Jim Harbaugh’s seven children have carved wildly different paths-one flies the world for Delta, another coordinates NFL special teams, and a TikTok-savvy daughter teases her dad’s championship tattoo.
At a Glance
- Jay, 35, now runs special teams for the Seahawks after nine years at Michigan.
- James Jr., 29, traded football for theater and now jets to Japan and Tahiti as a Delta attendant.
- Grace, 25, balances MBA classes with a 50 k-follower TikTok and agency internships.
- Addison, 18, grew up on Michigan sidelines and once told her mom “if you’re not playing aggressive then you’re not trying hard enough.”
- Katherine, 15, and Jack, 14, stay mostly private but cheer from the sidelines.
- John Paul, 9, made his dad celebrate every extra ounce gained after arriving six weeks early at 4 lb 13 oz.
Why it matters: The Chargers coach’s parenting pivot-from hands-off with his first three kids to full-throttle coaching with the younger four-shows how a football lifer balances dynasty dreams with letting each child choose their own playbook.
The First Team: Jay, James and Grace
Jay arrived on June 14, 1989. A high-school knee injury ended his playing days, so he studied sociology at Oregon State while interning with the 49ers. Nine seasons as a Michigan assistant led to his February 2024 promotion to Seahawks special-teams coordinator. He lives in Washington with wife Bhritney and their two kids, Jacob and Norma.
James Jr. was born Sept. 4, 1996. A Michigan theater major, he traces his love of performing to a family outing to Wicked. Today he posts selfies from Alaska, Hawaii and Tahiti while wearing the Delta uniform he once dreamed about. He calls himself “the #1 Chargers fan” on X and says his dad backed him fully when he came out in 2016.
Grace, born June 27, 2000, switched from swimming to water polo at 14. She completed her Michigan undergrad in 2023 and is now in the Ross School’s MBA program while interning at Fangirl Sports Network and United Talent Agency. Her TikTok roast of her dad’s “M 15-0” tattoo-“he should have gotten one of me”-racked up thousands of likes.
The Second Wave: Addison, Katherine, Jack and John Paul
Addison, born in 2008, spent childhood winters in Michigan gyms. Jim tweeted in 2019 that his wife told Addie she was “too aggressive” on the court; Addie fired back that aggression equals effort. The post ended with Jim’s verdict: “never been prouder.”
Katherine, Dec. 17, 2010, rarely appears online. A 2015 birthday post from Jim counted her first 1,826 days as “precious in each & every way.”
Jack, 2012, got his name from his grandpa, the legendary coach. Photos show him tossing a football on Michigan’s sideline and sailing with his dad. Jim’s Instagram caption: “Jack is my GOAT! 🐐”
John Paul arrived six weeks early on Jan. 11, 2017, weighing 4 lb 13 oz with an 18-inch wingspan. Jim chronicled every milestone: hitting five pounds, first lawn-mowing lesson, and a lullaby sung from a hospital chair.
Coaching Style Shift
Jim told GQ in 2017 that with his older kids he held back because “people said don’t push them.” The approach changed with the second family: “I’m going to coach them like I do my own players… not treat my kids any different than my own players.”
Key Takeaways
- One Harbaugh son coordinates NFL games on Sundays; another serves drinks at 30,000 ft.
- The only daughter from the first marriage turned a water-polo tryout into a business master’s and a social-media side hustle.
- The four younger kids are still writing their stories, but the early chapters already include buzzer-beaters, sideline catches and premature-baby victories.
- Through it all, Jim insists the playbook is the same: love them like players, push them like family.
