SAN FRANCISCO — All week, Jim Harbaugh had a good feeling about making the jump to the NFL and joining the San Francisco 49ers — just the way his former mentor and late Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh did more than 30 years ago.
Declaring it a "perfect competitive opportunity," Harbaugh accepted the job as coach of the 49ers Friday and said his goal is to win a Lombardi Trophy for "one of the legendary franchises in all of football."
The successful Stanford coach receives a five-year deal and gets to remain right at home in the Bay Area, moving to the NFL after four years with the Cardinal. A longtime NFL quarterback, he replaces fired coach Mike Singletary. ESPN reported Harbaugh's deal is for $25 million.
Harbaugh decided to leave Stanford for the pros even though San Francisco has missed the playoffs for eight straight seasons and Orange Bowl MVP quarterback Andrew Luck announced Thursday he would remain at Stanford for another season.
"I can feel the enthusiasm coursing through my veins right now," said Harbaugh, who was going to team headquarters Friday night to get to work. "I accept this competitive challenge willingly."
The Cardinal (12-1) finished with a school-record 12 wins following a 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl on Monday night. It's been a whirlwind week to say the least.
Harbaugh has long admired Walsh and how he made the successful leap from Stanford to the 49ers. Harbaugh knew the man nicknamed "The Genius" for 18 years and once received footwork tips from the coach while playing for the Bears. "Everything that came out of his mind, his heart, his mouth, I hung on every single word."
Walsh thought up the original schemes that became known as the West Coast offense, which Harbaugh plans to run with the 49ers. Harbaugh has a picture of Walsh he looks at each day taped to his computer screen, but says it will be a while before any comparisons can be made of the two.
While Harbaugh said he had all but made up his mind to accept the 49ers' offer following a meeting of more than six hours that went into Wednesday evening, he took a couple of days to hear out his other suitors and do his "homework" — and "do some soul searching" as new 49ers general manager Trent Baalke put it.
"I knew in my heart and my gut the right decision was with the San Francisco 49ers," he said.
Harbaugh likely will be grooming a new quarterback in the coming months. Alex Smith, the 2005 No. 1 overall draft pick out of Utah, becomes a free agent. So, finding a QB is high on the team's to-do list heading into what should be a busy offseason.
Once the season begins, Harbaugh will face a familiar foe — big brother John Harbaugh, coach of the Baltimore Ravens. Jim Harbaugh won't be attending his brother's playoff game in Kansas City this weekend after all.
"Let me tell you guys out in San Francisco, you got a great one," John Harbaugh said. "I'm very happy he's not in the AFC. We'll see him once every four years and Super Bowls — hopefully we could get a couple of those. ... I got a feeling you'll see two pretty similarly built football teams."
Niners team president and CEO Jed York said when Singletary was fired that money would be no object in finding the team's next coach. He promoted vice president of player personnel Baalke to GM earlier this week, then they worked together to make their push for Harbaugh, who also was in talks with the Miami Dolphins, Stanford, and was high on the wish list for the Michigan opening.
The 49ers didn't put him on a deadline, telling Harbaugh, "There can't be any doubt in your mind," York said. Harbaugh asked for Thursday night to "sleep on it," then signed his deal Friday. He also informed Luck and his players at Stanford.
Harbaugh insists this move wasn't all about money. He reportedly had an offer for more from Miami.
"It wasn't the factor. I like a buck just like the next guy, but I love coaching, and I love winning, and I love football," he said.
The 47-year-old Harbaugh went 58-27 overall as a college coach and 29-21 in four seasons at Stanford. He took over a 1-11 team when he was hired in December, 2006, and quickly turned the program back into a winner and bowl contender.
Harbaugh, a college star at Michigan, played 15 seasons in the NFL for the Bears, Colts, Ravens, Chargers, and Panthers. A first-round draft pick taken 26th overall by Chicago in 1987, Harbaugh completed 2,305 of 3,918 passes for 26,288 career yards and 129 touchdowns in the NFL. He also ran for 18 TDs.
"Losing is not an option," Harbaugh said.
First Published January 8, 2011, 12:43 p.m.