A Man Of His Word: Harbaugh Makes Massive Donation To U-M Athletics

Finding inspiration in the example set by some of his players, Jim Harbaugh's incredible gesture to U-M's Athletic Department should not go unnoticed.

It's safe to say that Jim Harbaugh's stock at Michigan has risen considerably over the last eight months. Not only did No. 5 Michigan knock off No. 2 Ohio State in Ann Arbor for the first time in a decade, the Wolverines also claimed their first Big Ten Championship since 2004. For Harbaugh, the success in 2021 didn't just change the long-standing narratives about Indy and Ohio State, it also came with a nice little bonus. 

As part of the off-season changes to Harbaugh's contract extension that is set to keep him in Ann Arbor through the 2025 season, the man rocking the skinny block M hat on Saturday's received a nice chunk of change as a result of 2021's success. Though Harbaugh certainly could have pocketed the extra earnings that he had earned as part of the new incentive-laden contract, he - amazingly - decided to give all of it back to U-M Athletic Department employees who were impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In total, 210 employees received over $1.5 million from Harbaugh as part of the promise he made back in in 2021. 

Even more impressive is that Harbaugh says he was inspired to donate his bonus earnings by following the example set by some of his players with their NIL earnings. 

“I think one of the things that really kind of made me think about it — kind of motivated me to do it — was our running back Blake Corum, over Thanksgiving, took some of his NIL money and did a really neat thing, buying turkeys and food for folks over in Ypsilanti and went and handed them out on Thanksgiving,” Harbaugh told USA Today Sports. “J.J. McCarthy, our young quarterback, he did something similar in giving some of his NIL money. And (wife) Sarah and I talked about it and (it was) something that we felt inspired to do. When there were pay reductions during the pandemic, I knew that it was hard on people. I mean my dad worked for Michigan in the athletic department (as a football assistant coach). And I just thought it would be something that would be a very good, positive thing.”