As the University of Michigan pursues 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, the university’s student paper has published a profile of the coach featuring one fascinating, utterly insane anecdote.
Max Cohen of the Michigan Daily writes:
Jim Harbaugh wanted blood.
It was 2007, his first year as Stanford’s football coach, and during what was meant to be a motivational speech, Harbaugh told his players that he wanted to play in the game alongside them. He wanted this so badly that he informed his players that he wanted their blood on him if they bled during that week’s game.
Offensive lineman Chase Beeler and many of his teammates thought nothing of it. There was no way Harbaugh could’ve been serious. It was a maniacal request, at best. More likely, it was insane.
But in the game, right tackle Chris Marinelli ran off the field with the rest of his offense after a touchdown drive, his arm bloodied. He went straight to Harbaugh to show him.
Harbaugh looked at the blood and did exactly what he said he would. He took his hand and wiped it on Marinelli’s arm. The player’s blood was on the coach’s hands.
Then, Harbaugh took it a step further. He smeared Marinelli’s blood all over his own face like war paint.
“(Harbaugh is) standing on the sideline with the offensive line, really jacked up, screaming, yelling, jumping around with blood smeared on his face,” said Chase Beeler, one of the team’s offensive linemen.
