Bacon - Overtime: jim harbaugh and the michigan wolverines at the crossroads

Few people are busier than the players, coaches, and staff members of a major college football program during their long season. But whenever I asked for five minutes here or even a couple hours there, just about everyone at Michigan said yes, every time.

That began with Jim Harbaugh himself, who permitted his players and staff to speak with me. He fit in quick conversations throughout the season and a long interview when it was over. All these favors were essential to this book.

Jims dad, Jack Harbaugh, met with me many times from the pre-season to the post-season. He and his wife, Jackie, told me stories about their extraordinary children that no one else could.

With Jack beside him, John Harbaugh, coach of the Baltimore Ravens, spoke with me for almost three hours, telling stories from their childhood to the Super Bowl, and beyond. Sarah Harbaugh invited me into their home, and shared stories behind the scenes that surprised even a seasoned journalist. Sarahs brother, John Feuerborn, who is also one of her husbands best friends, told of his adventures with his brother-in-law.

The Harbaugh family certainly doesnt need more publicity, and they have good reason to be wary of the media, but they told their stories from World War II to the present. While their good cheer and humor have no direct bearing on the book, it made my work much more enjoyable. I looked forward to talking with all of them.

Im grateful to these players for giving me their time and trust: Ben Bredeson, Devin Bush Jr., Michael Cessa, Tyler Cochran, Ryan Glasgow, Joe Hewlett, Karan Higdon, Dan Jokisch Jr., Matt Mitchell, Grant Newsome, Shea Patterson, Jared Wangler, and Chase Winovich.

Many parents of players were equally generous, including Deb Bredeson, Rich Hewlett, Kim and Leon Newsome, Sean and Karen Patterson, Loretta and Jon Runyan, Sr., John Wangler, and Michael and Angela Wilson. Special thanks to Lorraine Wangler, who sacrificed her seat on the parents bus so I could talk to her husband and other parents on the road to and from the Ohio State game.

Extended interviews with coaches provided insights no one else could have. Im especially grateful to Don Brown, who let me watch meetings with his defensive-team staff; Chris Partridge; Ed Warinner; Mike Zordich; and Ben Herbert. Seeing how much these coaches care about their players as human beings helped sustain my faith in college football.

A small army of unseen staffers are essential to a great programs success. At Michigan, these staffers showed me how that works: analysts Brandon Blaney, Devin Bush Sr., Jordan Kovacs, and Ron Prince; videographers Phil Bromley and Kevin Undeen; the athletic departments Director of Academic Services Stephen Connelly; resident legend Jon Falk; athletic trainers David Granito and Phil Johnson; equipment manager Gary Hazelitt; football operations director Sean Magee; Jim Harbaughs executive assistant, DeAnna McDaniel; nutritionist Abigail OConnor; and gatekeepers Michelle Guidry-Pan, Kelly King, Dave Pishe, and Jim Plocki.

Dave Ablauf, associate athletic director for public and media relations, and his assistant, Chad Shepard, could have charged me rent for use of their office. If they hadnt provided their help and expertise with coaches, players, staffers, parents and me almost daily, this book wouldnt exist.

Athletic Director Warde Manuel and his assistant, Doug Gnodtke, were open, honest and fair throughout. Their transparency speaks well of Michigans athletic department and the university itself.

A cadre of longtime Ann Arborites helped me understand Jim Harbaughs early years, including Dan Chace, Tiger Ray Howland, Derek Lee, Ken Magee, Niel Rishoi, Al Smith, Brian Weisman, and Tappan Junior High School teacher Rob Lillie. Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher lent his expertise to the section on safety. Thanks also go to Ricardo Cannon, Karan Higdons former coach and mentor, who provided hard-to-find information and fact-checks on short notice.

Ill remember the tailgate hospitality of Dick Caldarazzo, the Wanglers, and a host of others in the Crisler Arena parking lot, where I conducted a lot more research than I should admit. Conversations with Dan Dierdorf and Jim Brandstatter after every home game and in a long session in Atlanta provided observations that could only have come from these two. Other lettermen I relied on included John The Flame Arbeznik; Doug James; and especially Jon Jansen, who met with me almost every week to give his insiders take on the team and the players and his larger thoughts about what Michigan football means.

BEFORE I STARTED to work on this project, I had to answer a few key questions: After four books about Michigan and college football, was there anything more to say? If so, did I have the energy? I decided that if I focused not on the games but the people behind the masks and the scenes, I could write one more, and withstand one more eight-month sprint to the deadline.

The last question: Would a good publisher agree?

Here I had a lot more help.

At the creative agency William Morris Endeavor, Jay Mandel and his assistants, Lauren Shonkoff and Sian-Ashleigh Edwards, helped make a successful pitch to HarperCollins-William Morrow, where Vice President and Executive Editor Peter Hubbard directed the project with both supreme skill and understanding. He is simply the best, and proved it again on our second book together. Associate Editor Nick Amphlett wore too many hats to count; literary lawyer Victor Hendrickson; publicist Maria Silva; and Andrea Molitor, who runs Morrows production editorial department. Molitor and her staff could have killed me for the many changes I requested, yet let me live.

For help with photos Im grateful to the families of Ben Bredeson, Noah Furbush, Joe Hewlett, Grant Newsome, Shea Patterson and Jared Wangler; to Roger Hart and Nicole Kinnunen at Michigan Photography; Eric Upchurch; Suzie Baker; and the renowned photographer David Turnley, whose considerable generosity was a lifesiver at the last minute.

Smart readers told me what was working and what wasnt: Thomas Lebien, who expertly read several drafts; Evan Caminker, former dean of Michigan Law; Jim Carty; Vince Duffy, news director of Michigan Radio; Bruce Madej; Dr. Steve Papadopoulos; James Tobin; and Ira Weintraub. My weekly meetings with Tobin helped keep me on-track and as sane as possible.

My wife, Christie, contributed at every stage of the project, including research, editing, photo selection, and setting up an 18-state book tour. She did all this while keeping our home and family humming, often in my absence, taking trips with three-year-old Teddy to far-off places so I could toil uninterrupted in the writers cave. But on most days she was home, an oasis after a long day staring at a screen.

Whenever Jack Harbaugh talks about his career as a football coach, which involved more than a dozen moves across the country, he always uses the plural we, as in when we took the job at Michigan. Now I know why. It would have been impossible to do what he did without Jackie, and Jack knows that better than anyone. Now I do too: we finished this book.

As for you, Teddy, I have good news: Daddys book is done. Lets go play.

Blue Ice

Americas Corner Store

The Spark

Bos Lasting Lessons

Three and Out

Fourth and Long

Endzone

Playing Hurt

The Great Halifax Explosion

The Best of Bacon

JOHN U. BACON is the author of the national bestseller The Great Halifax Explosion and four bestselling books about college football, including Three and Out , Fourth and Long , Endzone, and Bos Lasting Lessons , coauthored with Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. A former feature writer for the Detroit News, Bacon has written for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal ; his writing has been recognized three times in the Best American Sports Writing series. He appears often on NPR and national television, including The American Game , ESPNs 2019 documentary series on college football. He has taught at Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism and the University of Michigan. A popular public speaker, he lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and son.