Jim Harbaugh stepped into Brady Hoke's seat in 2015 and right away took the Michigan Wolverines from a 5-7 season to a 10-3 season. Behind it, however, is a story that highlights Harbaugh's long-standing focus on winning.

Former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner and tight end Jake Butt have been sharing stories from their time under former head coach Jim Harbaugh on their podcast. On the May 27 episode of The Blue Print podcast, Butt opened up about one of his memories from road games.

“Utah's up in the mountains," he recalled his struggle. "I played for the Broncos. That altitude is absolutely real. But Jim was big on psychological warfare."

Butt set the scene for what happened before a game at Utah. The players were already asking about bringing oxygen tanks to deal with the mountain air. But Harbaugh had other plans.

"Jim called up a team meeting, and he's like, guys, like I'm here to tell you right now that altitude, it's not real. Just overcome it in your mind," he recalled.

The 2015 Utah vs. Michigan football game was played on September 3, 2015, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Even though the Utes defeated the Wolverines 24-17, before the game, Harbaugh kept motivating his players.

"'Just overcome it in your mind, ' that's such a horrible thing," remarked Gardner with a laugh.

Butt recalled that the Wolverines just went out and played. By the third quarter, Utah was running its offense fast, and the Wolverines were suffering for it.

Center Jared Wilson, a guy genuinely in great shape, was on the sideline gasping for oxygen.

Butt had another one-story from the 2016 game at Iowa.

"He put all Michigan posters to cover every square inch of pink in the locker room," Butt said. Michigan lost that game, too.

Both stories tell you everything about how Harbaugh operated. The mental edge was always the priority.

Jim Harbaugh's Championship Legacy Built on Persistence

Harbaugh compiled an 86-25 record at Michigan from 2015 to 2023, winning three straight Big Ten titles and a national championship, per Sports Reference.

Under his leadership, Michigan recorded five 10-win campaigns and reached seven bowl games, including consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal appearances, two New Year's Six bowls, and three other New Year's Day postseason contests.

Harbaugh's winning mentality helped him to lead the Wolverines to their first national title of the CFP era and their first outright championship since 1948.

The achievement was special for Harbaugh as well. After years of hard work, he finally won a national title in his 13th season as an FBS head coach. He became the first coach since Mack Brown to do so that late in his career.

What do you think about Jim Harbaugh's competitive mindset? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Farheen Fathima

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar