Jim Harbaugh took to the sidelines Thursday night against a franchise he has struggled with as a player and coach.
But when his Los Angeles Chargers beat the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium, Harbaugh made some history, joining Norm Van Brocklin as the only people in NFL history to record 60 wins as both a starting quarterback and head coach.
Harbaugh picked up his 60th regular-season victory as a head coach on Thursday, improving his record to 60-28-1 in his sixth season — his second year with the Bolts after coaching the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-14.
From 1987 to 2000, Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback who began his career as a 1987 first-round pick of the Chicago Bears. He played seven seasons with the Bears, four with the Indianapolis Colts – including a 1995 Pro Bowl season while leading the team to the AFC Championship Game – one with the Baltimore Ravens and two with the San Diego Chargers. He posted a 66-74 career record as a starter.
As a starting QB, Harbaugh was 3-8 against the Vikings, his most losses against any single team. In the coaching series, Harbaugh was previously 0-1 against Minnesota, having lost while leading the 49ers in 2012. It was also notable that Harbaugh lost out on the Vikings head coaching job when he interviewed for the 2022 gig. Of course, Minnesota hired Kevin O’Connell.