Jim Harbaugh promises to get tattoo after early-season bet
Jim Harbaugh isn’t one to not make good on promises and he’ll be doing just that after the national championship.
Harbaugh told the Michigan players that he would get a tattoo if Michigan finished the year at 15-0 even though he had doesn’t have one. The head coach already has a place in mind for one of them.
“I said that I would get a tattoo. I have no ink on my body. No tattoos anywhere, but I did say that to our players,” said Harbaugh at the post-game press conference. “I said if we go 15-0, I’m getting a tattoo, it’s 15-0. I’m going to put it on my shoulder — I don’t know if it’s my left or right yet. I’m a right-handed quarterback, I’ll probably get it on my right.”
Another impressive achievement for Michigan football this season was surpassing the 1,000-win mark as a program. Harbaugh will be getting some more ink to commemorate that as well.
“And then an M, too, an M that’s maize and blue M. Also, that signifies a thousand in Roman numerals,” said Harbaugh. “Can’t tell you what that means to us, too, that we reached a thousand wins this year. And where are we at now, a 1,003, four? I lost count. 1,004. 1,004! Four. One of my favorite numbers.”
The “legacy wall” at Schembechler Hall has sentimental value for Michigan. Harbaugh talked about what the national title means for all the family members who have coached and played together in Ann Arbor.
“Definitely going to include that. And it’s such a great thing. I mean, I think of the brothers that have played here together, the father/sons that have played at Michigan. We’ve got a beautiful wall. Brad Galli has shot that wall a few times,” said Harbaugh. “A lot of people talk about family. I mean, that wall to me is — that legacy wall says so much. All the coaches that coached here, if they coached for five years, we’ve got them an M ring this year. And I really appreciate our administration and the M Club, which supports us, so great to get a ring for every coach that’s ever coached at Michigan for five years, and any staff member that coached at Michigan for 10 years, they’re getting an M ring.”
It’s been a long journey for Michigan as it chased 1,000 wins in football. Athletics Director Warde Manuel was among those who had a part in it.
“There’s so many people, so many coaches, so many staff, administrators — Warde, who played as an administrator here; players, coaches, staff, they put so much into those thousand wins,” said Harbaugh. “Thousand wins. That’s the most. That’s the most of any football anywhere.”
Harbaugh reminded everyone of his family’s saying one last time before signing off.
“No high school has gotten to a thousand wins. No other college has gotten to a thousand wins,” said Harbaugh. “No other pro team has gotten to a thousand wins: University of Michigan. To reach a thousand wins and win the national championship in the same year, man, doesn’t get much better than that. I would really ask you that. Who could possibly have it better than us? Nobody.”