In New Orleans, Louisiana on February 3, 2013, two brothers battled it out for the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XVLII. Jim Harbaugh, coaching for the San Francisco 49ers, was ready to start the sibling rivalry match against his older brother, John, who was coaching the Baltimore Ravens. This was the first time in Super Bowl history that two brothers competed for the Lombardi Trophy.
“Well, I think it’s a blessing and a curse,” Jim Harbaugh told a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Monday before the big game. “A blessing because that is my brother’s team. And, also, personally I played for the Ravens. Great respect for their organization. … The curse part would be the talk of two brothers playing in the Super Bowl and what that takes away from the players that are in the game. Every moment that you’re talking about myself or John, that’s less time that the players are going to be talked about.”
Jim Harbaugh has been coaching for the San Francisco 49ers for little over two years. He has brought the team to the Super Bowl this year and to consecutive conference championships. John Harbaugh has coached the Ravens for 5 years; this was the Raven’s first appearance at the Super Bowl in 12 years. On Thanksgiving Day in 2011, for the first time in the National Football League (NFL) history, sibling coaches played against one other. John’s Baltimore Ravens defeated Jim’s 49ers. That victory was not repeated in the Super Bowl.
During the first two quarters of the game, the Ravens were in the lead, and when half time was over and the power going out for some time, everyone thought it was over for the 49ers. Then when the power was restored, the game resumed and the 49ers came back. In the fourth quarter with a few minutes to spare the Ravens and the 49ers were at a close score, but at the end the Ravens won by three points with the score of 34-31.
This sibling rivalry is one for the history books that made it hard for this family to cheer for one team—even the coach’s parents weren’t picking sides.