One more for the road
Players salute Harbaugh as he exits with victory
The last big play of the Jim Harbaugh era resulted in a fitting gift for the pigskin-obsessed head coach: a football.
After Craig Dahl sealed the 49ers’ 20-17 win over Arizona with a late-game interception in the season finale Sunday afternoon, the safety ran to Harbaugh on the sideline and offered him the prize, along with a few heartfelt words.
“Congratulations,” Dahl said to Harbaugh. “Thank you, coach.”
Moments later, as the final seconds ticked down, linebacker Nick Moody and wide receiver Quinton Patton dumped the contents of a Gatorade tub on Harbaugh, the head coach who clearly had a far healthier relationship with his players than with the front office.
Harbaugh’s final onthe-field moments with the team were spent
mostly accepting hugs from a large group of players that included wide receiver Anquan Boldin, right guard Alex Boone, safety Bubba Ventrone and wideout Brandon Lloyd, whom Harbaugh patted on the head before disappearing into the tunnel for the final time as the 49ers’ head coach.
Yes, this was the end. Harbaugh will return to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, according to multiple reports, and is expected to be introduced at a news conference Tuesday. Shortly after Sunday’s game, the 49ers issued a statement saying the team and Harbaugh had “mutually agreed” to part ways.
The 49ers certainly could have kept Harbaugh, who had one year remaining on his contract, if they so desired. Harbaugh was asked if the decision to part ways was his or that of the front office.
“You work at the pleasure of the organization,” he said. “We all do.”
So why didn’t the organization keep a coach who, including playoffs, had 49 wins in four seasons — three more than the formerly sad-sack franchise managed in the eight seasons before his arrival?
Boldin, 34, furrowed his brow when posed the question. He dedicated Sunday’s game to Harbaugh, who was the impetus for Boldin resigning with the 49ers in March.
“You’re asking the wrong guy,” Boldin said. “If it was my decision, he would be here.”
Said fullback Bruce Miller: “I hate that he’s leaving. Loved playing for him. Loved playing for him every minute.”
And left guard Mike Iupati: “He’s been great. He’s treated us with respect.”
After Harbaugh became the first head coach in NFL history to reach a conference championship game in each of his first three seasons, there were myriad reasons the 49ers slipped to 8-8 and out of the playoffs in 2014.
Unless his players double as skilled actors, however, the reports that a large segment of the 49ers wanted Harbaugh “out” wouldn’t figure to be a reason for the decline.
In his 14-minute postgame news conference, Harbaugh was often humorous.
Will he miss the NFL? He feigned confusion: “Is the NFL going somewhere?” he asked, looking at the group of reporters with a what-kind-of-question-is-that grin.
At one point, after he mostly dodged a series of questions that dealt with his future and his relationship with CEO Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke, he brightened when posed with his first non-Harbaugh-related question. The topic: his running back.
“Thank you!” he said. “Yes, let’s talk about Frank Gore!”
Still, he was, at times, melancholy. Was this a sad moment? He started by stammering: “It is, uh, I don’t know how to say it. Maybe don’t have the words for it.”
He later regained his footing and hinted at what made the parting of ways difficult: his relationship with his players.
“I had the time of my life,” he said. “It’s that song — ‘Had the Time of My Life.’ It’s that song. I did. I really did. I had a lot of fun. It’s the relationships that were made along the way. That’s what a team is …
“Whether the relationship was four years or just a couple of weeks, I was incredibly close to this team and I’ll forever appreciate that.”
Later, when he returned to the locker room, Harbaugh connected with both the starters and the scrubs.
He hugged backup offensive lineman Dillon Farrell and parted by giving the undrafted rookie a few words of encouragement and a pat on the chest. Harbaugh also approached Gore, who was sitting with his back turned to the coach on a stool at his locker.
Harbaugh came from behind Gore, put his arms on his shoulders and whispered a few words to the franchise’s all-time rushing leader.
Gore told Harbaugh he’d see him Monday — referring to a final team meeting before the players, and Harbaugh, part ways.
It wasn’t a parting many of his players understood.
“My best years, they were with him as a team,” Gore said. “He was here and we won.”