November 21, 2024 • 46 mins
Jack Harbaugh joins team insiders Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing to talk about the family's emotions heading into another brotherly rematch between John's Ravens and Jim's Chargers, tell some childhood stories, the true source of strength in the family, and what they'll be rooting for Monday night.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome into the lounge presented by DraftKings. Today we are
thrilled to talk with Jack Harball, the senior Harball, this
Harball Brothers battle, the man with the longest history in
this competition here. So Jack, thanks for joining us, and
I'll start here. So earlier this year, after the big
(00:25):
Sunday night football win over the Bills, you kicked off
John's press conference with a who's got it better than us?
In the media room, and I gotta say it was
kind of a weak response.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Thank you, my goodness. I was stunned.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We were up in the up with Ingrid in the
box and John called up and he said, come down,
we need you to come down. I'm thinking, oh, my goodness,
what's going on? I had no idea. So we went
down the stairs. Now you got to look at Jackie
and I at eighty five years old, down those stairs,
around and around and around. So we get to the
(01:04):
bottom and John walk in and John, hey, come on,
come on. I still have no idea what he's talking about.
He leads me into the into the press room and
I see all these scribes and pundits and waiting to
hear from John and Lamar and the gang, and then
John's dad, Dad, come on in here, and now it
hits me. He said, you have something, and I know
(01:26):
exactly what he wants now, so I give it my
best woo, and I want to know the response I
got back. We got an eight year old in California,
we got grandkids everywhere, and I'm used to this, this
lively respond and so I kind of challenged him. I thought,
you know we can well, when we can do better
(01:48):
than that, give you another crack at it and be
dad gone. They come up a little stronger, but not
quite what I was looking for. So I sold John,
I've done the best I can do. I've got to
find my way out of this room. So that's that's
how that event went.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well, Garret, I are in the room and we gave
it to you. You know what wasn't at the top
of my lungs. I'll be honest, it wasn't the top
of my loans, but I gave it to you.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
You were like the two guys in there that at
least played ball exactly we played ball.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So just to let you know, Jack, we had your back.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay, Well, I appreciate that. I wish you to wish
you to get up in the first row and I
could look you in the eye, felt much much more confident.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Well, next time, next time. Well one other question, actually,
if if the boys, John, Jim and even Jonie, if
they had given you such a weak response, what would
you have done with them like when they were kids.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, they wouldn't have had wouldn't been able to eat dinner.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Going hungry that night.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Let's go hungry the next time if you're if you're
hungry and you want dinner, and we're going to get
the response that we're looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So Jack, you know what Chargers Ravens Monday night football,
Just you know, what are your nerves like this week?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
You know, I kind of still know thirteen in twenty thirteen,
and it's about ten years ago, eleven years ago when
he played in the Super Bowl. I mean, we had
that experience. So so we're thinking, you know, here we
go again. And it was good, and it was it
wasn't so good, but we knew what it was about.
(03:26):
And then we were in Baltimore last week and talking
to John about it, and John came up with something
I really hadn't thought about, but it put it all
in perspective. He said, Dad, this is not for the
super Bowl. The super Bowl was an ending. There was
going to be a super Bowl championship. There would be
someone that didn't win it. In this game, you know,
(03:47):
it's it's a game, and both teams are still no
challenging for playoff position, and so it doesn't quite have
the magnitude that the super Bowl had. And you know what,
I shook my head and once again I learned something
from John that made me a little bit wiser and
a little bit more comfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
So are the nerves different then? Do you have less
nerves or did that just kind of okay?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, I'm sure, I'm sure it'll be about the way
it was in the super Bowl too. You know, my
nerves were good until kickoff. Yeah, exactly, all its kicked off,
and then all at once your body goes into a
different mode, you know, of one of absolutely nothing that
you can do personally to affect the outcome, but you're
emotionally charged to be a part of it and to
(04:36):
see how it all comes together.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So take us inside what it's like this week between
you and John and Jim. Are communications cut off? Are
they trying to use yous to go between you know,
John's calling you say, Hey, what are things looking like
over there in LA this week? Like what are the
conversations like between the three of you?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Totally silent?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Really, I.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I gotta uh, you know, I talked talked and texted
back and forth with John and Jim after their last
game and kind of talked about the game and the
two games, and and then uh, uh Monday morning, it
was it was shut down. We haven't communicated on the phone,
we haven't communicated in any text back and forth and
(05:24):
and and that's good because and I haven't looked at
any tape. I haven't looked at any game cape from
last week. I didn't look at any I haven't looked
at any kind of practice tate. I mean, I'm I'm
I'm a fan. I'm a total fan and going to
watch and uh and enjoy a great competition.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So in terms of watching the game, what is your
plan are you? Are you going to the game or
you watch it from home? How do you plan to
take it all in on Monday night?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Uh, we're not going to game. We're not going to
Los Angeles and uh we are going to Florida. Daughter
Joni and Tom Crean and her husband and two of
our grandchildren, Megan and Angeley, are going to be Angeley's
at Auburn and Megan's in New York working, and so
they'll be there and we'll watch the game with them
(06:13):
and then celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday with them and then
come back over the next weekend.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And did you just not want to be in the
building in l A Or what was that decision about?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, kind of several several different One thing. First thing
is Joni, you know, we've been out to California for
a couple of games and enjoy the grandkids when they
were starting school, out there for this the first time.
And then we've been in Baltimore a couple of times.
We were there for the Buffalo game and then we
were there for the Bengals game. So we've been to
(06:48):
Baltimore and we've kind of neglected Joanie and her family,
and we're choosing to go down there and celebrate thanksgif
Giving with them and be able to watch a game
with them, and we'll have a lot of a lot
of fun and enjoyment doing that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Now, did John and Jim join for Thanksgiving or after
they battle on Monday night? It's like, all right, we
need a little time. We need a little time apart
from each other, depending on what happens here.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
We had an interesting one. It was kind of interesting.
The first time they played it was that at at
BALTIMOREANS forty nine, or it was over Thanksgiving. I think
it was a Thanksgiving day. They played that night and
the next day I believe it was the twenty fifth,
but it was right around our wedding anniversary again, and
(07:35):
so we decided, and John and Jim agreed, John, uh,
you know, we'll play. We're playing here in Baltimore and
in the family. Some of the family will be here,
and at our house. We're going to have a a
party for mom and dad, a wedding anniversary party here
at my house. And the game was over, and Jim
got on an airplane and went.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Back said, nah, it was canceled.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Well, Jack, this is your sixty eighth wedding anniversary, if
I'm not mistaken, is that correct?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Sixty sixty third, sixty third?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Okay, So Jack, this is your sixty third wedding anniversary
on the day of the game. That's pretty cool, right,
it really is.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And that all came about was football two Back in
nineteen sixty one when we were married, I was a
junior high school coach in Canton, Ohio, and our season
went right until the middle of November. High school season
went to November, can McKinley was playing Masslin High School
and the varsity coach of McKinley invited the junior high
(08:43):
school coach to come and work with the team that
week in preparation for the game. So the next week
we had to schedule our wedding for the next week,
which was again November twenty fifth, but we waited for
the season to be ended. So the way it works
out now, every anniversary is around the end of a
football season.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Gotcha?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Got you? So? Uh? Jack?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
You know, when you just step back and look at it,
how cool is it to have both John and Jim
back in the NFL again?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, it's uh, it's interesting. I wouldn't I wouldn't say
I have really any kind of deep emotion about it.
I've always found coaching is coaching. I mean, I was
a high school coach for six years and every one
of those games was a super Bowl. When you win,
you coach, and and then I went into college. I
never had the pro experience. But wherever you are and
(09:36):
wherever you're coaching, you know, you take it so serious
and you're so proud of your team and accomplishments, and
and even the things were disappointments, you know, you learn
to live with them. So as long as they're in
football and they're enjoying it and they're having a great
experience and affecting lives, Uh, you know, I think it's
(09:58):
I think it's a blessing. So in the NFL, though
it's the highest possible level of football and there's only
thirty two teams, there's only thirty two coaches, and to
have John and Jim coaching at that level just brings
joy and happiness to Jackie and myself.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
That's great. When Jim was hired again by the Chargers
this year, I'm sure there was you know, there's excitement
and he's a new opportunity for him and he's excited
about that. But then you also know there's a date
on the calendar. You know right away that there's going
to be this game where you're going to have all
these the swirling of emotions. And I'll bring back thoughts
to the Super Bowl. What was your thought when when Jim,
you know, agreed to coach the Chargers, and you knew
(10:39):
that there was going to be this date between these
two teams and they'd face off with each other once again.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Well, it's kind of a process really. I mean, first
of all, he's gone to the Chargers, and we know
there won't be a Super Bowl, so that was somewhat
of a relief.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You don't have to worry that anymore.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
No, you didn't have to worry about that one. The
other one was when the schedules came out, you realize
a way to schedule worked out that the Chargers were
going to, you know, play the Ravens, so they were
going to play, and uh, when then it was determined
where it was going to be, it was going to
be in Los Angeles. And then the last thing that
comes up is when it would be played. And I
(11:16):
think everybody in the family just kind of realized that
the NFL would try to find a way to take
advantage of that day and make it a Thanksgiving uh
evening game or uh a Sunday night or you know,
Monday night. And sure enough it turned out that they
(11:36):
they chose a Monday night. But I don't think they
realized that that, uh, that that was going to turn
out to be our wedding anniversary as well. So from
the from the family, you go to the you go
and you hit that lever on that on that machine,
and we hit the jackpot.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
That's cool, that's funny. I thought it was going to
be the Christmas game. I thought I thought it was
definitely going to be Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Right, just family, just just the whole angle, the family
angle piece of it.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, for sure, Well you didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
That's because you didn't know Jack and Jackie's wedding anniversary.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Well had you know? I knew that.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I'm sure I circle on your carond.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Of course I celebrated every year. Jack, congratulations. But if
I get three, man, I'll tell you what I'll I'll uh,
I'll be I'll be a happy guy.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Let me let me give you some good news and
bad news. It comes fast. I mean, it seems like
we were just we were just walking down the aisle
and uh, and then children were being born, and then
we were moving. We moved eighteen times I think in
our coaching career, and then all at once you look
up sixty three years per crying out.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Love that makes us old, still a young man, still
a very young man.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
But it happened still fast. I mean, it's just it's
just years and days. John has it right. Though days
are long, years are short. Yeah, Sometimes you think a
day will never end, and then all of lunch where
the ball is dropping in New York City and we're
celebrating another year.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That's funny. So, Jack, you know you you've helped both
John and Jim. You know you've you've come and you've
watched the tape, and and you've come and you've seen
them up close personal coaching. You've given speeches to their
teams and all those things like if you're kind of
comparing contrasting how they are not just as people, but
(13:31):
as football coaches, how would you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
First of all, the way I can describe it best is,
and I've said this to both of them. I sat
in the meetings with coaches. I sat in the meetings
with players. I see them deal with the press, I
see them deal with fan base. I watch them and
I just say to myself. I sit back and I
say to myself, Jack, how lucky you would have been
(13:58):
if you would have been a young coach watching them.
I would have been a better coach. I swear to
that I would have been a better coach. And I
experienced John and Jim and how they deal with all
the nuances and all the different things that come up,
and I'm just amazed. And I walk out of here
and I'll be shaking my head and I'll say to myself, Wow,
(14:21):
thank God for Mom. Mom has put them in this position. Mm.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, you know you obviously both of them credit you
a lot with their interest in coaching, and I've heard
both of them say that you're there. You are the
best coach that they know, and you still certainly have
a role with them in terms of kind of helping
them as coaches.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
I mean you mentioned earlier you're not watching the film
this week, you're not watching the practice tape. But they've
said many times over the years that they lean on
you for some of the actual x's and o's football stuff.
Are you still watching the film, the game tape, the
practice tape and actually talking football with them.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
It's kind of interesting. Uh. Well, I don't go back
to another point that you talk about them both being
in coaching. We were when we were at Perrysburg High
School and Jim and John were both born at Perrysburg
High School where they were. We were there for two years,
so they were just babies. And uh. Jackie would bring
them out to practice, and she would bring their strollers out,
(15:20):
the old strollers they used to have. And these kids
were out there all dressed up in their in their
cold sometimes the cold weather and the different kinds of things.
And and then they learned to walk. I can remember. Uh.
And we were at one of the practices, the balls
flying around and uh, and she always wanted And then
(15:43):
we moved on the different bowling green and they hung
out there Iowa, they hung out there, Michigan. They hung
out here a lot. And she would always bring him
to practice and and uh when we were going to
the Super Bowl. Uh, someone brought up a question like
like the question you brought up, and Jackie mentioned that
she always wanted to She wanted the two boys and
(16:06):
Joni when she was old enough to know what dad
does when he leaves in the morning at seven o'clock,
you know, and and and you don't see him until
in the old days we could come home for dinner
and we could have dinner with the family and throw
the ball around a little bit and then back to
the or did he go he goes back to the office.
We don't see him to the next but what does
(16:27):
he do? So she made up her mind she was
going to expose them to what what what we do?
And then they would come in the winter time, they
would come into the building when we were doing films
and recruit and they would be, you know, running around
with the other coach's kids. JOONI was the best splicer
the old film you know that we're on the reels.
(16:49):
She was the best splicer that I ever had that
was hot spice, and she could she could hot spice
and better than anyone, and that she was trained in
that way. So, but I mentioned Jackie being involved in
this thing. She was so involved. And then for a dad,
the greatest compliment I think a dad could get, at
(17:10):
least I feel, is to see their family go into
something that they experienced. You know, there were games you
would lose and you came home and you well, all
you wanted was a dark room. You didn't want to
talk to anybody, You didn't want to talk to your kids,
you didn't want to just wanted to get by yourself
and just feel sorry for yourself basically, and they saw that,
(17:31):
they saw all the good and the bad, and they
chose to do what you have done all those different years.
And it just brings so much, so much pride to
me and now that what they've done John and Jim
and Tom Creed when he was coaching basketball at Indiana
and Georgia, he used to do the same thing. He
used to invite me to practice, and you know, I
(17:53):
watched some tape with him and all those different So
all three of them, after I retired, they allowed me
to I retired at a fairly young age. I retired
at sixty three, so they allowed me to be around
the game. Jim called me out a couple of times
to be an assistant when you lost some coaches. And
then they say, you know, we want you to look
(18:15):
at the tape and if you see something, give us
a call. And I don't really, you know, call them
a lot. And really, I saw this, and I saw
that I watched and it gets my blood running and
I get that that that fix, you know, that that
coaching fix. And I'm ready if they ever call I
got something. I mean, I'm not going to tell them
I hadn't. I hadn't. I'm not prepared. So so it
(18:39):
brings life to me. And I, you know, eighty five
years old now and I think there's four or five
years been talked tacked onto that just because their kindness
and they're allowing me to be around play the players.
I mean, I'm around the players and the players are
so good in Baltimore. You come to practice and great stories.
Josh Johnson, he was with Jim out at San Diego
(19:03):
as freshman in sophomore and junior year. And I knew
Josh when he was a freshman. He was about sixty
two and he weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds.
The tall, lanky guy and just a great guy and
a story. When he first came. He came from Oakland
and he has hat on sideways. You know, he had
the build of his hat over the side of his hat.
(19:28):
Jim Harball's dad here, and the first thing I think
I need to do is show you how to wear
a hat. So I took his hat and I straightened
it on his head right and had it balanced. You know,
it wasn't killed or anything. The bill was straight. Hat
was on there, and I said, this is your wear
a hat. Course he was a young guy. Yes, coach
ess coaching and so fast forward now. So when he
(19:51):
came there, I know he's been there a couple of times.
I think it was maybe the first or second time
he came. I knew he was there, but I hadn't
seen him and talked to him yet. After practices are over,
I'm talking with some people on the sideline, and all
of once, I feel somebody come up behind me and
turn my hat. Turn my hat sideway, So the bill
(20:12):
was over over my ear, and I go Josh, and
I look around and and to have the players and
then uh and and when you walk they give you
a smile and and they make you feel at home
and make you feel comfortable. And those are the things
that as I get older and be around football, the
(20:35):
players and the coaches and John and Jim and allowing
us to be around the game that we love so much.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, Jack, I'm curious, you know, how have you seen
We'll start with John. How have you seen John evolve
as a coach, even from let's say that Super Bowl
year till now.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
The one thing John is is he is deeply involved
in the game. Uh, you know, say a head coach.
You know, you're you're responsible for the press, and you
you deal with all the things that the head coach
deals with. And you know sometimes that you move away
from the game a little bit. You know, you don't
stay involved as much with the offense, you don't stay
as much for the defense, you don't stay as much
(21:18):
with the special teams. But I would see what John
does at this level is he is immersed in the game.
You know, he takes care of all the other things
he needs to take care of, but you know, he
never he is always around. He watches all the practice film,
both offense, defense and special teams. Of course, his background
(21:38):
with having coach special teams and he was a secondary
coach with the the Eagles, and all coaches are you know,
oriented to the offense because you know that's such a
part of the game. But he looks at every single
UH film and and when we're there, you know, after
practice is over, he'll come on, we're going in here
(22:00):
and and we and we together, and then I get
a kick out of that. We back and forth. It's
like I remember when I was coaching here at Michigan
and here's here's John and Jim about twelve and thirteen, fourteen,
fifteen years old, and I'm looking at some practice film
there at home, and they're there watching, and it's just reverse.
(22:21):
Now they've got their running the projector they took the
projector out of my hands. But we're watching and I
think to myself, God, who he has luck? Who is
who has it possibly better than me? Give me a
discovery response on that?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Nooy, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
That's they're getting better at.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
We're working on it.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
We're working on it. You know, when you talk about legacy, Jackie,
you talk about, uh, just your experiences as a coach
and as a dad and with John and Jim and
watching them grow up and just kind of the legacy
of coaching. One thing that John has certainly become invested
in is the Hartball Coaching Academy. And this is for
any listeners out there. This is a resource for coaches
(23:05):
or really anybody parents you know, from athletes, athletes, parents, coaches,
and you can go to Hartball Coaching Academy dot com
and there's all sorts of lessons and interviews and perspective
and you're involved in that, certainly, Jack And this is
really a legacy for for not just John but your
whole family. It's the Harball family. Can you talk a
little bit about the importance of this platform and the
(23:30):
Harball Coaching Academy overall.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
We're deeply, deeply invested with it or invested with it.
It's a I think it's a fantastic thing. And I've
given a lot of thought as we've gotten into this,
and I brought it's brought back some things to me
about the people in my life. You know, the people
in my life that have put us in put Jack
and myself in this position. And it starts with your family.
(23:56):
And the things I would like with this with the
the Academy is for people to be aware of your parents,
to be aware of the influence they have on their
young people. You know, my mom and dad, uh went
to high school. Uh my mom married and she had
four kids within five years of time. She got married
(24:17):
and her whole life was about her kids. And uh
we challenged her, now, I mean my brother, myself, my sister,
and we challenged her, but she rose to the occasion
on and everything. And the thing that she brought to
me was patience. I mean she was patient with us.
I mean challenging and demanding, but showed showed great great
(24:41):
of patience and uh and uh and I appreciate that
so much. And my dad was a railroad for thirty
five years. He didn't work like eight five jobs. It
was you'd run a train from Crestline, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
stayed in our day, and then he had come back
home and spend a couple of days and back and
forth and back and forth. So he wasn't what you'd
(25:03):
say the prototype dad with being able to think do
the things Dad did. But the one thing he did
for me, he was one tough some of the gun.
When I say that, I mean he was a boxer
at one time. And and uh and now I'd go
to Dad and I'd say, Dad, I'm in the fifth
grade here and this kid's bullying me, this kid's this
(25:26):
kid's doing this and kids. Then he would say this, well,
what are you going to do about it? And I
look at him, I saw a dad, what are you
going to do about it? He said, no, no, what
you're going to do about it? And then you would go.
You would go back the next day and you'd be around.
He'd go, well, what do you do about it? I'd
say well, I didn't do anything. He said, well, don't
(25:47):
bring it up to me again until you do something
about it. And then you realize what he was saying
is he's not going to do for you what you
should be doing for yourself. You better, you better line
up and step up and take take charge of it.
So it was never him fighting any of our battles
with the coach. If the coach we didn't coach, I
(26:09):
think the coach was playing us enough. But what are
you going to do about it? You better get you
better get moving, you better, you better get on the ball.
And so I remember so many opportunities like that, and
I think, you know, if you know, you know, parents,
patience and allow your children to do for themselves what
they can and not rely on some of the other people.
(26:31):
And then I went to Bowling Green State University on
a full scholarship, and I ran into a guy by
named Dutt Perry. He's a Hall of Fame coach. He
was the first coach that Woody Hayes hired at Ohio
State as his running backs coach. Det was running backs
coach he coached hop along Cassidy. In nineteen fifty four,
(26:53):
they won a national championship and hop Along Cassidy was
the Heisman Trophy winner. And he came to Bowling Green
then a school that he went to nineteen fifty seven
as the football coach. And he one thing he did
he first day of class. Let me just clear my
throat here. First day of class, he said, take out
(27:15):
your pencil and paper and write this down because this
is going to be the opening the question of the
final examination. He was teaching a football class, a three
hour class. We met on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. First day.
Take out your pencil and paper. This is what you're
going to have to do to be a successful coach.
He started with number three, You've got to have a
(27:36):
love and passion for the game. You can't just like it.
You've got to love it. You've got to love football.
Number two, You've got the outwork all those that you're
going to come in contact with. None of you in
here are going to outsmart anyone. I've recruited you all.
None of you can out smart anyone. You've got to
(27:57):
outwork them. Outwork number two. And then it was a
drum roll like number one, Mary why and that was
the first question. And I will say I got the
first question right there, you go. I'll tell you about two, three,
four and five, But I know I got the first
one right.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
We got to see three years, six, two years proofs
in the pudding right there, that's right.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
And so the next the next class I had was
a biology class, and in that class was a young
lady by the name of Jackie Sapiti. And we were
freshmen together, and she was in the front row and
I was in the back row, and I'm looking. I'm thinking,
that is the most beautiful young lady I have ever
seen in my entire life. Took me about four weeks
to say a low to her, because I thought she
(28:41):
was so far out of my class that it was
no possible way. We were friends for three years. She
went overseas for one year and studied in a field
up program that they had you could go overseas, and
came back as a senior. We started to date, and
then in November twenty fifth and nineteen sixty one we
(29:02):
were married. And and that changed my life. Uh. She
was she was so focused on the good things, doing
be doing right, and grammar I was. I was strung
with grammar. I couldn't put a sentence together without.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Kid me out. I'm a writer here. I think Jackie
could help me out. So on that way exactly, I.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Would say something like grammatically wrong, and she would go so,
and then she would say it right, and that she
wouldn't correct me. She wouldn't say you're doing it wrong.
And then finally I caught on to her. I know
what she's doing, and I got to figure it out.
And my grammar is better. I won't say it's perfect.
I always say it's good. But and then, uh, you know,
(29:47):
we were married in seventy in the sixty one, and
the kids and and she is the heart and soul
of this family. And here's a quick story. I hope
I'm not talking to am. I talking to you.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
You're good, you're ye love the stories. We love the stories.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So the other the other story that came up is
is uh uh bo sham Becker came up with a
line one that the team, the team, the team. I
was here for seven years and very few days went
by that he didn't use the team, the team, the
(30:24):
team in some form of context, something about something you'd
always no one's more important than the team, not the coach,
no players more important the team. It's about on on on.
So we John and Jim were young, they were like
five and six years old, were a little older than that.
We were here in ann Arbory. I came home one
(30:47):
night about ten thirty. I had a bad day at
the office. I mean bad day. Things didn't go well,
the practice didn't go well. I'm not feeling real good.
Come home about ten thirty and I walk in the
house and she's sitting on the couch, sibon and obviously
she didn't have a very good day either, and so
I what's wrong? She said, well, this happened, and that happened.
(31:09):
John did this, and Jim did this, and Joni did this.
I mean, she's going on and on. And when my frustration,
I said, what do you want me to do? What
do you want me to do? You want me to
go up there, grab him out of bed, shake them up?
Is that what you want? And I lost it right,
and she was crying and she goes, no, no, I'm
(31:30):
not asking you to do that. I'm just asking you
to listen to me. Just to listen to me. Let
me tell you to tell the story. So that same night,
we sat and we talked in a team the team,
the team, the team, the team. And we came up
with this. I said, Jackie, you know we you and
(31:53):
I are responsible for two teams. The first team is
right here in this house. We have three young youngsters
and and they're they're doing well in school there this
is this is when it all comes to the end.
You know, this is going to be the number one
team that we're responsible for. The other team is when
(32:14):
I go off to work every day. It's important that
that we have success and we do well, and and
and I treat them as I would treat my own kids. Really,
it's it's an extension of our family. Here is the
youngsters that we coach. So here's what we're going to do. Jackie.
You are the head football coach, or that you are
(32:34):
the head coach of the Harbaugh family. You are the
head coach. I will be a coordinator offensively defensively however,
I'll coach positions. I'll help in any way I possibly can.
But when you make a decision, just like we do
with Bou shamp Bo, sham Becker comes in and says, guys,
(32:55):
this is where we're going to do it. He's the
head coach. That's the way we're going to do it.
You're going to be the be that head coach the team,
the team, the team, and uh and I was off.
And then Jackie, as I say, got the kids involved
with with the team as well, and that just mad.
This man had a life changing uh experience for us
(33:19):
as is taking something that Bo Shamblecker talked about. In fact,
it's the legendary here. I mean you can go into
on the YouTube or all those and look up the team,
the team, the team, and you hear Bo Shambcker tell
the story the wait for seven years. I heard it
with numbing repetition and how it related to our our
(33:42):
family building. And this one last I know I'm talking
about that, just one last thing about this family thing.
The uh duyt Perry back to him again. He used
to talk about coaching and teaching being synonymous. He was
talking about the team team in the building. Coaching and
(34:03):
teaching were synonymous. To be a good coach, you better
be a good teacher. If you can't teach, you can
know all the football in the world. You can know schemes.
I mean, you could know all the things that you
need to know about football. But if you can't teach
it and can't relate it, relate it to someone else
(34:24):
in a fashion that they can learn it. You're not
going to be a good you're not going to be
a good teacher. And if you're a coach and can't teach,
or if you're a teacher and can't coach it, I mean,
it's got to go hand in hand. And then in
the process, I can't tell you exactly what it happened.
I kind of added onto that parenting. I think parenting
(34:46):
is the same thing. All the things you have to
do to be a good coach on the field, you
need to do within within your own family. And you've
got to be tough, love the discipline of patience that
my mom gave me, the discipline of doing them doing
others doing for themselves what they need to do without
(35:08):
depending always on someone else. You know, that's the kind
of parenting that that you need to relate to both
coaching football and and and the raising your family and
and uh and I what I'm trying to say, I
guess here is those lessons that we've learned along the
way as it relates to coaching football and raising a family,
(35:28):
and and teamwork and and coaching together and and putting
this thing together are the things that I think John
and and Jim are are trying to facilitate in this
uh in this academy, this uh this academy, and and
and I think hopefully the people that that listen to,
(35:49):
people that that uh uh use some of these different
lessons that's helpful in their life.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Yeah, jack I have one last question for me is uh,
you know, I mean John and the Ravens have really
been kind of the gold standard of consistent excellence in
the NFL since he arrived, which is a hard thing
to do in a league that is so driven towards parody. Right,
it is really hard to stay on top and consistently
(36:17):
be contending for championships. Jim gets to LA and immediately
you snap your fingers and hey, they're right back in
the playoff hunt. They're in the thick of things, right,
turns them around super fast. Obviously, you being college football
National championship coach. What is it about the Harballs? Why
are the Hardball's good coaches?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Thank God for moms. Go right back to Jackie, I
mean the head coach. She was the head coach of them,
and it's still she is still is. I mean, if
you watch your here watching a football game, I mean
that would be that would be a best seller in
any any venue you'd want to watch it. Officials can't officiate,
(37:03):
all can't take a good bounce. What's he thinking with you?
I mean she is on on top of it. But no,
I'm seriously as is. They've had me around and but
she's been around them fourteen fifteen, sixteen hours a day
when they were growing up. She goes with the grandkids
(37:23):
now and to watch her with the grandkids, I mean,
I'm looking. I said, I've seen this movie. I know
all this is going to work out because she's she is.
She is so strong and loves them so much and
gives them so much, so much attention. And as I say,
back in nineteen fifty seven, in that biology class room,
(37:44):
I look down into row number one and in that
that class and and h four years later we were married.
That was the decision that changed my life. And I
would say that Jackie being with our three kids, Julie
and Jolie's well can igine. She married a basketball and
she would call Jackie. You know, Tom was actual to
(38:06):
be coaching teams and it still does, and she wants
to talk to Jackie and how do you handle this
or how do you work with this? And and that's
why I go back again. We're just so blessed to
the Jackie's with us, and and uh and she's still
she's still the head coach of the Harbaugh family.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
That's all. I see why you've been married sixty three
years giving your wife all this credit jacket? Smart man,
smart man?
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Who I want you to know if you would have
seen me before I'm married, And you say, who in
the hell is this guy that looking at today? A
lot of good things that happened to me that day
in that biology class.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
That's great. So it sounds like Jackie is going to
be maybe the one pacing around the house the most
on Monday night, more than you is she When she's
watching the game, she's the most animated out of the bunch.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
We can't we cannot watch the game together.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
You're upstairs.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
We got luckily, we got we got two televisions, two
different rooms. One I's in the basement and one I's
up on the on the first floor. Jackie gets the
first floor because you know, she's the head coach and
I'm in the basement. But the problem is the problem
is they delay. There's about a it seemed like a second,
(39:20):
so it can't be much. But she's up here. She
gets it before I do, right, and I hear no,
And I'm thinking, as the quarterback gets the ball, this
isn't going to be good.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Soda.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
But I don't know. We'll probably we'll probably all watch
it down there together. I don't know, don't we don't get.
We don't get put in separate rooms. But the other
is that when she goes nothing, Oh, I'm gonna like
this play. And here's how we got to that point
when when we're watching together, we're in this room together, right,
(40:01):
and a play is going off. It could be going well,
and it could not be going well. Jackie cannot sit
and watch me. I'm quiet. I I'm sitting there and
my arms across and I'm engaged in the game. I
don't talk. But she jumps up and gets into a
football position right in front of the screen, and I'm
(40:26):
trying to look around her to see the play. And
then I'll say, Jackie, she goes, she gets I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, No, don't be sorry. Just kind of move
over to the lefton and we're going to be all right.
So it's an adventure when you when you watch the
game with the head coach of the Harball family.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
I'm sure that you're for the game on Monday night.
Are the Harballs rooting for a tie? Are jack and
Jackie here rooting for a tie?
Speaker 2 (40:54):
A great story on that, if I got time. When
we went to the Super Bowl, we were in the
commissioner's box. They have Jackie and I sitting in the
box and uh, Jackie meets the commissioner for the first
time and they're shaking hands in her and the first
thing Jackie says, is there any way this could end
in the tie, to which the commissioner gives her No,
(41:19):
there's no eil very very no. There's no way it
will end in the tie. There will be a winner
in the game. And Jackie said, well, thank you for
and then that was pretty much the end of the
end of the conversation. But now in this game there
is a possibility that there is a possibility.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
There you go, So that's what that's what you're crossing
her fingers for.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Well, Jackie and myself, you know I did this, you
know DIDs a well played game, and and I know
both teams are going to compete and and then coach
be well coached and it'll be uh be a tremendous
experience for us, I'm sure awesome.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Well, thank you so much, Jackie. Really loved having you
on with us. Love the stories and enjoy Monday night.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
And thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. I hope
I didn't talk. I bet I talked too much.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
That's now the story, that's what the podcast for Jack.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Yeah, well, I know I said to myself, Jack, you
need to be quiet, but then I was right in
the middle of a story and I wanted to finish it.
So I just.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Tell you to story. We loved it, We love it.
Thank you so much, Jack.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Thank you, Talk to you later.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Go with you.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
You're listening to the Lounge podcast and we are coming
to you from the Sea Geek Studio. We also want
to mention our partners at Draft Kings Sportsbook. They are
an official sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draft
King Sportsbook. The Crown is yours. Also, do you know
a kid who would love to get game tickets and
a chance to take the field with the Ravens then
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(42:52):
home game, one luck eat winner gets a chance for
a once in a lifetime opportunity to run out to
the field after kickoff to retrieve the kickers tea and
get a custom jersey and wah wat swag bag. You
can get more information on that at Baltimore Ravens dot
com slash Kickoff Kid. So it's always good to talk
to Jack. I mean, there's no better storyteller out there
than Jack Harbaugh. Most great coach, better storyteller.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Oh for sure, absolutely, And hey, I know that why
he's been married for sixty three years, you know. I mean,
it's just cool to hear him talk about Jackie and
uh and yeah, and their emotions going into this one.
It feels like not quite as high emotions as the
Super Bowl, which is understandable, understandable, But like he said,
I bet when that ball is kicked off Monday night,
(43:37):
it's gonna feel very reminiscent. I bet it's a big game.
It's not that big, but it's a big game.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
It's interesting, you know, hearing him talk about him and
John talking about it a week ago and they just saying,
you know, look that it's still a regular season. You know,
it's a little bit different, and and it is.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
It's look now, if they face each other in the
AFC Championship, Yeah, it's like he was like, oh, well,
you know, at least when Jim went to the Chargers,
he knew there was not gonna be another super Bowl
against each other. Tell you what the ANFC Championship would
feel pretty big?
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Do we feel pretty similar? Feel pretty similar? I mean
I think it's cool. Obviously, John's been here a long time,
super successful, has has been a great coach, and you
mentioned it to Jack. Jim gets back to the NFL
in his first year with the Chargers, has them right
back in the thick of things. He's a great coach,
He's he's won at every level. So you have two
of the premier coaches in this sport who are brothers,
(44:27):
great family, and now they match up on Monday Night
football on their parents' anniversary, like they just it truly
is like a Hollywood story.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Yeah, it really is. I mean, you thought he couldn't
get any better than the Super Bowl story, and here
they are, you know, Jim goes and wins the National
Championship in Michigan, and now he's back and facing each
other again. And hey, John's two and oh right, so
that's that's the thing with John, right, he won the
Super Bowl, So you're never gonna be able top that
as long as Jim never goes to the NFC.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
And then also, he's got it. He's two and o
right now. So even if the Charger where to win,
let's not even go down there. That's not gonna happen.
But then Jim, then John stillhead.
Speaker 3 (45:06):
I can guarantee that he's not thinking about that.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
No, No, he wants to be three and oh yes,
yes for sure. I mean, hey, I've got an older brother. Uh,
and you've got a brother as well. Yeah, two brothers.
I'm sorry and sorry, let me say it again. You've
got two brothers as well, and so we know what
it feels like to compete against your brothers. Yeah, and uh,
(45:28):
that never ever goes away.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
Yeah, totally. And I'm sure that John and will be
feeling this week. And again, it was just fun to
talk to Jack and get some of his stories, and
like I said, he's the best storyteller in the.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
Biz yep, absolutely so thank you for listening. As always,
you can reach us at the Lounge at Ravens dot
NFL dot net and we'll be back later this week
to give you our preview of this Ravens Chargers battle
as well as talk about some of the biggest points
of the week. So thanks for listening.
Welcome into the lounge presented by DraftKings. Today we are
thrilled to talk with Jack Harball, the senior Harball, this
Harball Brothers battle, the man with the longest history in
this competition here. So Jack, thanks for joining us, and
I'll start here. So earlier this year, after the big
(00:25):
Sunday night football win over the Bills, you kicked off
John's press conference with a who's got it better than us?
In the media room, and I gotta say it was
kind of a weak response.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Thank you, my goodness. I was stunned.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Paul.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
We were up in the up with Ingrid in the
box and John called up and he said, come down,
we need you to come down. I'm thinking, oh, my goodness,
what's going on? I had no idea. So we went
down the stairs. Now you got to look at Jackie
and I at eighty five years old, down those stairs,
around and around and around. So we get to the
(01:04):
bottom and John walk in and John, hey, come on,
come on. I still have no idea what he's talking about.
He leads me into the into the press room and
I see all these scribes and pundits and waiting to
hear from John and Lamar and the gang, and then
John's dad, Dad, come on in here, and now it
hits me. He said, you have something, and I know
(01:26):
exactly what he wants now, so I give it my
best woo, and I want to know the response I
got back. We got an eight year old in California,
we got grandkids everywhere, and I'm used to this, this
lively respond and so I kind of challenged him. I thought,
you know we can well, when we can do better
(01:48):
than that, give you another crack at it and be
dad gone. They come up a little stronger, but not
quite what I was looking for. So I sold John,
I've done the best I can do. I've got to
find my way out of this room. So that's that's
how that event went.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Well, Garret, I are in the room and we gave
it to you. You know what wasn't at the top
of my lungs. I'll be honest, it wasn't the top
of my loans, but I gave it to you.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
You were like the two guys in there that at
least played ball exactly we played ball.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So just to let you know, Jack, we had your back.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Okay, Well, I appreciate that. I wish you to wish
you to get up in the first row and I
could look you in the eye, felt much much more confident.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Well, next time, next time. Well one other question, actually,
if if the boys, John, Jim and even Jonie, if
they had given you such a weak response, what would
you have done with them like when they were kids.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Well, they wouldn't have had wouldn't been able to eat dinner.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
Going hungry that night.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Let's go hungry the next time if you're if you're
hungry and you want dinner, and we're going to get
the response that we're looking for.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
So Jack, you know what Chargers Ravens Monday night football,
Just you know, what are your nerves like this week?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
You know, I kind of still know thirteen in twenty thirteen,
and it's about ten years ago, eleven years ago when
he played in the Super Bowl. I mean, we had
that experience. So so we're thinking, you know, here we
go again. And it was good, and it was it
wasn't so good, but we knew what it was about.
(03:26):
And then we were in Baltimore last week and talking
to John about it, and John came up with something
I really hadn't thought about, but it put it all
in perspective. He said, Dad, this is not for the
super Bowl. The super Bowl was an ending. There was
going to be a super Bowl championship. There would be
someone that didn't win it. In this game, you know,
(03:47):
it's it's a game, and both teams are still no
challenging for playoff position, and so it doesn't quite have
the magnitude that the super Bowl had. And you know what,
I shook my head and once again I learned something
from John that made me a little bit wiser and
a little bit more comfortable.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
So are the nerves different then? Do you have less
nerves or did that just kind of okay?
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Well, I'm sure, I'm sure it'll be about the way
it was in the super Bowl too. You know, my
nerves were good until kickoff. Yeah, exactly, all its kicked off,
and then all at once your body goes into a
different mode, you know, of one of absolutely nothing that
you can do personally to affect the outcome, but you're
emotionally charged to be a part of it and to
(04:36):
see how it all comes together.
Speaker 3 (04:38):
So take us inside what it's like this week between
you and John and Jim. Are communications cut off? Are
they trying to use yous to go between you know,
John's calling you say, Hey, what are things looking like
over there in LA this week? Like what are the
conversations like between the three of you?
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Totally silent?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Really, I.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
I gotta uh, you know, I talked talked and texted
back and forth with John and Jim after their last
game and kind of talked about the game and the
two games, and and then uh, uh Monday morning, it
was it was shut down. We haven't communicated on the phone,
we haven't communicated in any text back and forth and
(05:24):
and and that's good because and I haven't looked at
any tape. I haven't looked at any game cape from
last week. I didn't look at any I haven't looked
at any kind of practice tate. I mean, I'm I'm
I'm a fan. I'm a total fan and going to
watch and uh and enjoy a great competition.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
So in terms of watching the game, what is your
plan are you? Are you going to the game or
you watch it from home? How do you plan to
take it all in on Monday night?
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Uh, we're not going to game. We're not going to
Los Angeles and uh we are going to Florida. Daughter
Joni and Tom Crean and her husband and two of
our grandchildren, Megan and Angeley, are going to be Angeley's
at Auburn and Megan's in New York working, and so
they'll be there and we'll watch the game with them
(06:13):
and then celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday with them and then
come back over the next weekend.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
And did you just not want to be in the
building in l A Or what was that decision about?
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, kind of several several different One thing. First thing
is Joni, you know, we've been out to California for
a couple of games and enjoy the grandkids when they
were starting school, out there for this the first time.
And then we've been in Baltimore a couple of times.
We were there for the Buffalo game and then we
were there for the Bengals game. So we've been to
(06:48):
Baltimore and we've kind of neglected Joanie and her family,
and we're choosing to go down there and celebrate thanksgif
Giving with them and be able to watch a game
with them, and we'll have a lot of a lot
of fun and enjoyment doing that.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Now, did John and Jim join for Thanksgiving or after
they battle on Monday night? It's like, all right, we
need a little time. We need a little time apart
from each other, depending on what happens here.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
We had an interesting one. It was kind of interesting.
The first time they played it was that at at
BALTIMOREANS forty nine, or it was over Thanksgiving. I think
it was a Thanksgiving day. They played that night and
the next day I believe it was the twenty fifth,
but it was right around our wedding anniversary again, and
(07:35):
so we decided, and John and Jim agreed, John, uh,
you know, we'll play. We're playing here in Baltimore and
in the family. Some of the family will be here,
and at our house. We're going to have a a
party for mom and dad, a wedding anniversary party here
at my house. And the game was over, and Jim
got on an airplane and went.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Back said, nah, it was canceled.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Well, Jack, this is your sixty eighth wedding anniversary, if
I'm not mistaken, is that correct?
Speaker 1 (08:09):
Sixty sixty third, sixty third?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Okay, So Jack, this is your sixty third wedding anniversary
on the day of the game. That's pretty cool, right,
it really is.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
And that all came about was football two Back in
nineteen sixty one when we were married, I was a
junior high school coach in Canton, Ohio, and our season
went right until the middle of November. High school season
went to November, can McKinley was playing Masslin High School
and the varsity coach of McKinley invited the junior high
(08:43):
school coach to come and work with the team that
week in preparation for the game. So the next week
we had to schedule our wedding for the next week,
which was again November twenty fifth, but we waited for
the season to be ended. So the way it works
out now, every anniversary is around the end of a
football season.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
Gotcha?
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Got you? So? Uh? Jack?
Speaker 1 (09:06):
You know, when you just step back and look at it,
how cool is it to have both John and Jim
back in the NFL again?
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Well, it's uh, it's interesting. I wouldn't I wouldn't say
I have really any kind of deep emotion about it.
I've always found coaching is coaching. I mean, I was
a high school coach for six years and every one
of those games was a super Bowl. When you win,
you coach, and and then I went into college. I
never had the pro experience. But wherever you are and
(09:36):
wherever you're coaching, you know, you take it so serious
and you're so proud of your team and accomplishments, and
and even the things were disappointments, you know, you learn
to live with them. So as long as they're in
football and they're enjoying it and they're having a great
experience and affecting lives, Uh, you know, I think it's
(09:58):
I think it's a blessing. So in the NFL, though
it's the highest possible level of football and there's only
thirty two teams, there's only thirty two coaches, and to
have John and Jim coaching at that level just brings
joy and happiness to Jackie and myself.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
That's great. When Jim was hired again by the Chargers
this year, I'm sure there was you know, there's excitement
and he's a new opportunity for him and he's excited
about that. But then you also know there's a date
on the calendar. You know right away that there's going
to be this game where you're going to have all
these the swirling of emotions. And I'll bring back thoughts
to the Super Bowl. What was your thought when when Jim,
you know, agreed to coach the Chargers, and you knew
(10:39):
that there was going to be this date between these
two teams and they'd face off with each other once again.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Well, it's kind of a process really. I mean, first
of all, he's gone to the Chargers, and we know
there won't be a Super Bowl, so that was somewhat
of a relief.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You don't have to worry that anymore.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
No, you didn't have to worry about that one. The
other one was when the schedules came out, you realize
a way to schedule worked out that the Chargers were
going to, you know, play the Ravens, so they were
going to play, and uh, when then it was determined
where it was going to be, it was going to
be in Los Angeles. And then the last thing that
comes up is when it would be played. And I
(11:16):
think everybody in the family just kind of realized that
the NFL would try to find a way to take
advantage of that day and make it a Thanksgiving uh
evening game or uh a Sunday night or you know,
Monday night. And sure enough it turned out that they
(11:36):
they chose a Monday night. But I don't think they
realized that that, uh, that that was going to turn
out to be our wedding anniversary as well. So from
the from the family, you go to the you go
and you hit that lever on that on that machine,
and we hit the jackpot.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
That's cool, that's funny. I thought it was going to
be the Christmas game. I thought I thought it was
definitely going to be Christmas or Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (11:59):
Right, just family, just just the whole angle, the family
angle piece of it.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Yeah, for sure, Well you didn't.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
That's because you didn't know Jack and Jackie's wedding anniversary.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
Well had you know? I knew that.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
I'm sure I circle on your carond.
Speaker 1 (12:14):
Of course I celebrated every year. Jack, congratulations. But if
I get three, man, I'll tell you what I'll I'll uh,
I'll be I'll be a happy guy.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Let me let me give you some good news and
bad news. It comes fast. I mean, it seems like
we were just we were just walking down the aisle
and uh, and then children were being born, and then
we were moving. We moved eighteen times I think in
our coaching career, and then all at once you look
up sixty three years per crying out.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Love that makes us old, still a young man, still
a very young man.
Speaker 2 (12:52):
But it happened still fast. I mean, it's just it's
just years and days. John has it right. Though days
are long, years are short. Yeah, Sometimes you think a
day will never end, and then all of lunch where
the ball is dropping in New York City and we're
celebrating another year.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
That's funny. So, Jack, you know you you've helped both
John and Jim. You know you've you've come and you've
watched the tape, and and you've come and you've seen
them up close personal coaching. You've given speeches to their
teams and all those things like if you're kind of
comparing contrasting how they are not just as people, but
(13:31):
as football coaches, how would you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
First of all, the way I can describe it best is,
and I've said this to both of them. I sat
in the meetings with coaches. I sat in the meetings
with players. I see them deal with the press, I
see them deal with fan base. I watch them and
I just say to myself. I sit back and I
say to myself, Jack, how lucky you would have been
(13:58):
if you would have been a young coach watching them.
I would have been a better coach. I swear to
that I would have been a better coach. And I
experienced John and Jim and how they deal with all
the nuances and all the different things that come up,
and I'm just amazed. And I walk out of here
and I'll be shaking my head and I'll say to myself, Wow,
(14:21):
thank God for Mom. Mom has put them in this position. Mm.
Speaker 3 (14:26):
Well, you know you obviously both of them credit you
a lot with their interest in coaching, and I've heard
both of them say that you're there. You are the
best coach that they know, and you still certainly have
a role with them in terms of kind of helping
them as coaches.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:42):
I mean you mentioned earlier you're not watching the film
this week, you're not watching the practice tape. But they've
said many times over the years that they lean on
you for some of the actual x's and o's football stuff.
Are you still watching the film, the game tape, the
practice tape and actually talking football with them.
Speaker 2 (14:57):
It's kind of interesting. Uh. Well, I don't go back
to another point that you talk about them both being
in coaching. We were when we were at Perrysburg High
School and Jim and John were both born at Perrysburg
High School where they were. We were there for two years,
so they were just babies. And uh. Jackie would bring
them out to practice, and she would bring their strollers out,
(15:20):
the old strollers they used to have. And these kids
were out there all dressed up in their in their
cold sometimes the cold weather and the different kinds of things.
And and then they learned to walk. I can remember. Uh.
And we were at one of the practices, the balls
flying around and uh, and she always wanted And then
(15:43):
we moved on the different bowling green and they hung
out there Iowa, they hung out there, Michigan. They hung
out here a lot. And she would always bring him
to practice and and uh when we were going to
the Super Bowl. Uh, someone brought up a question like
like the question you brought up, and Jackie mentioned that
she always wanted to She wanted the two boys and
(16:06):
Joni when she was old enough to know what dad
does when he leaves in the morning at seven o'clock,
you know, and and and you don't see him until
in the old days we could come home for dinner
and we could have dinner with the family and throw
the ball around a little bit and then back to
the or did he go he goes back to the office.
We don't see him to the next but what does
(16:27):
he do? So she made up her mind she was
going to expose them to what what what we do?
And then they would come in the winter time, they
would come into the building when we were doing films
and recruit and they would be, you know, running around
with the other coach's kids. JOONI was the best splicer
the old film you know that we're on the reels.
(16:49):
She was the best splicer that I ever had that
was hot spice, and she could she could hot spice
and better than anyone, and that she was trained in
that way. So, but I mentioned Jackie being involved in
this thing. She was so involved. And then for a dad,
the greatest compliment I think a dad could get, at
(17:10):
least I feel, is to see their family go into
something that they experienced. You know, there were games you
would lose and you came home and you well, all
you wanted was a dark room. You didn't want to
talk to anybody, You didn't want to talk to your kids,
you didn't want to just wanted to get by yourself
and just feel sorry for yourself basically, and they saw that,
(17:31):
they saw all the good and the bad, and they
chose to do what you have done all those different years.
And it just brings so much, so much pride to
me and now that what they've done John and Jim
and Tom Creed when he was coaching basketball at Indiana
and Georgia, he used to do the same thing. He
used to invite me to practice, and you know, I
(17:53):
watched some tape with him and all those different So
all three of them, after I retired, they allowed me
to I retired at a fairly young age. I retired
at sixty three, so they allowed me to be around
the game. Jim called me out a couple of times
to be an assistant when you lost some coaches. And
then they say, you know, we want you to look
(18:15):
at the tape and if you see something, give us
a call. And I don't really, you know, call them
a lot. And really, I saw this, and I saw
that I watched and it gets my blood running and
I get that that that fix, you know, that that
coaching fix. And I'm ready if they ever call I
got something. I mean, I'm not going to tell them
I hadn't. I hadn't. I'm not prepared. So so it
(18:39):
brings life to me. And I, you know, eighty five
years old now and I think there's four or five
years been talked tacked onto that just because their kindness
and they're allowing me to be around play the players.
I mean, I'm around the players and the players are
so good in Baltimore. You come to practice and great stories.
Josh Johnson, he was with Jim out at San Diego
(19:03):
as freshman in sophomore and junior year. And I knew
Josh when he was a freshman. He was about sixty
two and he weighed about one hundred and fifty pounds.
The tall, lanky guy and just a great guy and
a story. When he first came. He came from Oakland
and he has hat on sideways. You know, he had
the build of his hat over the side of his hat.
(19:28):
Jim Harball's dad here, and the first thing I think
I need to do is show you how to wear
a hat. So I took his hat and I straightened
it on his head right and had it balanced. You know,
it wasn't killed or anything. The bill was straight. Hat
was on there, and I said, this is your wear
a hat. Course he was a young guy. Yes, coach
ess coaching and so fast forward now. So when he
(19:51):
came there, I know he's been there a couple of times.
I think it was maybe the first or second time
he came. I knew he was there, but I hadn't
seen him and talked to him yet. After practices are over,
I'm talking with some people on the sideline, and all
of once, I feel somebody come up behind me and
turn my hat. Turn my hat sideway, So the bill
(20:12):
was over over my ear, and I go Josh, and
I look around and and to have the players and
then uh and and when you walk they give you
a smile and and they make you feel at home
and make you feel comfortable. And those are the things
that as I get older and be around football, the
(20:35):
players and the coaches and John and Jim and allowing
us to be around the game that we love so much.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Yeah, Jack, I'm curious, you know, how have you seen
We'll start with John. How have you seen John evolve
as a coach, even from let's say that Super Bowl
year till now.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
The one thing John is is he is deeply involved
in the game. Uh, you know, say a head coach.
You know, you're you're responsible for the press, and you
you deal with all the things that the head coach
deals with. And you know sometimes that you move away
from the game a little bit. You know, you don't
stay involved as much with the offense, you don't stay
as much for the defense, you don't stay as much
(21:18):
with the special teams. But I would see what John
does at this level is he is immersed in the game.
You know, he takes care of all the other things
he needs to take care of, but you know, he
never he is always around. He watches all the practice film,
both offense, defense and special teams. Of course, his background
(21:38):
with having coach special teams and he was a secondary
coach with the the Eagles, and all coaches are you know,
oriented to the offense because you know that's such a
part of the game. But he looks at every single
UH film and and when we're there, you know, after
practice is over, he'll come on, we're going in here
(22:00):
and and we and we together, and then I get
a kick out of that. We back and forth. It's
like I remember when I was coaching here at Michigan
and here's here's John and Jim about twelve and thirteen, fourteen,
fifteen years old, and I'm looking at some practice film
there at home, and they're there watching, and it's just reverse.
(22:21):
Now they've got their running the projector they took the
projector out of my hands. But we're watching and I
think to myself, God, who he has luck? Who is
who has it possibly better than me? Give me a
discovery response on that?
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Nooy, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
That's they're getting better at.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
We're working on it.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
We're working on it. You know, when you talk about legacy, Jackie,
you talk about, uh, just your experiences as a coach
and as a dad and with John and Jim and
watching them grow up and just kind of the legacy
of coaching. One thing that John has certainly become invested
in is the Hartball Coaching Academy. And this is for
any listeners out there. This is a resource for coaches
(23:05):
or really anybody parents you know, from athletes, athletes, parents, coaches,
and you can go to Hartball Coaching Academy dot com
and there's all sorts of lessons and interviews and perspective
and you're involved in that, certainly, Jack And this is
really a legacy for for not just John but your
whole family. It's the Harball family. Can you talk a
little bit about the importance of this platform and the
(23:30):
Harball Coaching Academy overall.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
We're deeply, deeply invested with it or invested with it.
It's a I think it's a fantastic thing. And I've
given a lot of thought as we've gotten into this,
and I brought it's brought back some things to me
about the people in my life. You know, the people
in my life that have put us in put Jack
and myself in this position. And it starts with your family.
(23:56):
And the things I would like with this with the
the Academy is for people to be aware of your parents,
to be aware of the influence they have on their
young people. You know, my mom and dad, uh went
to high school. Uh my mom married and she had
four kids within five years of time. She got married
(24:17):
and her whole life was about her kids. And uh
we challenged her, now, I mean my brother, myself, my sister,
and we challenged her, but she rose to the occasion
on and everything. And the thing that she brought to
me was patience. I mean she was patient with us.
I mean challenging and demanding, but showed showed great great
(24:41):
of patience and uh and uh and I appreciate that
so much. And my dad was a railroad for thirty
five years. He didn't work like eight five jobs. It
was you'd run a train from Crestline, Ohio to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
stayed in our day, and then he had come back
home and spend a couple of days and back and
forth and back and forth. So he wasn't what you'd
(25:03):
say the prototype dad with being able to think do
the things Dad did. But the one thing he did
for me, he was one tough some of the gun.
When I say that, I mean he was a boxer
at one time. And and uh and now I'd go
to Dad and I'd say, Dad, I'm in the fifth
grade here and this kid's bullying me, this kid's this
(25:26):
kid's doing this and kids. Then he would say this, well,
what are you going to do about it? And I
look at him, I saw a dad, what are you
going to do about it? He said, no, no, what
you're going to do about it? And then you would go.
You would go back the next day and you'd be around.
He'd go, well, what do you do about it? I'd
say well, I didn't do anything. He said, well, don't
(25:47):
bring it up to me again until you do something
about it. And then you realize what he was saying
is he's not going to do for you what you
should be doing for yourself. You better, you better line
up and step up and take take charge of it.
So it was never him fighting any of our battles
with the coach. If the coach we didn't coach, I
(26:09):
think the coach was playing us enough. But what are
you going to do about it? You better get you
better get moving, you better, you better get on the ball.
And so I remember so many opportunities like that, and
I think, you know, if you know, you know, parents,
patience and allow your children to do for themselves what
they can and not rely on some of the other people.
(26:31):
And then I went to Bowling Green State University on
a full scholarship, and I ran into a guy by
named Dutt Perry. He's a Hall of Fame coach. He
was the first coach that Woody Hayes hired at Ohio
State as his running backs coach. Det was running backs
coach he coached hop along Cassidy. In nineteen fifty four,
(26:53):
they won a national championship and hop Along Cassidy was
the Heisman Trophy winner. And he came to Bowling Green
then a school that he went to nineteen fifty seven
as the football coach. And he one thing he did
he first day of class. Let me just clear my
throat here. First day of class, he said, take out
(27:15):
your pencil and paper and write this down because this
is going to be the opening the question of the
final examination. He was teaching a football class, a three
hour class. We met on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. First day.
Take out your pencil and paper. This is what you're
going to have to do to be a successful coach.
He started with number three, You've got to have a
(27:36):
love and passion for the game. You can't just like it.
You've got to love it. You've got to love football.
Number two, You've got the outwork all those that you're
going to come in contact with. None of you in
here are going to outsmart anyone. I've recruited you all.
None of you can out smart anyone. You've got to
(27:57):
outwork them. Outwork number two. And then it was a
drum roll like number one, Mary why and that was
the first question. And I will say I got the
first question right there, you go. I'll tell you about two, three,
four and five, But I know I got the first
one right.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
We got to see three years, six, two years proofs
in the pudding right there, that's right.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
And so the next the next class I had was
a biology class, and in that class was a young
lady by the name of Jackie Sapiti. And we were
freshmen together, and she was in the front row and
I was in the back row, and I'm looking. I'm thinking,
that is the most beautiful young lady I have ever
seen in my entire life. Took me about four weeks
to say a low to her, because I thought she
(28:41):
was so far out of my class that it was
no possible way. We were friends for three years. She
went overseas for one year and studied in a field
up program that they had you could go overseas, and
came back as a senior. We started to date, and
then in November twenty fifth and nineteen sixty one we
(29:02):
were married. And and that changed my life. Uh. She
was she was so focused on the good things, doing
be doing right, and grammar I was. I was strung
with grammar. I couldn't put a sentence together without.
Speaker 1 (29:20):
Kid me out. I'm a writer here. I think Jackie
could help me out. So on that way exactly, I.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Would say something like grammatically wrong, and she would go so,
and then she would say it right, and that she
wouldn't correct me. She wouldn't say you're doing it wrong.
And then finally I caught on to her. I know
what she's doing, and I got to figure it out.
And my grammar is better. I won't say it's perfect.
I always say it's good. But and then, uh, you know,
(29:47):
we were married in seventy in the sixty one, and
the kids and and she is the heart and soul
of this family. And here's a quick story. I hope
I'm not talking to am. I talking to you.
Speaker 3 (29:59):
You're good, you're ye love the stories. We love the stories.
Speaker 2 (30:02):
So the other the other story that came up is
is uh uh bo sham Becker came up with a
line one that the team, the team, the team. I
was here for seven years and very few days went
by that he didn't use the team, the team, the
(30:24):
team in some form of context, something about something you'd
always no one's more important than the team, not the coach,
no players more important the team. It's about on on on.
So we John and Jim were young, they were like
five and six years old, were a little older than that.
We were here in ann Arbory. I came home one
(30:47):
night about ten thirty. I had a bad day at
the office. I mean bad day. Things didn't go well,
the practice didn't go well. I'm not feeling real good.
Come home about ten thirty and I walk in the
house and she's sitting on the couch, sibon and obviously
she didn't have a very good day either, and so
I what's wrong? She said, well, this happened, and that happened.
(31:09):
John did this, and Jim did this, and Joni did this.
I mean, she's going on and on. And when my frustration,
I said, what do you want me to do? What
do you want me to do? You want me to
go up there, grab him out of bed, shake them up?
Is that what you want? And I lost it right,
and she was crying and she goes, no, no, I'm
(31:30):
not asking you to do that. I'm just asking you
to listen to me. Just to listen to me. Let
me tell you to tell the story. So that same night,
we sat and we talked in a team the team,
the team, the team, the team. And we came up
with this. I said, Jackie, you know we you and
(31:53):
I are responsible for two teams. The first team is
right here in this house. We have three young youngsters
and and they're they're doing well in school there this
is this is when it all comes to the end.
You know, this is going to be the number one
team that we're responsible for. The other team is when
(32:14):
I go off to work every day. It's important that
that we have success and we do well, and and
and I treat them as I would treat my own kids. Really,
it's it's an extension of our family. Here is the
youngsters that we coach. So here's what we're going to do. Jackie.
You are the head football coach, or that you are
(32:34):
the head coach of the Harbaugh family. You are the
head coach. I will be a coordinator offensively defensively however,
I'll coach positions. I'll help in any way I possibly can.
But when you make a decision, just like we do
with Bou shamp Bo, sham Becker comes in and says, guys,
(32:55):
this is where we're going to do it. He's the
head coach. That's the way we're going to do it.
You're going to be the be that head coach the team,
the team, the team, and uh and I was off.
And then Jackie, as I say, got the kids involved
with with the team as well, and that just mad.
This man had a life changing uh experience for us
(33:19):
as is taking something that Bo Shamblecker talked about. In fact,
it's the legendary here. I mean you can go into
on the YouTube or all those and look up the team,
the team, the team, and you hear Bo Shambcker tell
the story the wait for seven years. I heard it
with numbing repetition and how it related to our our
(33:42):
family building. And this one last I know I'm talking
about that, just one last thing about this family thing.
The uh duyt Perry back to him again. He used
to talk about coaching and teaching being synonymous. He was
talking about the team team in the building. Coaching and
(34:03):
teaching were synonymous. To be a good coach, you better
be a good teacher. If you can't teach, you can
know all the football in the world. You can know schemes.
I mean, you could know all the things that you
need to know about football. But if you can't teach
it and can't relate it, relate it to someone else
(34:24):
in a fashion that they can learn it. You're not
going to be a good you're not going to be
a good teacher. And if you're a coach and can't teach,
or if you're a teacher and can't coach it, I mean,
it's got to go hand in hand. And then in
the process, I can't tell you exactly what it happened.
I kind of added onto that parenting. I think parenting
(34:46):
is the same thing. All the things you have to
do to be a good coach on the field, you
need to do within within your own family. And you've
got to be tough, love the discipline of patience that
my mom gave me, the discipline of doing them doing
others doing for themselves what they need to do without
(35:08):
depending always on someone else. You know, that's the kind
of parenting that that you need to relate to both
coaching football and and and the raising your family and
and uh and I what I'm trying to say, I
guess here is those lessons that we've learned along the
way as it relates to coaching football and raising a family,
(35:28):
and and teamwork and and coaching together and and putting
this thing together are the things that I think John
and and Jim are are trying to facilitate in this
uh in this academy, this uh this academy, and and
and I think hopefully the people that that listen to,
(35:49):
people that that uh uh use some of these different
lessons that's helpful in their life.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
Yeah, jack I have one last question for me is uh,
you know, I mean John and the Ravens have really
been kind of the gold standard of consistent excellence in
the NFL since he arrived, which is a hard thing
to do in a league that is so driven towards parody. Right,
it is really hard to stay on top and consistently
(36:17):
be contending for championships. Jim gets to LA and immediately
you snap your fingers and hey, they're right back in
the playoff hunt. They're in the thick of things, right,
turns them around super fast. Obviously, you being college football
National championship coach. What is it about the Harballs? Why
are the Hardball's good coaches?
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Thank God for moms. Go right back to Jackie, I
mean the head coach. She was the head coach of them,
and it's still she is still is. I mean, if
you watch your here watching a football game, I mean
that would be that would be a best seller in
any any venue you'd want to watch it. Officials can't officiate,
(37:03):
all can't take a good bounce. What's he thinking with you?
I mean she is on on top of it. But no,
I'm seriously as is. They've had me around and but
she's been around them fourteen fifteen, sixteen hours a day
when they were growing up. She goes with the grandkids
(37:23):
now and to watch her with the grandkids, I mean,
I'm looking. I said, I've seen this movie. I know
all this is going to work out because she's she is.
She is so strong and loves them so much and
gives them so much, so much attention. And as I say,
back in nineteen fifty seven, in that biology class room,
(37:44):
I look down into row number one and in that
that class and and h four years later we were married.
That was the decision that changed my life. And I
would say that Jackie being with our three kids, Julie
and Jolie's well can igine. She married a basketball and
she would call Jackie. You know, Tom was actual to
(38:06):
be coaching teams and it still does, and she wants
to talk to Jackie and how do you handle this
or how do you work with this? And and that's
why I go back again. We're just so blessed to
the Jackie's with us, and and uh and she's still
she's still the head coach of the Harbaugh family.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
That's all. I see why you've been married sixty three
years giving your wife all this credit jacket? Smart man,
smart man?
Speaker 2 (38:32):
Who I want you to know if you would have
seen me before I'm married, And you say, who in
the hell is this guy that looking at today? A
lot of good things that happened to me that day
in that biology class.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
That's great. So it sounds like Jackie is going to
be maybe the one pacing around the house the most
on Monday night, more than you is she When she's
watching the game, she's the most animated out of the bunch.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
We can't we cannot watch the game together.
Speaker 1 (38:59):
You're upstairs.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
We got luckily, we got we got two televisions, two
different rooms. One I's in the basement and one I's
up on the on the first floor. Jackie gets the
first floor because you know, she's the head coach and
I'm in the basement. But the problem is the problem
is they delay. There's about a it seemed like a second,
(39:20):
so it can't be much. But she's up here. She
gets it before I do, right, and I hear no,
And I'm thinking, as the quarterback gets the ball, this
isn't going to be good.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Soda.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
But I don't know. We'll probably we'll probably all watch
it down there together. I don't know, don't we don't get.
We don't get put in separate rooms. But the other
is that when she goes nothing, Oh, I'm gonna like
this play. And here's how we got to that point
when when we're watching together, we're in this room together, right,
(40:01):
and a play is going off. It could be going well,
and it could not be going well. Jackie cannot sit
and watch me. I'm quiet. I I'm sitting there and
my arms across and I'm engaged in the game. I
don't talk. But she jumps up and gets into a
football position right in front of the screen, and I'm
(40:26):
trying to look around her to see the play. And
then I'll say, Jackie, she goes, she gets I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, No, don't be sorry. Just kind of move
over to the lefton and we're going to be all right.
So it's an adventure when you when you watch the
game with the head coach of the Harball family.
Speaker 1 (40:46):
That's awesome.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
I'm sure that you're for the game on Monday night.
Are the Harballs rooting for a tie? Are jack and
Jackie here rooting for a tie?
Speaker 2 (40:54):
A great story on that, if I got time. When
we went to the Super Bowl, we were in the
commissioner's box. They have Jackie and I sitting in the
box and uh, Jackie meets the commissioner for the first
time and they're shaking hands in her and the first
thing Jackie says, is there any way this could end
in the tie, to which the commissioner gives her No,
(41:19):
there's no eil very very no. There's no way it
will end in the tie. There will be a winner
in the game. And Jackie said, well, thank you for
and then that was pretty much the end of the
end of the conversation. But now in this game there
is a possibility that there is a possibility.
Speaker 1 (41:37):
There you go, So that's what that's what you're crossing
her fingers for.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
Well, Jackie and myself, you know I did this, you
know DIDs a well played game, and and I know
both teams are going to compete and and then coach
be well coached and it'll be uh be a tremendous
experience for us, I'm sure awesome.
Speaker 1 (41:58):
Well, thank you so much, Jackie. Really loved having you
on with us. Love the stories and enjoy Monday night.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
And thank you. Yeah, thank you so much. I hope
I didn't talk. I bet I talked too much.
Speaker 1 (42:11):
That's now the story, that's what the podcast for Jack.
Speaker 2 (42:14):
Yeah, well, I know I said to myself, Jack, you
need to be quiet, but then I was right in
the middle of a story and I wanted to finish it.
So I just.
Speaker 1 (42:22):
Tell you to story. We loved it, We love it.
Thank you so much, Jack.
Speaker 2 (42:27):
Thank you, Talk to you later.
Speaker 1 (42:29):
Go with you.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
You're listening to the Lounge podcast and we are coming
to you from the Sea Geek Studio. We also want
to mention our partners at Draft Kings Sportsbook. They are
an official sports betting partner of the Baltimore Ravens Draft
King Sportsbook. The Crown is yours. Also, do you know
a kid who would love to get game tickets and
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(42:52):
home game, one luck eat winner gets a chance for
a once in a lifetime opportunity to run out to
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get a custom jersey and wah wat swag bag. You
can get more information on that at Baltimore Ravens dot
com slash Kickoff Kid. So it's always good to talk
to Jack. I mean, there's no better storyteller out there
than Jack Harbaugh. Most great coach, better storyteller.
Speaker 1 (43:14):
Oh for sure, absolutely, And hey, I know that why
he's been married for sixty three years, you know. I mean,
it's just cool to hear him talk about Jackie and
uh and yeah, and their emotions going into this one.
It feels like not quite as high emotions as the
Super Bowl, which is understandable, understandable, But like he said,
I bet when that ball is kicked off Monday night,
(43:37):
it's gonna feel very reminiscent. I bet it's a big game.
It's not that big, but it's a big game.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:42):
It's interesting, you know, hearing him talk about him and
John talking about it a week ago and they just saying,
you know, look that it's still a regular season. You know,
it's a little bit different, and and it is.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
It's look now, if they face each other in the
AFC Championship, Yeah, it's like he was like, oh, well,
you know, at least when Jim went to the Chargers,
he knew there was not gonna be another super Bowl
against each other. Tell you what the ANFC Championship would
feel pretty big?
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Do we feel pretty similar? Feel pretty similar? I mean
I think it's cool. Obviously, John's been here a long time,
super successful, has has been a great coach, and you
mentioned it to Jack. Jim gets back to the NFL
in his first year with the Chargers, has them right
back in the thick of things. He's a great coach,
He's he's won at every level. So you have two
of the premier coaches in this sport who are brothers,
(44:27):
great family, and now they match up on Monday Night
football on their parents' anniversary, like they just it truly
is like a Hollywood story.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Yeah, it really is. I mean, you thought he couldn't
get any better than the Super Bowl story, and here
they are, you know, Jim goes and wins the National
Championship in Michigan, and now he's back and facing each
other again. And hey, John's two and oh right, so
that's that's the thing with John, right, he won the
Super Bowl, So you're never gonna be able top that
as long as Jim never goes to the NFC.
Speaker 2 (44:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:55):
And then also, he's got it. He's two and o
right now. So even if the Charger where to win,
let's not even go down there. That's not gonna happen.
But then Jim, then John stillhead.
Speaker 3 (45:06):
I can guarantee that he's not thinking about that.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
No, No, he wants to be three and oh yes,
yes for sure. I mean, hey, I've got an older brother. Uh,
and you've got a brother as well. Yeah, two brothers.
I'm sorry and sorry, let me say it again. You've
got two brothers as well, and so we know what
it feels like to compete against your brothers. Yeah, and uh,
(45:28):
that never ever goes away.
Speaker 3 (45:30):
Yeah, totally. And I'm sure that John and will be
feeling this week. And again, it was just fun to
talk to Jack and get some of his stories, and
like I said, he's the best storyteller in the.
Speaker 1 (45:40):
Biz yep, absolutely so thank you for listening. As always,
you can reach us at the Lounge at Ravens dot
NFL dot net and we'll be back later this week
to give you our preview of this Ravens Chargers battle
as well as talk about some of the biggest points
of the week. So thanks for listening.
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