In just one year with the Los Angeles Chargers, Jim Harbaugh has once again proven why he is among the best coaches at any level of football. A decade after nearly winning Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers and one year after winning a national championship at the University of Michigan, Harbaugh returned to the NFL to lead the Chargers to an 11-6 record, maximizing the potential of quarterback Justin Herbert and putting the Bolts back in the playoffs just one year after going 5-12.
The Chargers' dramatic turnaround is a testament to Harbaugh, and ahead of their Wild Card game against the Houston Texans, Justin Herbert was asked by reporters when he realized that Harbaugh was different: Herbert responded by pinpointing the exact moment, sharing that Harbaugh had claimed to the team that he remembers the exact day he was born.
"He kind of told us the whole story and how he remembered looking out the window and I think it was a cold, snowy day," Herbert said. "I really hope he does remember that. That'd be pretty cool."
Whether or not Harbaugh can actually remember that far back is anyone's guess -- most people cannot remember the first two to three years of their lives, a long-observed phenomenon known as childhood amnesia -- but his coaching acumen could make for a memorable postseason for the Chargers. Harbaugh reached the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three years coaching the 49ers (2011-2013), and in 2012 won the game to advance to Super Bowl XLVII. Harbaugh also has an accomplished playoff history as a player, as he led the Indianapolis Colts to the 1995 AFC Championship Game as their starting quarterback.