The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 25 as they went along." It was only a matter of time, too, before San- key came to his golden goose's aid, defending Saban. "These [camps] are not instructional," he told reporters. "There are videos and pictures out there that don't look very instructional to me." ESPN's Paul Finebaum, a self-appointed Saban defender, took it a step further. "He has really become a cartoon character. He just can't stop," Finebaum said of Har- baugh. "Twitter will do that to you; we've seen a presidential candidate [Donald Trump] who can't stay off twitter, and now Jim Harbaugh can't." Saban, meanwhile, responded to Harbaugh's tweet with, "I don't really care what he thinks or tweets," enough to bring Finebaum, also a long time reporter and radio show host in Bir- mingham, Ala., great pleasure. "Saban responded like you would respond to a fly on your hamburger at the July 4 com- pany picnic," Finebaum said. "He just shooed it away. He's not going to engage Jim Harbaugh because I think he's much smarter than Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh, for a coach who had a successful first year, is really reeking of desperation right now." Others, including those who know Harbaugh best, viewed the international satellite camp tour differently. "He's stumping for football at all levels, from Pop Warner to high school, college and beyond because he loves the game," longtime friend Todd Anson said. "Some people may not like his style or aren't happy because it puts the limelight on the Michigan program, not theirs, but he's including everyone who is interested in putting on these camps for kids. "There's a much bigger benefit than recruit- ing for Michigan, and that's for the greater good of football. That's what I think he's all about." One of those without bias, ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski, cast the deciding vote for many when he followed a handful of Michigan coaches on the Australian leg of the tour. While there, he also learned of U-M's experience in American Samoa, where the campers ended the day with the tradition Samoan Faafetai song of thanks. "I spent three hours in see-your-breath cold/ rain conditions at Michigan's satellite camp near Melbourne last night," Wojciechowski wrote via twitter. "I don't have a dog in the satellite camp fight, but ... I was impressed by the Aussies' passion for the game, and Michi- gan coaches' desire to teach them. You would have thought you were at a Michigan practice — high intensity. It didn't matter there were maybe — maybe — a handful of college-level prospects. If this was about spreading the col- lege football word, then Michigan coaches did so. "In American Samoa, Michigan coaches saw campers who practice on rocky fields, and actual footballs are treated like gold bars. Eye opener. All this said, I'm not naive enough to think satellite camps also aren't way to identify talent. But what I saw from U-M coaches was love-of-game stuff." **** All of the recent attention has made Har- baugh a household name who almost tran- scends the game. Even those who have no clue about football have probably at least heard of him. Michigan's former captain started building his legacy long before he made Ann Arbor his destination for the first time since his col- lege playing days (1983-86). During his NFL playing career, which spanned 14 seasons between Chicago and Indianapolis, Baltimore and San Diego, he appeared on TV shows like Fox Network's Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. as a cowboy, acting alongside former NFL great Terry Bradshaw. He also made an appearance on the popular Saturday morning show Saved By The Bell, a cameo in which he played one of the students' cousins, promoting character and honesty. Years later, while Harbaugh was coaching the 49ers, the camera in Judy Sheindlin's (aka Judge Judy) courtroom panned to the crowd, where Harbaugh and his father, former Michi- gan assistant Jack, sat in the front row, chuck- ling at one of the judge's famous outbursts. For an advertising buck, he and wife Sarah even poked fun at his affinity for his signature Khakis with a commercial to promote Dock- ers as a means to #StopDadPants. "I don't take vacations. I don't get sick. I don't observe major holidays," Harbaugh said. "I'm a jackhammer." A partial list of his itinerary in his first few months at Michigan backs his claim: Jan. 3, 2015: Visits Pittsburgh to watch his older brother, John, coach the Baltimore Ravens in a night playoff game against the Steelers. Jan. 15: Makes recruiting trips to Detroit, Albuquerque, N.M. (Jan. 19), Houston (Jan. 20), Bradenton, Fla. (Jan. 22), New Jersey/ Philadelphia (Jan. 23), Southern California (Jan. 26), Seattle (Jan. 27), Avon, Conn. (Jan. 28), and Macon County, Ga. (Jan. 29). Jan. 16: Speaks at the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association clinic in Lansing, primarily about protecting the public attack on the game of football over safety concerns. March 3: Tweets a response to Judge Ju- dy's contract extension for her TV show: "Big Congrats to Judge Judy on signing her con- tract extension thru 2020 from a Devout Fan!" March 3: Assists U-M associate athletic director Jim Minick at the scene of a car acci- dent on I-94, helping pull a woman to safety. He later tweets: "Proud of my friend Colonel Jim Minick today! He took charge calling on combat training. I was just following his instructions." March 7: Accepts Oakland Athletics man- ager Bob Melvin's invitation to attend spring training in Mesa, Ariz. Wears a uniform and coaches first base. March 28: Is voted fourth as a write-in for Michigan Central Student Government president. Harbaugh finished third in the 1986 Heisman Trophy voting before being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS "I don't take vacations. I don't get sick. I don't observe major holidays. I'm a jackhammer." HARBAUGH