Michigan Football: The 1985 Harbaugh Effect on the Wolverines

Turning a football team around after a dismal season is nothing new to Jim Harbaugh. Heck, he did it in his junior year at Michigan. This is the second of a three-part series that looks back at each of Harbaugh’s three seasons as starting quarterback for the Wolverines. (Click here to read Part 1.)

If you think Michigan football is in a state of uncertainty now, you must not remember 1985.

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Bo Schembechler had just experienced his first non-winning season since arriving in Ann Arbor 16 years prior. The Wolverines suffered their worst three-year stretch since the Lyndon Johnson administration, and things weren’t looking any brighter as the new season approached. After an unheard-of seven straight weeks out of the AP and UPI polls, Schembechler entered the fall unranked for the first time since 1969.

To make matters worse, Michigan’s non-conference schedule was as formidable as any in recent memory. The Wolverines opened against three straight top-20 teams. In all, they would face six ranked opponents in 12 games and six quarterbacks that would play in the NFL. Students, alums and fans weren’t calling for Bo’s head, but they weren’t giving him a vote of confidence either.

No. 13 Notre Dame came to Ann Arbor as decided favorites to start the 1985 season. A hot and sunny Big House afternoon greeted a subdued and skeptical crowd, the weather providing a necessary distraction from a field-goal filled first half. Three times the Irish drove for points on their way to a 9-3 halftime lead. The Michigan offense looked shaky and indecisive, with Harbaugh missing his targets all over the field.

Apr 4, 2015; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh is seen during the Spring football game at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

All would change soon enough. The second half kickoff floated high and deep, into and out of the arms of Alonzo Jefferson. The Notre Dame return man was hit by onrushing Wolverines and safety Deter Heren pounced on the loose ball at the Irish 14. Two Jamie Morris runs gained little, so on third and six Harbaugh called his own number on a quarterback draw. The defense was caught flat-footed as the junior dove into the end zone for the lead.

Notre Dame recaptured the lead on John Carney’s fourth field goal, but Harbaugh would not be denied. Suddenly every ball he tossed into the air found a blue jersey. A long drive ended with a Gerald White touchdown run, and the Wolverines pulled off the upset, 20-12.

Back in the rankings at No. 19, Michigan headed for Columbia to play a South Carolina team fresh off a 10-win season. Williams-Brice Stadium had been sold out for months, and Gamecock fans were as rabid as any outside of Columbus, Ohio. They fed their team’s momentum for as long as they could, until Harbaugh’s methodical offense smothered the life out of them.

On third and one at the Michigan 43, halfway through the first quarter, Harbaugh went play-action from I-formation, slinging the ball on a rope and hitting split end Paul Jokisch in stride at the South Carolina 16. Two plays later the junior ran triple-option right to perfection, tucking the ball in and diving into the end zone. The Wolverines wouldn’t look back. The day ended with Harbaugh leading the Michigan offense to four touchdowns and passing for 164 yards in a 34-3 rout.

Next up was Bobby Ross’ No. 17 Maryland Terrapins. The Wolverines were hostile hosts, shutting out quarterback Stan Gelbaugh’s offense 20-0. Wisconsin fell the following week, 33-6. Michigan State was next, getting decimated 31-0 on its own field. By this point it was clear this wasn’t merely a different Michigan team than the year before, but one destined for something special.

Two dominating aspects began to emerge.

First, the defense. Gary Moeller’s troops were aggressive and wildly opportunistic, with 15 interceptions in the five wins. In the end they would allow a measley five touchdowns over the entire regular season, and their 8.2 points allowed ranked tops in the nation. And second, Harbaugh. The epitome of a do-whatever-it-takes athlete, he threw just 227 passes in 1985 but completed 145 for 1,976 yards, leading the NCAA in passing efficiency.

Harbaugh spread the ball equitably among his receivers, his two favorite targets being freshman split end John Kolesar and senior tight end Eric Kattus. Kattus led the receiving corps with 38 receptions for 582 yards and eight touchdowns. Kolesar came on late but proved electrifying when the team needed it most.

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Case in point, the renewal of a certain bitter rivalry on the last day of the regular season. A Wolverines defense that had allowed only three touchdowns in 10 games had just given up its second touchdown in a little over three quarters. Buckeyes quarterback Jim Karasatos heaved a fourth-and-10 prayer toward all-American Cris Carter, who leaped and made an acrobatic catch across the goal line. As night fell, Ohio State had momentum and enough time to make up a meager 20-17 deficit. Michigan had a long field in front of it—and a quarterback who was money.

After a three-yard gain, Harbaugh heaved a rocket toward his fleeting freshman. Kolesar got cornerback William White to bite on a post pattern, then let fly. Jimmy’s dart hit him in stride and 77 yards later, the Buckeyes were crushed.

The Wolverines had one heroic second-half comeback left in the tank for New Year’s Day, erasing a 14-3 Nebraska lead with 24 third-quarter points and holding on for a 27-23 Fiesta Bowl victory. When the dust settled Michigan sat at 10-1-1 and No. 2 in both polls, behind 11-1 Oklahoma. Only a last-second Rob Houghtlin field goal in a 12-10 loss at then-No. 1 Iowa, and a sloppy 3-3 stalemate in Champaign—preserved when Illinois’ last-second game-winning field goal hit the crossbar—kept Michigan from a perfect season and a national championship.

It was a far cry from 6-6 last season, with the most noticeable difference being “The Harbaugh Effect.”

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