On their own, John and Jim Harbaugh each have guided their teams to the Super Bowl. Though they'll be on opposite sidelines come Sunday, in a joint news conference Friday, someone asked if the brothers would consider teaming up if either should be removed from their current position.
''No question about it,'' John said. ''We've had that conversation in the past. It just never really worked out timing-wise. I'd love to work for Jim. It would be the greatest thing in the world.''
Jim, coach of the San Francisco 49ers, said, ''"Definitely, I would work for him.''
Normal tradition during the Super Bowl calls for both coaches to meet with the press on separate days before the Super Bowl. Those customs were thrown to the side Friday because, after all, two brother's have never coached against each other in a Super Bowl.
Jack Harbaugh, their father, too was a successful coach on the college level. He said there was once a time where there routes nearly merged.
''We almost made it happen at Stanford at one time,'' John said. ''It would be an honor to have him on the staff. He's a great coach. You always try to get great coaches, and there are none better than Jim Harbaugh, and I mean that seriously. There's no better coach in the National Football League than this guy right here.''
To which Jim added, ''Well, Jack Harbaugh.''
And though Jack Harbaugh receives most of the credit for molding his boys into the coaches they are today, the brothers revealed that their mother, Jackie, also had a great deal influencing their growth into men.
"There is no one in the family who has more competitive fire than my mother. She competes like a maniac. She has just always believed in us, and I think that is the most important thing to me. She believed in me, John, and Joanie, and took us to games and played catch with us, shot baskets with us, and just believed in us.''
''No one would fight harder for us than our mom, no matter what the situation was, or teach us how to have each other's back and be there for one another,'' John said. ''We may have been talking football with dad in the basement, but mom was talking about other things. There were a lot of things going on in our world during the '70s, and Mom was always tuned in on those kinds of things.''
Related Articles:
Arian Foster Denies Heart Surgery, Says Procedure Will Not Happen Anytime Soon Despite Conflicting Reports
Super Bowl 2013: Baltimore Ravens Defeat San Francisco 49ers Thanksgiving 2011 in First Harbaugh Brothers NFL Game (FLASHBACK)