'None here were born on 3rd base': Jim Harbaugh still taking shots at Ryan Day

Michigan's former head coach is starting his second stint in the NFL, but still finding ways to rub salt in Ryan Day's wounds...

Nov 26, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh (right) and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day (left) shake hands before the game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Jim Harbaugh rode off back into the NFL head coaching ranks after finishing his Michigan tenure with three consecutive wins over Ohio State, three straight Big Ten championships and a national championship as his crowning moment in Ann Arbor.

Yet, six months after taking the head coach job with the Los Angeles Chargers, Harbaugh — intentionally or not — is still finding ways to pour salt in Buckeye head coach Ryan Day's wounds.
Late Tuesday night, the Chargers released a hype video for their 2024 season titled, "Sincerely, Coach Harbaugh" which referenced the favorite moniker Wolverines fans have attached to Day.

sincerely, coach harbaugh pic.twitter.com/IXmJP3k3Fw

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) July 24, 2024

"Welcome to the 2024 Chargers locker room — your football home," Harbaugh says. "We want to compliment all who have earned the opportunity to get here and recognized the journey traveled to now be playing at the highest level of football. None here were born on third base, but rather had to work your way to first, and then second, and then third...We predict those who produce will stay, and we predict those who stay will be champions...We are all now on third base together, poised to bring it home. Sincerely, Jim Harbaugh."

Anyone who has followed Michigan football closely knows the connection here. After the Wolverines' defeated the Buckeyes, 42-27, in Ann Arbor in 2021 to end an eight-game losing streak in the rivalry, Harbaugh was asked whether comments made from Ohio State's side the year prior had motivated the Wolverines to victory.

"Well, it did," Harbaugh said. "I mean, there's...yeah. I know probably the same things you're thinking of, I'm thinking of. But, we'll just move on with humble hearts, take the high road. But, yeah, there's definitely stuff that people said that spurred us on even more, sure. Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, you know? But they didn't."

The comment refers to Day being handed the keys to a Buckeye program built by Urban Meyer. It was also Harbaugh's comeback to Day's threat ahead of the 2020 season, when Day said Ohio State would "hang 100" points on the Wolverines that year. However, that rendition of the rivalry game would never be played after Michigan suffered a COVID-19 outbreak, ending their season after just six games. The Buckeyes have not beaten the Wolverines' since Day's comment.

Jim Harbaugh's work in Ann Arbor is concluded. He not only returned Michigan to the summit of the Big Ten Conference, but also took the Wolverines to the summit of college football with last season's national championship. He leaves the program in the trusted hands of new head coach Sherrone Moore, who leads Michigan into the 2024 season seeking a fourth straight win over their rivals and another Big Ten title. Day and Ohio State bring a loaded roster into the fall, but Moore and the Wolverines have recent history on their side and won't be the least bit intimidated by the Buckeyes.

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More Michigan News:

Ohio State's Ryan Day: 'What we need to do is leave no doubt' against Michigan in 2024

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