Jim Harbaugh will be handsomely paid to coach football at the University of Michigan next season — just not as handsomely paid as he could have been.
Harbaugh, who left the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers to lead his alma mater, reportedly turned down a salary of roughly $8 million because he did not think he deserved more than established college coaches such as Alabama’s Nick Saban, Ohio State’s Urban Meyer or Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Instead, he’ll coach the Wolverines for a paltry $5 million per year.
“Jim insisted that he not be the highest-paid coach in college football, or even the Big 10,” Michigan athletic director Jim Hackett told the Journal. “I think that tells you something about his values.”
Hopefully, Harbaugh doesn’t get tripped up and can support his family, which includes six children, on the more modest sum. Maybe he can get Michigan boosters to buy him a house to make up the difference. It worked for Saban.
Thumbnail photo via Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports Images
