Following an undefeated season at Michigan that culminated with a National Championship, head coach Jim Harbaugh decided it was time to go back to the National Football League. Harbaugh, who was drafted by the Bears in the first round of the 1987 Draft, had interest in returning to Chicago but unfortunately the feeling wasn’t mutual.
According to a report by Chicago sportscaster Dan McNeil, Bears President Kevin Warren “quashed” the idea of Harbaugh becoming the next head coach of the Chicago Bears despite him being interested. Michael Lombardi, a longtime NFL administrator who worked with the likes of Bill Belichick and Al Davis, called the story “completely true”. Lombardi alluded to the possibility of Kevin Warren, the former commissioner of the Big Ten, holding a grudge against Harbaugh.
“Remember Warren and Harbaugh, Warren being the commissioner of the Big Ten, had some differences, and I think they let it spill over,” Lombardi said. “… Neither (the Bears nor the Raiders) decided to go after him. Why? I don’t know. To me, if you’re Kevin Warren, the object of this is to get the best coach available, and Jim Harbaugh would’ve been the best coach for your team.”
The Bears stuck with Matt Eberflus and fired him last week after an embarrassing loss on Thanksgiving that dropped the Bears to 4-8 on the season. Meanwhile, Harbaugh ended up taking the Los Angeles Chargers job and through 12 games, he’s led the Chargers to an impressive 8-4 record.
As the Bears embark on a head-coaching search, let’s hope the folks running the Bears do a better job hiring a coach.
