Elite coaches often have the most unconventional belief systems and methods. Sir Alex Ferguson once made his Manchester United players change jerseys at halftime because he believed their grey kits were impossible to see. Phil Jackson regularly burned sage around the Chicago Bulls locker room to sharpen his team’s focus. But even among them, Jim Harbaugh stands in a league of his own. The Chargers head coach has built a reputation around his “jackhammer” mentality, and if he thinks something can give his team an edge, no idea is too strange for him. Just ask former Michigan tight end Jake Butt.

Appearing on The Blue Print podcast with Devin Gardner, he recalled one of Harbaugh’s earliest psychological tactics. They were set for a season opener game against Utah, and given the natural elevation of the place the players were naturally discussing the challenges of altitude and whether they would need oxygen support. Harbaugh’s idea to calm his players was simple- tell them that altitude wasn’t real.

“But Jim was big on psychological warfare.” Former Wolverine Jake Butt said to Devin Gardner on The Blue Print YouTube channel. “So, some people were talking about, ‘Hey, can we bring oxygen or whatever?’ And Jim called up a team meeting, and he’s like, ‘I’m here to tell you right now that altitude, it’s not real. It’s not just real. Just go overcome it in your mind.’ 

But then, according to Butt, reality hit pretty quickly once the game got underway.

“Jarrod Wilson was in great shape, but I remember him, it was in the third quarter, and Utah was going fast, and Jarrod was dying on the sideline sucking oxygen. He’s like, ‘Man, Jim lied to us. He lied. It’s real.”

Butt would know better than most how Harbaugh operated.

Jake Butt was a tight end for the Wolverines between 2013 and 2016. Spending all four collegiate years with the Wolverines, he became the program’s all-time leading receiver in yards by a tight end (1,646 yards) and the program’s record holder for career receptions by a tight end (136). He played under Jim Harbaugh in his last two seasons, during which he won awards as the best tight end in college football, before he was selected with the 145th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Butt arrived at Ann Arbor two seasons before Jim Harbaugh, who inherited a struggling team from Brady Hoke. Hoke spent four seasons with the Wolverines, but was only able to finish with a double-digit win season in his first season. What followed his 12-2 debut season were single-digit win seasons, culminating in a final 5-7 losing season.

Harbaugh took over after Hoke was fired and wanted to start on a high note in his first game by all means. Sadly, even the lie he told Butt and his colleagues could not help, as the program eventually suffered a 24-17 road loss to Utah. Interestingly, the Utes were coached by Kyle Whittingham, who is now at Ann Arbor to return Michigan to the glory days the program saw under Harbaugh.

Not to be held down by the loss in his first game at the program, Harbaugh led the Wolverines to their first double-digit winning season in four years. Well, only his players know how many more psychological tactics would have taken place in the locker room to achieve a 10-3 record in his debut season.

Harbaugh is known for his sideline antics, his wince-worthy philosophies, and his eccentric personality. In 2004, he invented a flag at San Diego to give the players something to fight for in their rivalry games against Dayton. In particular, he was famous for wearing $8 Walmart khakis to save time and mental energy. But when it comes to winning, he is beyond impressive, having also had successful stints with the Stanford Cardinal and the San Francisco 49ers.

Jim Harbaugh turned Iowa’s pink locker room to Michigan blue

Butt had more stories to tell of Harbaugh, but a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes was his second favorite. The Hawkeyes famously have a pink locker room for the opposing team, introduced in 1979 by former head coach Hayden Fry, based on color psychology. The rationale is that pink is said to have a calming, passive effect on players before games. But Harbaugh decided he would not fall victim to that.

“The next one was [when] we played at Iowa in 2016,” Butt recalled. “Again, I just mentioned it. We lost to him. It sucks. But they have that famous pink locker room, and it was a big deal. Everyone likes to ask. The media honestly plays into it more than the players. It’s one of the best locker rooms in the world. But Jim sent the equipment managers out early, and they put all Michigan posters to cover every square inch of pink in the locker room, and then, we lost.”

Harbaugh lost to Iowa, but his tricks were not wasted. He eventually led the Wolverines to a national championship with an undefeated 15-0 season before returning to the NFL. Harbaugh is now in the thick of his second season with the Los Angeles Chargers after leading the program to back-to-back playoff appearances.