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Jim Harbaugh, a 60-year-old man who moved to Southern California earlier this year. Harbaugh lives in an RV at a waterfront park in Huntington Beach. It’s a fancy RV, but you can tell he doesn’t know much about it when he says, “this is my Quantum Thor Motor Coach.” In April, he was binge-watching “The Rockford Files” and hanging out with his friend Greg Roman, who also lives in the same park.
Harbaugh is also the new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, and Roman is his offensive coordinator.
Few coaches are as entertaining or quirky as Harbaugh. It didn’t take long for him to let his personality shine.
The Chargers began training camp on Wednesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new facility in El Segundo. During his first training camp press conference, Harbaugh described how he felt on his first day back in the NFL.
At first, he compared it to New Year’s Day but then found a more fitting analogy.
“It feels like being born,” Harbaugh said. “It feels like coming out of the womb, you know?”
Harbaugh seemed unaware that most people don’t remember what it’s like to be born. But no worries; he went on to explain the emotions of a newborn baby. As he talked, it seemed less about football and more about birth experiences.
“You’re in there and it’s comfortable and it’s safe,” Harbaugh said. “And now, you’re out and you’re born. The lights are on. It’s bright. You’ve got chaos. People looking at you, people talking at you.”
For a moment, it seemed like Harbaugh was reminiscing about his own birth and those emotional moments.
“It just feels good to have it happen,” Harbaugh said after pausing.
day 1 feels like new year’s day pic.twitter.com/vu6XFFguEK
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 24, 2024
Harbaugh spent the last nine years coaching Michigan, leading them to an undefeated 15-0 record and a national championship in 2023 before joining the Chargers this offseason.
This will be Harbaugh’s second stint as an NFL head coach. He previously turned around the struggling San Francisco 49ers team that had eight consecutive losing seasons before he arrived. Under Harbaugh’s leadership, they reached three consecutive NFC Championships and made a Super Bowl appearance after the 2013 season. He left for Michigan after compiling a 44-19-1 record over four years in San Francisco.
Now, the Chargers hope for a fresh start under Harbaugh’s guidance. Despite having quarterback Justin Herbert leading them, Los Angeles hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018.
