O’Donnell: Are the Harbaughs about to be marketed like the Mannings?
SOME HEAVYWEIGHT SPORTS DOCUMENTARIANS are circling the Harbaugh family with an eye toward making a definitive work on the clan. That would include father Jack, mother Jackie, older brother John and reigning NCAA FBS champ Jim, now the head coach of the L.A. Chargers.
If John Harbaugh's Ravens had slipped past Patrick Mahomes and went on to win Super Bowl 58, the brothers would be two of the hottest celebrity endorsers in the land. As it is, with both now coaching teams in the AFC, only one Harbaugh brother can contest any of the next few Super Bowls.
Three Sundays ago, the two were positioned to pull of an unprecedented fraternal FBS-Super Bowl championship double. Then the visiting Chiefs commandeered a 17-10 win in the AFC title match.
A plan is also under discussion to market the family as the newest-mill Mannings.
JACK HARBAUGH — NOW 84 — coached college football for 40 seasons. He was also a starting back for Bowling Green on the sad October day in 1960 when the Falcons thumped visiting Cal Poly and the Cal Poly plane later crashed while attempting to take off from a foggy Toledo, Ohio airport.
Of 48 on board, 22 died, including 16 players. The accident was said to influence John Madden's fear of flying. Madden played for Cal Poly in 1957-58. He later said the No. 1 reason he backed away from the uncertain skies was claustrophobia.
Jackie Harbaugh — and this is a $200,000 “Sports Jeopardy!” response — attended high school in northeast suburban Cleveland with old Baltimore Colts whirlwind Tom Matte.
WHEN JIM HARBAUGH WAS in his initial seasons as a QB for Mike Ditka's Bears (beginning in 1987), he also regularly worked out during days off at the Multiplex in Deerfield. The health club was then the practice base of Michael Jordan and the Bulls.
One afternoon after a Bulls practice, Dave Corzine was lifting weights in a deserted corner. He was also talking about absolutely nothing with a bearded beat writer from The Daily Herald.
Harbaugh walked up, said “hello” and added, “It must be nice that all of the blankety-blank media blank-blanks are gone for the day.”
Corzine chuckled, pointed to his chatmate and replied, “Yeah, all but this one.”
Harbaugh's apology carried plausible sincerity.
STREET-BEATIN':
Caitlin Clark's next career move is obvious — she would benefit from rumors that she's dating actor Austin Swift, younger brother of global pop / NFL suite queen Taylor Swift. (The ABC / ESPN cutaway shots during Iowa's NCAA tournament games would be voluminous.) Clark's big decision is: another season at Iowa or the WNBA? The smart NIL money is on a return to the Hawkeyes. …
The NBA All-Star game is tonight in Indianapolis (7 p.m., TNT). The telecast will strain to draw 5% of the 123 million who watched SB 58 last weekend. Most intriguing rumor making the rounds in Indy is: Steve Kerr to president of basketball ops for the Bulls? Are the Reinsdorfs that bold? And would Kerr bring along Warriors G.M. Mike Dunleavy Jr. — another former Bull? …
With Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair now history at Halas Hall and long snapper Patrick Scales a free agent, St. Viator's very own Cole Kmet could go to camp next summer as the senior Bear in terms of time with the team. There's long been a feeling that in a coherent system, Kmet's name would be used in the same praise streams as Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Mark Andrews. …
For what it's worth, CBS made approximately $60M from extra ad spots during OT in Kansas City's 25-22 victory over SF in Super Bowl 58. That pushed the day's advertising gross for CBS Sports president Sean McManus and Co. to a record, close to $700M. (McManus, the son of Jim McKay, will retire in April and hopefully take Tony Romo with him.) …
On the cusp of the 2024 season, assorted February rankings have the White Sox as one of the three worst team in MLB. That's quite a tribute to ownership. Without Cody Bellinger — and are owners colluding against super-agent Scott Boras? — the Cubs are no better than mid-pack rats. Pricey new manager Craig Counsell may wish he never left the fish boils of Whitefish Bay. …
Hustling young Jon Zaghloul has pushed the network for his weekly “Sports Talk Chicago” to eight stations. Nearest outlets are north suburban WRLR-FM (98.3) and ACTV in Aurora (sportstalkchicago.com). The University of Chicago product has inordinate drive and intellect, somewhat reminiscent of the pre-political energy of Bruce Wolf. …
And Kenny Kovalchik on the over-the-top rowdiness at last week's Waste Management Phoenix Open: “If it was a LIV event, Greg Norman and the Saudis would have been threatening beheadings.”
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Thursday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.