football team at Michigan.

The program was in the midst of a lackluster stretch by Schembechlerian standards. The previous year’s squad won the conference, technically speaking, but held the distinction of being the first Wolverine team to travel to Pasadena after losing to Ohio State. They lost their two big non-conference games, dropping the first night game ever played at Notre Dame and blowing a 21-point lead in a home defeat to UCLA. They fell in the Rose Bowl to the same Bruins team, making Terry Donahue the first coach outside of the Big Ten to beat the Wolverines twice in the same season.

The 1983 edition of Michigan football fared pretty much the same, with a slightly better 9-3 record and a second-place finish in the conference. They defeated the Buckeyes yet lost their only significant non-conference game, by a point to Don James’ Washington Huskies in Seattle. They also experienced a stinging bowl defeat, falling 9-7 to Auburn in the Sugar Bowl after keeping Bo Jackson and the high-powered Tiger offense out of the end zone all evening.

Harbaugh was on clipboard detail his freshman year, backing up three-year starter Steve Smith—at once the most electrifyingly fast and mind-bogglingly inconsistent quarterback the school had seen. The senior from Grand Blanc started all 11 games in 1983, leaving #4 to wait until the following season for a shot to be the starting signal-caller.

When that opportunity came, the kid who once played on the Michigan Stadium sidelines while his father coached defense (see above black-and-white photo of a young Harbaugh congratulating Rick Leach for a touchdown in 1977) didn’t disappoint. In August Bo awarded Harbaugh the starting job for the #14 Wolverines’ first game of 1984. And what a first game it was.

Not only had the Miami Hurricanes won the 1983 national championship; the team that returned was just as loaded if not more. A retiring Howard Schnellenberger turned the reins over to former Oklahoma State head coach Jimmy Johnson. The offense was led by a pimply, frizzy-haired senior named Bernie Kosar. His backup, sophomore Vinny Testaverde, would eventually win the Heisman Trophy in 1986. The backfield featured Melvin Bratton and Alonzo Highsmith, the tandem that led the Canes to an 11-1 record and historic upset of top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Stanley Shakespeare and first-team All-American Eddie Brown were the wideouts, with future All-America Willie Smith at tight end.

To make matters worse, the Canes hit Ann Arbor with two games already under their belt: an impressive 20-18 win over preseason #1 Auburn in East Rutherford, NJ, and a dramatic 32-20 victory over the #17 Florida Gators in Tampa Bay. The wins were enough to vault the Hurricanes to #1 in both AP and UPI polls. As such, they were everyone’s pick to make short work of their third ranked opponent in as many weeks. Teams from the south seldom travelled above the Mason-Dixon line to play football. But Miami realized that the road to being a bonafide top-tier program passed through the Ann Arbors and Columbuses and South Bends.

I still remember the buzz around Michigan Stadium that morning, an unprecedented level of excitement for early September. When the Wolverines took the field, legendary PA announcer Howard King’s voice vanished under a sea of 105,000 screams. The sound of “The Victors” was nearly drowned out as well. Miami couldn’t help but feel that they’d have their hands full.
The Canes’ first possession ended with Rodney Lyles stripping the ball from tailback Darryl Oliver at midfield. The Wolverines took over, and out trotted #4. Fans were familiar with the Harbaugh pedigree from Jack’s days on Schembechler’s staff. They would soon discover the impact that name would have on the Michigan offense.

Harbaugh’s first pass found split end Vince Bean for a first down on the right sideline. His second crossed the tartan turf, hitting flanker Steve Johnson at the Miami 10. Two plays later fullback Bob Perryman blasted through the thinly spread Hurricane defense for a Wolverine touchdown. The stadium exploded in a euphoric roar.

Michigan’s inspired defense hit, harassed and confused Kosar all afternoon, picking off six of his passes (with Lyles grabbing three) and recovering two fumbles as the maize and blue pulled off the major upset of top-ranked Miami. While Perryman scored three touchdowns on the day, the true hero was the young general at the helm. In his first start for the Wolverines, Harbaugh completed 11 of 21 passes for 163 yards as Michigan controlled the ball for over 35 minutes. After 60 minutes, Bo had found himself a leader.

As satisfying as this was, it would be Harbaugh’s lone highlight of the season, as a broken arm suffered while trying to recover a fumble against Michigan State (see pic at right) ended his 1984 campaign. The void he left was undeniable. Michigan limped to a 6-5 record—punctuated by their first shutout loss in seven years, 26-0 in Iowa City—yet managed to land a berth in the Holiday Bowl against #1 Brigham Young. Back in those days, top-ranked schools could play 6-5 schools in their bowl games. In fact, the 1984 Wolverines are one of the few schools in history who started and ended their season against the nation’s #1.

Quarterback Robbie Bosco led the Cougars to a last-minute, come-from-behind 24-17 win that earned BYU the national championship. The Wolverines finished 6-6, Bo’s first and only non-winning season at Michigan. But for one incredible September afternoon, maize and blue fans everywhere got their first glimpse of the Harbaugh effect.

And the longest tenured coach in Detroit is… whoo boy

Buckle up your seat belts, Detroit sports fans. Especially if you're under 40. You're about to enter some unfamiliar territory.

Not since the horric decade of the 1970s has a four-sport city seen a less seasoned stable of pro sports coaches. We geezers didn't merely live through those days. We wept openly during those days.

Of the four coaches of Detroit's four major professional sports teams, the most seasoned is... The Brad.

Ausmus was hired by Tiger president Dave Dombrowski seemingly minutes after future Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland called it quits in the fall of 2013. Barely a year and a half ago.

Yet in those short 18 months, the Lions let go of Jim Schwartz (aka Gym Shorts) and landed former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell; the Pistons replaced interm coach John Loyer with Stan Van Gundy; and the Red Wings parted ways with Mike Babcock, and said hello to former Grand Rapids Griffin coach Jeff Blashill.

As hard as it is to believe, especially given the experience and success Caldwell and Van Gundy have experienced during their careers, a man with no prior professional coaching experience would be the senior member of the Detroit coaching brethren. But stay tuned. Now that Dombrowski, Ausmus's number one fan, was sent packing, and the Tigers have been listless in the dugout and armless in the bullpen, all that is likely to change at season's end.