Jim Harbaugh motivated 'every day' by Super Bowl loss with 49ers

Remember Super Bowl XLVII, the one featuring the Harbaugh brothers, Jim and John? It unfolded in New Orleans. The lights even went out.

The Ravens, coached by John Harbaugh, held on for the 34-31 win over Jim’s 49ers. Although 11 years have passed, Jim Harbaugh says he thinks about the game, dubbed the “Bro Bowl,” all the time.

“There’s probably not a day that goes by that I don’t think about that game and what we could’ve done down at the end, (seven) yards away from getting into the end zone,” Jim Harbaugh said in an interview with the Associated Press. “You leave that field and you go, there might be other days. Then you start thinking that might be the only day. Just wanted another shot at it, take another crack.”

He added, “when I say it motivates me every day, it’s every day.”  

The sporting world is obsessed with the Super Bowl this weekend with the game set for Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. And for Harbaugh, it’s even more front and center in his thoughts since he jumped from the NCAA to the NFL, taking the head coaching job with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines won the national championship last month. But he still hasn’t won the Super Bowl. Coincidentally, neither have the Chargers. In fact, they’ve only played for the NFL title one time.

The new Chargers head coach is in Vegas for the Super Bowl. Maybe he’ll be cheering on the 49ers, his old team. He left San Francisco after the 2014 season for the Wolverines. After all, once a Michigan man, always a Michigan man, unless you want another shot at the NFL. Or maybe Harbaugh will be rooting for the Chiefs, the team that knocked out his brother’s Ravens in the AFC championship.

He’ll likely be awash in memories of his Super Bowl from Feb. 3, 2013. His 49ers stormed back from a 28-6 deficit and survived a 34-minute power outage.

Maybe Harbaugh can build the Chargers into a contender. They missed the playoffs this year, but can rebuild around quarterback Justin Herbert. Plus, Harbaugh probably will want to keep running back Austin Ekeler on the team. Ekeler will be a free agent.

“If things go well, it’s going to be because of guys like Austin Ekeler and the players,” Harbaugh said. “I like Austin Ekeler. We’re going to have a huge emphasis on the run game, and we gotta block better up front. He’s a tremendous back and we’d love to have him on the team next year. But yeah, things go well, it’s kind of because of all the players. If it goes bad, it’s because I’m a bad manager, I’m a bad coach.”