After leading the San Francisco 49ers to a renaissance in his first year and a Super Bowl in his second, one would think Jim Harbaugh has this whole coaching thing figured out. Harbaugh would disagree, however. Friday afternoon, he called one of the most famous coaches of all time, John Madden, on his Bay Area radio show and asked for some advice. From the San Jose Mercury News:
Super Bowl 2013: Jim Harbaugh seeks John Madden’s counsel
Jim Harbaugh called John Madden’s Bay Area radio show Friday to ask the Hall of Fame coach for some advice.
Scott Halleran
“I just know the team that complains the most usually loses,” Madden told him. “The other thing I know is you haven’t done anything yet. The team that celebrates having gotten there the most usually loses a little focus.”
Harbaugh shared those clues with the 49ers after Friday morning’s practice, especially the part about complaints.
“I thought it was really good insight, something I’ve never heard before,” Harbaugh told the media. “Some people could say, ‘What’s there to complain about? You’re in the Super Bowl.’ I know where he’s coming from.”
Madden, a Hall-of-Famer, said Harbaugh is “a heck of a lot better coach than I ever was,” when Harbaugh initially called and asked for advice, before dispensing his pearls of wisdom.
Harbaugh also called his friend Tony LaRussa, who won three World Series, most recently in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals, and asked for advice, but declined to divulge just what kind of advice LaRussa gave him.
Harbaugh and the 49ers will take on his brother John's Baltimore Ravens Sunday, Feb. 6, in the Super Bowl. The game should be a wild one, but nothing compared to the media buildup over the next week.
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