27 examples of Jim Harbaugh's insane competitiveness

Evan Habeeb/Getty

Jim Harbaugh is, without a doubt, one of the best coaches in football.

Before returning the Michigan Wolverines to the top of the college football polls, he led the San Francisco 49ers to three consecutive NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. Before that, he revived a dormant Stanford program.

No matter where he has coached, Harbaugh has been defined by a crazed sense of competitiveness that has often manifested itself in peculiar ways. He is also one of the most entertaining figures in all of sports.

Below we take a look at 27 examples of his insane competitiveness.

Scott Davis contributed to this post.

He will do just about anything (that isn't an NCAA violation) to bring the best talent to Michigan.

Doug Pensinger/Getty

He starred in a cringeworthy rap video in another recruiting ploy.

Evan Habeeb/Getty

Source: ESPN

When Peyton Manning arrived in San Francisco during his free agency, Harbaugh smack-talked him and said his own passes had more "mustard" on them than Manning's.

Michael Reaves/Getty

Source: ESPN

Before Stanford, he coached at the University of San Diego. He would do hill sprints with his players and not stop when he threw up.

Lenny Ignelzi/AP

Source: ESPN

He also made a point of doing push-ups every day to prove to his players that he could do 100 in a row.

Source: MLive

During intrasquad scrimmages with the Niners, he'd make a point of making the winning team do sprints.

Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Source: ESPN

He once delivered an impassioned eight-page speech to his team that included the following excerpt: "My opponent is going to have to die. But does he have to kill me too? He is killing me. But he has a right to. I have never seen a greater opponent than him."

Christian Petersen/Getty

Source: ESPN

After Stanford had its first winning season in eight years, he fired several coaches — including someone who had been in his own wedding party.

Wesley Hitt/Getty

Source: MLive

He hunted down a child in laser tag at his own bachelor party, taking it way too seriously. As Eric Bakhtiari, a former player under Harbaugh, put it: "All his shots came against this 10-year-old kid. He just sat there, hunting this 10-year-old kid so he could win."

Tony Ding/AP

Source: MLive

During the 2011 NFL lockout, Harbaugh "willed himself" to keep up in athletic challenges with 49ers GM Trent Baalke, who was in much better shape. Harbaugh refused to fall behind in push-up counts, bench presses, and even racquetball, to the point at which Harbaugh couldn't walk normally for two days after.

Leon Halip/Getty

Source: NFL.com

He once strapped on pads during a 49ers practice because they did not have enough players.

Rogelio V. Solis/AP

Source: MLive

He created a chaotic game called Peruball that includes running, hitting, and throwing, and he has been known to strip off his shirt to participate in shirts versus skins.

Source: MLive

He is obsessed with the fullback position, though it has been a somewhat irrelevant position in modern offenses. No matter what team he is coaching, he makes a point of finding a dark-horse fullback star.

Patrick Semansky/AP

Source: Wall Street Journal

Competitiveness often manifests itself in superstition. And there is no coach more superstitious than Harbaugh.

Lenny Ignelzi/AP

When he left Stanford for the 49ers, he didn't want to get rid of his lucky black Stanford pullover, so instead he got rid of the Stanford logo and stitched on a Niners one.

Getty Images

Not long after he moved to Ann Arbor, he was out to dinner with his wife when a mouse suddenly broke loose, scurrying around the restaurant. Harbaugh sprung into action and, after a few minutes, trapped it in a corner and caught it in a Styrofoam box. He let it out across the street as onlookers cheered.

Leon Halip/Getty

Source: Bleacher Report

He once challenged a meaningless spot in the fourth quarter of a blowout win. When asked about it the following week, he went on a long-winded rant about how bad the call was.

Mel Evans/AP

Source: Deadspin

Harbaugh's methods are certainly questionable, but his style has led Michigan back to being one of the top teams in the country.

Leon Halip/Getty

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