The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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table to Michigan fans around the world. Guys like Tom Brady, Rick Leach, Dennis Franklin, Drew Hen- son, John Wangler, Steve Smith, Elvis Grbac, Michael Taylor, Brian Griese, John Navarre, Chad Henne, Denard Robinson, and Devin Gardner, just to name a few. They all tasted the top of big-time col- lege football. However, having known Jim since when he was a young boy, Falk knew Jim was a lit- tle different from anyone he played with or against. "Jim is what I call a stallion," Falk said. "Stallions are a little dif- ferent than any other kind of horse. They're strong. They're runners. They're jumpers. They dare people to look them in the eye. Don't ever try to break a stallion because they are free souls. You break a stallion, and all that's left is a pony at a carnival ride." None of that means Har- baugh is wild. "He's just as confident and determined as Bo was," Falk said. One of the most celebrated examples that reflects that ironclad confidence occurred in 1986 when he guaranteed a victory over the vaunted Ohio State Buckeyes in the traditional final game of the sea- son. When Falk heard about Har- baugh's guarantee, he immediately went into Bo's office and said, "Hey, did you hear what Harbaugh said?" Bo looked at Falk and said, "That's my boy." When Jim was in high school in Palo Alto, California, he visited Miami of Ohio for a possible foot- ball scholarship. The next day Falk walked into Bo's office and said he had heard that Jimmy Harbaugh was looking at Miami. Bo put his arm around Falk and said: "Harbaugh is coming to Michigan. He just does not know it yet." After signing Jim to a scholarship tender, Bo called Falk into his office to deliver him the good news. "Falk," Bo barked. "Get yourself prepared, Jon. Jimmy is coming to Michigan." Falk laughed and wanted to make sure about what he had just heard. "You mean that little kid that used to hang around the locker room all the time?" Falk asked. "That's the one," Bo said "And he's going to be a great one." Former equipment manager Jon Falk has known first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh (left, as a kid congratulating No. 7 Rick Leach) since Harbaugh's days running around the U-M locker room as the son of an assistant coach. PHOTO COURTESY THE HARBAUGH FAMILY