73-year old Jack Harbaugh is a well-regarded former college football head coach, who won a national championship with Western Kentucky University, as well as spending three years as a position coach in the NFL with San Diego. Yet one day, people may look back on Harbaugh and recognise him as a man who changed the landscape of American Football. That is because, on Sunday 3rd February, the San Francisco 49ers, coached by his son Jim, will face the Baltimore Ravens, coached by his son John, in the biggest showpiece event in world sport: Super Bowl XLVII.
The match has already been labelled the ‘Harbaugh Bowl.’ The brothers were the first siblings to become head coaches in the NFL, and have quickly established themselves amongst the elite coaches in the league. In a combined seven seasons spent as head coaches of their respective teams, the Harbaughs have never missed the play-offs. In five years as coach of the Ravens, John has a 54-26 regular season record, while Jim holds a 24-7-1 record with his 49ers. Such success early in a career is nearly unprecedented, in a league renowned for being a relatively level playing field. For two brothers to achieve so much in so little time is nothing short of remarkable.
This year’s Super Bowl, then, is destined to be a classic. Both sides are built on a strong defence, despite the fact that both the brothers come from offensive background (having both played as quarterbacks in the NFL before they embarked on coaching careers). The Ravens are a relatively new team in the league, founded in 1996, though they won their only Super Bowl appearance in 2000. They had a decent record before John Harbaugh’s first season in 2008, but since his appointment they have gone on to surpass all expectations. No other team has been able to make the play-offs in each of the last five seasons. Additionally, the Ravens have won at least one play-off game every year, and reached the AFC championship game (the Super Bowl semi-final, in English speak) three times. His partnership with quarterback Joe Flacco, whose rookie season coincided with Harbaugh’s arrival as coach, has been particularly impressive. Flacco is not usually considered amongst the NFL’s top quarterbacks, yet he is consistently able to get the job done. Running back Ray Rice, who has established himself as a threat both rushing and catching the ball, is also a mainstay of the team and is now one of the elite players in his position.
The main storyline of Super Bowl XLVII, outside of the obvious ‘Harbaugh Bowl’, will be the retirement of Ray Lewis. Lewis, the Ravens linebacker, has become synonymous with the Baltimore franchise. He was drafted by them in their first season in 1996, and has remained with the club ever since. He is the sole survivor from that inaugural season. Lewis announced before the play-offs that this would be his final season, and each game has been played with the knowledge that defeat would spell the end of his career. As it happened, the fairy-tale continued, and now everybody knows that the Super Bowl will be Lewis’ last game. A sure-fire future hall of famer, Lewis looks to emulate other greats like Michael Strahan (2008, New York Giants) and John Elway (1998, Denver Broncos), who spent their entire careers with one team and retired as Super Bowl champions.
The 49ers are one of the most historic franchises in NFL history, five time Super Bowl champions in the 1980s and early 90s under the quarterbacking of the legendary Joe Montana and Steve Young. But the franchise had recently hit hard times. From 2003-10, the team did not make the play-offs even once, never ending a season with a winning record. That all changed with the appointment of Jim Harbaugh. The new coach made a name for himself at college side Stanford, before making the transition to the professional game seamlessly. But for a muffed punt by Kyle Williams they would have made last year’s Super Bowl, instead going down in the NFC championship game to eventual winners, the New York Giants. This year has been a more inconsistent one, but, as is so often the case in the NFL, it’s about getting on a good run when it matters, and the 49ers have done just that.
The season has not been without incident. In 2011, quarterback Alex Smith was rejuvenated under the coaching of Harbaugh after years of underachievement since being drafted first overall in 2005. Yet his inconsistent play returned and, after missing a couple of games through injury, was unable to win his starting place back. He was replaced by the versatile Colin Kaepernick, who will start in the Super Bowl in only his second season in the NFL. Running back Frank Gore remains the main focal point on offence, but the team is built around its strong defence. Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith are amongst the most revered defensive players in the league. Their match-up against Flacco and in particular Ray Rice will be the most determinative factor in who wins Super Bowl XLVII.
The storylines coming out of Super Bowl XLVII means it is certain to be one for the ages. The teams match-up well, meaning it is likely to be a close fought encounter. Both sides are stronger on defence than offence, which will make the match American Football at its bruising best. The only thing for certain is that, come next Sunday night in New Orleans, one man named Harbaugh is going to have won his first Super Bowl as a head coach and will have the undisputed family bragging rights, until next year at least.