How long has John Harbaugh coached the Ravens? Inside Baltimore coach's tenure with organization

In an NFL wold that sees so much turnover at the head coach position, the Baltimore Ravens have been lucky enough to avoid constant changes.

The Ravens hired John Harbaugh almost two decades ago, and the veteran coach has helped keep Baltimore as a constant contender in that span. Not only is Harbaugh one of the few active head coaches with a Super Bowl victory, he has also put together a hall-of-fame caliber career leading the Ravens team.

Wherever Harbaugh's career goes from here, he has already put himself in the pantheon of great NFL head coaches. Here's a breakdown of Harbaugh's time with the Ravens thus far.

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How long has John Harbaugh coached the Ravens?

Harbaugh has been coaching the Ravens for the past 18 years, which makes him the second-longest tenured active coach in the NFL. Only Mike Tomlin, who has been the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 years, has been with his team longer than Harbaugh. 

Harbaugh's 18 years with the Ravens is the eighth-longest tenure by a coach in NFL history, as only six coaches have ever reached the 20-year mark.

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When did John Harbaugh join the Ravens?

The Ravens hired John Harbaugh to replace Brian Billick as their head coach in 2008. Harbaugh had spent the previous decade with the Philadelphia Eagles, which included a stint as their special teams coordinator in 2007.

When the Ravens were looking for a coach, they actually offered then–Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett the job before settling on Harbaugh. While Garrett later had a quality tenure as the Cowboys’ head coach for a decade, Harbaugh has had more success in Baltimore, including a Super Bowl victory.

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John Harbaugh coaching career

College football: 1984-1997

For 14 years to begin his coaching career, John Harbaugh bounced around teams at the college ranks which included:

• Western Michigan (1984-1986)
• Pittsburgh (1987)
• Morehead State (1988)
• Cincinnati (1989-1996)
• Indiana (1997)

Harbaugh held a variety of roles in college, including running backs coach, outside linebackers coach, tight ends coach, secondary coach, defensive backs coach and special teams coordinator.

Philadelphia Eagles: 1998-2007

Harbaugh made the jump to the NFL in 1998, when he joined Ray Rhodes' staff with the Philadelphia Eagles. He stayed on staff when Andy Reid was hired as head coach in 1999, and he remained in Philadelphia through the end of the 2007 season.

For his first nine seasons with the Eagles, Harbaugh served as Philadelphia's special teams coordinator, continuing his role from several college stops. In 2007, Harbaugh transitioned for a season to the Eagles' defensive backs coach before leaving to take the Ravens' head coaching job.

Baltimore Ravens: 2008-present

With the Ravens, Harbaugh immediately found success, going 11-5 and taking Baltimore to the AFC championship game in his first season. The Ravens made the playoffs in each of Harbaugh's first five seasons, winning the AFC North twice and winning Super Bowl 47.

In total, Harbaugh has missed the playoffs just five times as a head coach while winning six division titles. While the Ravens have only had three coaches since moving to Baltimore, Harbaugh is still comfortably the franchise wins leader.

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