Jackie and Jack Harbaugh missing Chargers vs. Ravens MNF showdown for heartwarming reason

Jackie Harbaugh and Jack Harbaugh, the parents of NFL head coaches Jim Harbaugh and John Harbaugh, will not be at the Los Angeles Chargers vs. Baltimore Ravens game on Monday night for a good reason. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the two will be with their daughter, Joani, son-in-law Tom Crean and their two grandchildren in Florida to celebrate their 63rd anniversary.

“Back in 1957 in that biology class, I looked down into row number one in that class and four years later we were married,” Jack said about Jackie on The Lounge podcast this week. “That was the decision that changed my life. … We’re just so blessed that Jackie’s with us and she’s still the head coach of the Harbaugh family.”

Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of the Chargers and John Harbaugh is the head coach of the Ravens. It will be tough for Jackie and Jack to miss the Monday Night Football matchup, but they also plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with their daughter and her family.

Jack and Jackie visited Jim and his family in California for a couple of games this year. They were in Baltimore in September to visit John and see the Ravens defeat the Buffalo Bill on Sunday Night Football. Both the Chargers and Ravens have games on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

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“We are choosing to go down there and celebrate Thanksgiving with them and be able to watch the game with them,” Jack said, per the Ravens official website. “And we’ll have a lot of fun and enjoyment doing that.”

Jack and Jackie are no strangers to seeing their sons facing each other as coaches. The first was in 2011 when the Ravens defeated Jim’s then-San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving. The second was Super Bowl XLVII later that season, and the Ravens beat the 49ers again in New Orleans.

Like John and Jim, Jack is a successful football coach. He has spent his entire career in the high school and college ranks and won an NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS) national title when he was the head coach of Western Kentucky in 2002. Last year, Jack was on the Michigan coaching staff with Jim and helped the team win the national title.