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OSU players hail arrival of Harbaugh at Michigan

Jon Spencer
Reporter

CHICAGO – Jim Harbaugh said he’s not trying to create buzz or be popular, but Michigan’s new football coach definitely scored points Friday with the host city of Big Ten Media Days when he held up a Chicago Bears jersey with the name “Ditka” emblazoned across the back.

Ditka, a legend in this town, coached Harbaugh when he played quarterback for the Bears. They enjoyed a little reunion at Ditka’s restaurant Thursday night and then Harbaugh spoke with reporters before and after Friday’s Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon — the ceremonial start to the 2015 season.

For what it’s worth, the media throng that cornered him in a hallway after he left the podium Friday morning was even bigger than the one Thursday for Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.

“I’m as excited as I’ve ever been for the start of a football season, player or coach,” Harbaugh said, “but I say that every season.”

He may be oblivious to the buzz, but not Meyer. The hiring of Harbaugh at his alma mater raises the level of interest and intensity in the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry to a level that may eventually rival that of the “Ten-Year War” between coaching icons Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.

“I do check the Internet to see what’s going on in the world and — boom! — there it is,” Meyer said of the rivalry talk and impact Harbaugh should make, sooner than later, in the Big Ten. “It’s real. How real? I don’t know, but it’s real. It’s our job to monitor everything that goes on there. It’s their job to monitor us, too. That’s a real one.”

Harbaugh’s headstrong ways apparently created irreconcilable differences with management of the San Francisco 49ers, but there’s no mistaking his coaching acumen. He’s won everywhere he’s gone and took the Niners to three straight NFC Championship Games, including Super Bowl XLVII, where he lost to his brother, John, and the Baltimore Ravens.

Long-time Ohio State fans will remember Harbaugh best as the Michigan quarterback who guaranteed a victory in 1986 and then delivered. The 26-24 win cost the Buckeyes an undisputed Big Ten title and sent the Wolverines to the Rose Bowl instead.

Harbaugh wasn’t much interested Friday in strolling down memory lane.

“That’s a long time ago,” he said when asked about the guarantee and to reflect on how his coach went ballistic over the prediction. “I think it’s well-documented how (Bo) reacted ... anyway, we’re moving forward and thinking about the 2015 season and any possible way we can make this one great.”

While Meyer refuses to mention Michigan by name, Harbaugh looked bewildered when the first question asked of him Friday was if he would have a special “adjective,” or pet name — or to mimic Meyer, no name — for his archrival.

Nope. Just Ohio State.

“Twitter told me (Harbaugh’s arrival) changed the rivalry, so I’ve got to go with Twitter,” said Ohio State linebacker Josh Perry, part of OSU’s traveling party for the two-day event along with offensive tackle Taylor Decker and defensive tackle Adolphus Washington.

“I think it’s going to be really good because you’ve got two really good coaches going at it, two interesting personalities going at it, two really good recruiters and two competitors ... it can only be positive.

“I’m interested to see how it goes because both guys are a little different, a little unorthodox — but it’s going to be a really good thing.”

Washington and Decker both spoke of Meyer kicking freshman Rashod Berry out of a meeting earlier this week for wearing a blue shirt.

“He said, ‘Get out. You’re not allowed to wear that (Michigan) color in my meeting room. If your position coach lets you wear that into a meeting, there’s something wrong with your position coach. I need to talk to him.’

“I don’t think it’s a secret that coach Meyer is not a normal guy; he’s crazy about that rivalry,” Decker said. “He’s 100 percent all into it, and that makes it fun.”

Harbaugh was low-key about the rivalry Friday.

“It’s big,” he said, “as (all games) are. I don’t really compare one game to the next. It’s big, but the biggest game right now is Utah (in the opener).”

Meyer, Harbaugh and Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio were all together to speak this summer at the Sound Mind, Sound Body Academy outside of Detroit. They played nice there, as they did here.

“I’m very impressed,” Harbaugh said of Meyer. “Great coach and gentleman.”

Meyer returned the compliment.

“I know his brother, John, very well, we’re friends, and I actually know his dad (Jack, a Crestline native) a little bit,” he said. “I coached against (Jack) when I was at Illinois State and he was at Western Kentucky. It’s a football family ... and (Jim’s) a very good coach.”

Harbaugh’s job is to reverse the fortunes of college football’s winningest team. Over the past seven seasons Michigan is 46-44 overall and only 24-32 in the Big Ten, when Rich Rodriquez and Brady Hoke presided over the program. Ohio State has won 12 of the last 14 games in the rivalry.

“I really hope he (turns it around),” Decker said. “One, it’s good for our conference. It’s good for us an individual players to play against a team that’s performing at a high level. It’s good for competition and it’s good for the rivalry.

“I remember the 1 versus 2 game,” he said, referring to the 2006 clash between the top-ranked Buckeyes and No. 2 Wolverines that OSU won 42-39 en route to the BCS title game, where it lost to Meyer’s Florida Gators. “It was awesome to watch. To get to play in something like that ... it would be amazing.”

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