For decades, the Los Angeles Chargers have had a reputation for being a bridesmaid franchise, and over the last few years, they have arguably even become a laughingstock.
But the promise of better days ahead arrived just weeks ago when they hired Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach.
While Harbaugh has been an effective head coach at both the college and NFL levels for the past 20 years, he also has a track record of building a winning culture and turning teams around quickly.
A graphic from the NFL on ESPN shows how he has turned around each of the teams he has coached.
The Jim Harbaugh effect 👀
Can he turn around the Chargers? pic.twitter.com/lEsO1xomMz
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 25, 2024
While the University of San Diego, the first team he coached, was already winning just prior to hiring him, it increased its winning percentage in its three seasons with him while winning the Pioneer Football League title in 2005.
Stanford University was woeful in 2006, the year before it hired Harbaugh, but by 2009, it became a winning team, and in 2010, it went 12-1 while winning the Orange Bowl with the help of quarterback Andrew Luck, a future four-time Pro Bowler.
But Harbaugh truly proved his worth when he moved on to the San Francisco 49ers for the 2011 season.
At the time, the 49ers were going through a painful rebuilding process, and they had gone just 6-10 in 2010.
But Harbaugh got them to the NFC Championship Game in each of his first three seasons with them before he left following the 2014 season due to a rift between himself and management.
In L.A., he’s taking over a team that will look very different on offense but will still have young star Justin Herbert at quarterback this fall.
The team will have the No. 5 pick in April’s draft, barring a trade, and it could end up drafting a big-time wide receiver prospect to give Herbert a legitimate weapon for years to come.
Los Angeles went 5-12 in 2023 and lost several games by three points or less during a season that was clearly a disaster.
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