Jim Harbaugh's influence on Seahawks' Mike Macdonald runs deep

RENTON, Wash. — There is a through line at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center that is responsible for creating some foundational principles and ideals for Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald.

The line leads to several stops, including a path to Ann Arbor, Mich., and a figure who 15 or so years ago would have caused Seahawks fans to cringe and shudder at the idea of his fingerprints being associated with their team.

The idea that Jim Harbaugh could in some way shape what is taking place inside the Seahawks’ headquarters seems blasphemous, knowing his history as one of the franchise’s great antagonists. No way THAT GUY, with his 49ers ties, oversized khakis and aggressive handshakes could ever be an influence on what happens here.

But times change. People change and move to new places and work with new faces. And for Macdonald, some of his staff and the players who make up this current Seahawks culture, the influence of Harbaugh is significant.

“There’s a lot of similarities,” said Seahawks special-teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh, who is Jim’s son and the nephew of New York Giants coach John Harbaugh. “Mike is so special because he’s truly himself and he’s totally the same all the time in that regard. He’s the best Mike Macdonald he can be, but there’s elements that you see like, ‘Oh that reminds me of my dad and my uncle,’ that sort of thing, which is pretty cool.”

The Harbaugh connections make for a unique undercurrent to Sunday’s game between the Seahawks and Chargers. Jim will be on one sideline as the third-year coach of the Chargers. Jay will be on the other sideline with Macdonald, who considers the one season he worked for Jim at the University of Michigan to be transformative in his career.

The links will transcend both sidelines at Lumen Field.

“We have a lot of respect for Jim. A lot of our principles are built off of his principles about how he built his football teams,” Macdonald said. “There are a lot of folks on his staff that we’ve worked with as well that we have great relationships as well, so a lot of respect for how they do business.”

Father and son

No connection in Sunday’s game is more special than the Chargers coach and his son.

Jay Harbaugh was on the coaching staff with his dad at Michigan, but it was the move to the professional game when father and son split. A couple of weeks after Jim took the Chargers job, Jay was hired by Macdonald.

Though Sunday is meaningful, it also makes for a strange week for the Harbaugh family.

“It’s a normal week. You’re worried about all the same stuff and then there’s moments where you see your dad on the other side on the film or whatever, and that’s a little weird,” Jay Harbaugh said. “You’re consumed with just the game plan, the process you go through, and the practice and the meetings and all that stuff.

“So I’d say the moments where you think about it, it’s a little weird, and then you take a step back and realize how neat it is and what a privilege it is. It is pretty special.”

Jim and Jay normally talk weekly during the season, but the recent conversations were a little different. Jay Harbaugh said there’s also a great appreciation for his parents allowing him to discover his passion for football on his own.

“As a kid you want to have a chance to be yourself and find your own way, and I ended up realizing, ‘Hey, this is what I like to do more than anything else,’ ” Jay said. “I think there was a stretch there where I was thinking about doing other stuff, but I’m really thankful for that permission they gave me to fall in love with this on my own.”

Building the foundation

Most are aware of John Harbaugh’s significant influence on Macdonald from their years working together in Baltimore. The one season Macdonald spent working for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan was influential in ways he hadn’t experienced in Baltimore.

Macdonald was the defensive coordinator at Michigan. It was his first time as a coordinator, and the first time he oversaw an entire unit and not just a position group.

“He gave me so much autonomy and the belief that he had in our staff on defense, me personally as well, felt like he never left your corner,” Macdonald said. “That meant a lot for a guy that was unproven and trying to figure things out on the fly.”

Macdonald said specifically the “12 as One” motto that has become a core philosophy for the Seahawks was born out of the experience he was part of during his season working for Jim Harbaugh.

“The power of everybody doing it together, all going in the same direction. The passion he had for his players,” Macdonald said. “We had a blast that year in Ann Arbor. Proud to say that I worked for him, and proud of the year that we had. We had a great team, and that was a lot of foundational stuff on what type of vision we want for our football team here.”

Guys on the field

Harbaugh’s connections aren’t isolated to the Seahawks coaching staff.

Seahawks tight end AJ Barner and defensive lineman Mike Morris played for Harbaugh at Michigan. Barner’s one season at Michigan was capped with the College Football Playoff title-game victory over Washington, creating a memory and connection with Harbaugh that’s tough to top.

The winning was great, especially because Barner was at Indiana previously and wasn’t part of much success there. One of his favorite memories about Harbaugh was away from the field.

“Before I committed there, he bet my dad a milkshake that I would end up going there,” Barner remembered.

And did he pay up?

“We won a national championship. That’s what counted for it,” he said.

Morris glowed speaking about Harbaugh’s influence on his maturation during college, helping mold him from being “so young and so immature” into a person and player with the opportunity to play football professionally.

“I feel like I really got to know him as a man and as a coach,” Morris said. “A lot of people have a lot to say about him, a lot of antics and stuff to say about him, but, man, that guy just loves ball and loves his team. The guy you just want to fight for, especially when you understand why he’s such a tough guy, such a tough coach. I love him.”