New Giants coach John Harbaugh showed great promise in his first college gig

The Giants couldn’t hide their excitement when John Harbaugh was announced as their head coach. Within the first 24 hours of the news Saturday, the team posted or shared 13 social media posts on X celebrating Harbaugh’s arrival.

They have added someone they believe is a game-changer. Rarely does a new coach arrive with 180 regular-season wins, 12 playoff trips in 18 seasons and a Super Bowl ring.

In Massachusetts, Tim Murphy understood how the Giants felt. In 1989, he hired Harbaugh as the University of Cincinnati’s special teams coordinator and watched him develop as a coach before the NFL came calling.

“He’s a class act,” Murphy told Newsday. “He’s the epitome of what you want a leader to be.”

Murphy coached Cincinnati from 1989 to 1993 before spending the next 30 years coaching at Harvard. When he hired Harbaugh, the two had never met before. Murphy knew the family reputation because of Harbaugh’s father, Jack, who coached Western Michigan and was an assistant at several colleges, including Michigan and Stanford.

John Harbaugh worked under his father as a running backs/outside linebackers coach from 1984-86 at Western Michigan. He followed his father to Pitt as tight ends coach for one season before coaching special teams and the secondary for Morehead State.

When Murphy interviewed him, the resume wasn’t the only thing that stood out. How Harbaugh articulated his vision for special teams was clear and smart. Despite his father’s success and brother Jim starting his NFL career at quarterback, there was no ego — just a willingness to teach and be effective at it.

“He had that pedigree, but that wasn’t enough for me. He was just very impressive in a very humble way,” Murphy said. “I knew this kid was going places. The only question was when and where.”

Cincinnati went from 1-9-1 in 1989 to 8-3 in Murphy’s last season. The Bearcats also were second nationally in kickoff return average in 1993.

More than the wins, Murphy saw how Harbaugh had a special way to reach his players, whether it was recruiting or coaching. There was tough love when somebody made a mistake, but the players respected him.

Harbaugh was comfortable talking to recruits and getting to know parents. In Murphy’s mind, Harbaugh’s ease as a communicator and his football IQ made him a great coach.

“He just had that innate ability to connect with people. And part of it is, I think to do that, you have to like people,” said Murphy, who retired in 2023. “He doesn’t talk to hear himself talk. But when he talks, people listen. He just has that ability to connect.”

Harbaugh stayed at Cincinnati through 1996 and spent one season at Indiana coaching special teams and defensive backs. Eagles coach Ray Rhodes hired him in 1998 as special teams coordinator, and after Andy Reid took over in 1999, Harbaugh stayed on his staff through 2007.

Working with special teams also influenced Harbaugh as a head coach.

Position coaches mostly stay with their position. Offensive and defensive coordinators focus primarily on their side of the ball. With special teams, Harbaugh worked with all position players to organize field goal or return units. It prepared him to be a head coach by helping him understand all personnel.

“A lot of people don’t realize you are handling the entire team every single day,” Harbaugh said in 2008 at his introductory news conference with the Ravens. “You’re dealing with offensive linemen, defensive backs, wide receivers. They’re all a little bit different. You also get to deal with the young guys.”

It likely shaped his philosophy as a CEO coach instead of a play-caller. The Giants knew that when they hired him. It wasn’t just about hiring Harbaugh the coach but a person involved with every aspect of the organization to make sure it meets his standard.

Murphy saw how Harbaugh developed that standard even as an assistant. After observing what he did firsthand and watching him succeed with the Ravens, he’s excited to see what Harbaugh does with the Giants.

“I can take no credit for John Harbaugh’s trajectory,’’ Murphy said, “but I do feel great for him and his family for what he’s been able to accomplish through an awful lot of hard work.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.