Jim Harbaugh explains why he decided to take the LA Chargers head coaching job

Jim Harbaugh was on top of the college football world. He just won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines. It was the program’s first national crown since 1997. But people that have followed Harbaugh over the years know he’s always been seduced by the lure of winning a Super Bowl in the NFL. That was one of the major factors why he decided to join the LA Chargers and make the jump from college to the NFL again. In his introductory press conference on Thursday, Harbaugh laid out why the timing was right to join the Chargers.

“The opportunity was presented. And I felt that they, the Spanos family, the Charger organization, they made it clear they liked what I did and how I did it. And that’s all you could ever want from somebody that’s employing you. So, love of Michigan, the love of the NFL, and this opportunity. As my dad would say, who’s got it better than us,” Harbaugh began on Thursday afternoon.

“It was time. I said this the other day but I’ve only got so many sands left in the hourglass. And I want another shot. I want another shot to be simply known as world champions. The Lombardi Trophy–that’s my mission,” Harbaugh noted.

He hasn’t been shying away from the work that needs to be done in Los Angeles. The Chargers’ new head man has been excited to clean a few things up in his first few days on the job.

“Happy….Already attacking. Already a lot of work getting done. Just can’t wait. After this we’re gonna go over to the facility. We’re gonna look at that. I think there’s still some opportunity to look at it. Right, Fred? We can look at that. Maybe get some of the equipment ordered that we want. But it’s just all that. All that is just so exciting,” Harbaugh said.

“So, each day right now is just filled with fulfillment of just chipping away. Chipping away at things. And how do we make this to where we can put our players in the absolute best environment to be successful.”

This is going to be Jim Harbaugh’s second stint as a head coach in the NFL. The first stint he spent was with the San Francisco 49ers and he made a Super Bowl during that time, falling short in the Super Bowl to his brother John Harbaugh. He also played more than a decade in the NFL without winning a Super Bowl.

On3’s Dan Morrison also contributed to this article.