The hopes and dreams of local Michigan football fans took an upswing when a new era officially began shortly after noon Tuesday when Jim Harbaugh was introduced as the Wolverine’s 20th coach.

Interim athletic director Jim Hackett did the honors at the Junge Family Champions Center on the Michigan campus with former Michigan coaches Lloyd Carr, Gary Moeller, Jerry Hanlon and Jack Harbaugh, Jim’s father, in attendance for the announcement.

Cathy Schembechler, the wife of the late Wolverine coaching legend Bo Schembechler for whom Harbaugh played, was also on hand as well as former and current players.

“Throughout my life I have dreamed of coaching at the University of Michigan,” Harbaugh said in front of not only a room full of reporters, family, coaches, former players and friends, but a national television audience and on the world wide web. “Now I have the honor to live it.”

Hackett, who also played for Schembechler, and whose staff included Jack Harbaugh, Hanlon, Carr and Moeller, welcomed Jim “home” to Ann Arbor and the university.

“We are excited to have Jim come home and lead our football program into the future,” Hackett said. “Since retiring from playing in the NFL, Jim has worked hard to become one of the elite coaches in the profession. He has been successful at every coaching stop and has done an exceptional job of molding and developing young men as football players, students and citizens. We believe that Jim is the perfect individual to balance the academic and athletic expectations that come with representing this football program and university.”

Harbaugh is no stranger to college despite the fact that he spent the last four years coaching the San Francisco 49ers to a record of 49-22-1. His team competed in three straight NFC title games and appeared in Super Bowl XLVII, losing to his brother John Harbaugh and the Baltimore Ravens.

Prior to that, Jim coached at Stanford where he was 29-21 in four seasons, including 21-1 his final year the University of San Diego, where he was 29-6 in three years (2004-06).

Harbaugh signed a seven-year deal worth $5 million a year, the same annual salary he was earning with the 49ers.

Local reaction to Harbaugh’s hiring was swift and positive.

“I think the hire of Jim Harbaugh can be described as nothing short of a grand slam,” Said G. Bruce Laing, chairman of Wolverine Insurance in Dowagiac, “I think most importantly he will bring toughness to the program that has been lacking for a number of years. I don’t think it will take Michigan too long to be back where it belongs, as there is a nucleus of very good athletes currently in the program.

“This first year, particularly in spring ball, we may well see some attrition, but as they say, those that stay will be champions. It should be fun to watch. There simply is no quit in him and you will see that transcend to the team. Simply a masterful job by our current interim AD Hackett.”

Niles Athletic Director Jeff Upton, a life-long Michigan fan, was also pleased.

“This season was a tough one as a Michigan fan,” he said. “From the start of the ND game forward it was a rough go of it. I went to one home game, and couldn’t give my tickets away. Change was needed. To rub salt in the wound, Rich Rod (Rodriguez) had a great year at Arizona.
“Michigan has been an average football program for the past decade. Harbaugh ups the game and provides all the fans hope for the future. This is the spark that Michigan so desperately needed.”

Upton added that while the cost of attending Wolverine games was going up, the quality of the play on the field was going down.

“Michigan football has become big business, adding seat licenses for everything and getting close to charging NFL prices for tickets. The football product hasn’t kept up with the pricing. On top of that, Michigan loses Notre Dame off the schedule, and this year played ND, Ohio State and Michigan State on the road. With the on-field product so poor, Michigan fans didn’t have a lot of good news to discuss regarding the football program.

“Harbaugh changes all that now. There is hope in Ann Arbor.”

U.S. Congressman Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, a Michigan alum, is also pleased with the hire.

“As a Michigan fan all my days, I am pretty excited about today’s news,” he said. “The writing was on the wall early in the season coming off some embarrassing losses. It was pretty apparent that (Brady) Hoke was not going to be able to stay. He was a good recruiter, but the coaching skills frustrated a lot of fans.

“The key of course is getting the recruiting class back in shape and it looks like it will. We are very excited about that. It is good news for Michigan. I’m excited about 2015.”

Harbaugh said he is in the process of putting together a coaching staff and is excited about his first team meeting and getting the players going with conditioning and spring football.

The Wolverines open the 2015 season Sept. 3 at Utah. Michigan’s first home game will be Sept. 12 against Oregon State.