Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL, and the Los Angeles Chargers are 2-1 heading into a crucial divisional matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Given Harbaugh’s NFL track record, this should not come as a surprise.
It’s an admittedly smaller sample, but he is among the best coaches in the NFL when it comes to winning percentage. That’s why it’s a safe bet the Chargers will be in contention for a playoff berth this season. Is it enough to challenge the Chiefs in the AFC West? We’ll get that answer on Sunday.
So, just how good has Harbaugh been in the NFL? A closer look at the numbers.
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Jim Harbaugh NFL coaching record
Harbaugh is 46-20-1 as an NFL coach, and this is his fifth season. His .694 winning percentage ranks fifth all-time behind Guy Chamberlain (.784), John Madden (.759), Vince Lombardi (.738), and George Allen (.712).
Chamberlain coached six NFL seasons. Allen coached 12 seasons, and Lombardi had Madden each coached for 10 seasons. It’s a smaller sample size, but Harbaugh does have the highest winning percentage among active NFL coaches.
Highest winning percentage among active NFL coaches
A total of 10 active NFL coaches have a winning percentage of more than 60 percent this season. A look at those coaches:
| COACH | YEARS | W | L | T | PCT |
| Jim Harbaugh | 5 | 46 | 20 | 1 | .694 |
| Matt LaFleur | 6 | 58 | 28 | 0 | .674 |
| Nick Sirianni | 4 | 36 | 18 | 0 | .667 |
| Sean McDermott | 8 | 76 | 41 | 0 | .650 |
| Andy Reid | 26 | 261 | 141 | 1 | .644 |
| Mike Tomlin | 18 | 176 | 100 | 2 | .637 |
| Mike McCarthy | 18 | 168 | 104 | 2 | .617 |
| Sean Payton | 17 | 161 | 100 | 0 | .617 |
| John Harbaugh | 17 | 161 | 100 | 0 | .617 |
| Sean McVay | 8 | 71 | 47 | 0 | .602 |
Five of those coaches have coached 10 or more seasons, with Andy Reid (.644) leading in experience with 26 seasons.
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Jim Harbaugh playoff record
Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to three straight conference championships from 2011-13. He has a 5-3 playoff record, and the 49ers lost Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens — led by his brother John Harbaugh — in a 34-31 thriller.
San Francisco failed to make the postseason in 2014, and Harbaugh left for college football and took a job with his alma mater at Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh record between college and NFL
Harbaugh was a successful coach at San Diego and Stanford, but his nine-year tenure with Michigan drew the most attention. He compiled an 86-25 record and led the Wolverines to a national championship in 2023. Harbaugh did not get credit for three victories last season while serving a school-imposed suspension, but he had a .774 winning percentage with the Wolverines.
Between Michigan and Stanford, Harbaugh has a 118-46 record and a .720 winning percentage. That ranks 50th all-time among FBS coaches with at least 10 years of experience.
He is trying to join the short list of coaches who have won a NFL championship and national championship. Paul Brown, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, and Pete Carroll are the only coaches who have accomplished that feat.
Jim Harbaugh year-by-year coaching record
Harbaugh has been a coach at five places between college and the NFL. He was the coach at I-AA San Diego from 2004-06 before taking the job at Stanford in 2007. He left Stanford for the 49ers job in 2010. He coached Michigan from 2014-23 before returning to the NFL in 2023.
He is 178-72-1 between college and the NFL – a winning percentage of .711. Here is a look at the year-by-year results through those stops:
| YEAR | TEAM | LEVEL | W | L | T |
| 2004 | San Diego | FCS | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| 2005 | San Diego | FCS | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | San Diego | FCS | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2007 | Stanford | FBS | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| 2008 | Stanford | FBS | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| 2009 | Stanford | FBS | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 2010 | Stanford | FBS | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | San Francisco | NFL | 13 | 3 | 0 |
| 2012 | San Francisco | NFL | 11 | 4 | 1 |
| 2013 | San Francisco | NFL | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 2014 | San Francisco | NFL | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2015 | Michigan | FBS | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2016 | Michigan | FBS | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | Michigan | FBS | 8 | 5 | 0 |
| 2018 | Michigan | FBS | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | Michigan | FBS | 9 | 4 | 0 |
| 2020 | Michigan | FBS | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2021 | Michigan | FBS | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Michigan | FBS | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Michigan | FBS | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | L.A. Chargers | NFL | 2 | 1 | 0 |