LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Los Angeles Chargers have hired Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach, multiple news outlets reported on Wednesday, marking his return to the NFL after spending the last nine years with Michigan.
Harbaugh led the 15-0 Wolverines to a national title this past season, ending his alma mater’s 26-year championship drought and raising questions about whether he would return to the NFL ranks after the triumph.
The Chargers finished a disappointing 5-12 last season, last in the AFC West despite having quarterback Justin Herbert, one of the league’s brightest young stars.
Head coach Brandon Staley was fired on Dec. 15 after Las Vegas crushed Los Angeles 63-21 in a Week 15 slaughter.
The 60-year-old Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2013, where the team fell to the Baltimore Ravens, who are coached by his older brother John.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Michael Perry)
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