When Brad Jackson was a senior in high school in the early 1990s, some well-known college football programs were recruiting the former Ravens linebacker.

In the end, though, the Ohio teenager was won over by an up-and-coming assistant at the University of Cincinnati named John Harbaugh. He was struck by Harbaugh’s honesty, conviction and work ethic.

“Whether you're from the suburbs or from the ‘hood, whether you came from money or you're poor, he can relate to you as a player,” Jackson said. “And that's all you want — someone who is a man.”

During their three years together in Cincinnati, Harbaugh never let Jackson down.

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“He was treating us like men when we were in college and basically showing us how to be men,” Jackson, now an analyst for Comcast SportsNet, said.

Fifteen years after their relationship was forged, Jackson was able to welcome Harbaugh, 45, into his professional football family Saturday afternoon with a warm embrace.

Just minutes before the men hugged, the former Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach had been introduced as the third head coach in Baltimore Ravens history. Amidst all of the media chaos that surrounded the day, that moment brought a tear to Harbaugh’s eye.

“I'm very grateful for the players I've been around,” Harbaugh said.

Harbaugh, who has never been a head coach or coordinator on any level, has been called an emotional and fiery leader by former players. with Jackson describing him as “hard-nosed.”

Eagles free safety Brian Dawkins characterized Harbaugh as, "a very detail-oriented guy" who "might ruffle a few feathers,” according to a story in the Philadelphia Daily News.

The Son of A Coaching Man

Harbaugh’s arrival to the head coaching ranks probably should have come long before Saturday's announcement.

The son of former Michigan assistant and Western Kentucky head coach Jack Harbaugh, John grew up surrounded by football. While his brother, Jim Harbaugh, attained stardom in college and the NFL before becoming the coach of the University of San Diego and most recently Stanford University, John has spent years climbing the ranks as a lesser-known assistant coach.

But John also knew he was destined to follow in his father and brother’s career path.

“When you grow up as a coach's kid and your dad coaches for Bo Schembechler,” John said, “and you come up through the years [with that], you can't have a better job.”

It helped his career as a defensive back at Miami University in Ohio was not full of highlights.

“My dad always says, 'the twilight of a mediocre career,' ” the younger Harbaugh said.

Once he graduated from Miami in the early 1980s, he began his journey to the head coach’s office with assistant stints at Western Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, Morehead State, Cincinnati — with former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan — and Indiana.

In 1998, he was named as special teams coach with the Eagles, proving Andy Reid made a good choice when Harbaugh was named the NFL Coach of Year for his work with that position in 2001.

“I'm proud of the path I took,” Harbaugh said. “I don't think you control your path.”

But all of his life led him to Saturday, when he became the potential “Hall of Fame” coach who Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti envisioned replacing Brian Billick to take over a team that went 5-11.

“Make no mistake about this: He is as competitive as anyone you're ever going to meet,” Jack Harbaugh said. “He's ready for this job, he's prepared for this job.”

The Man For The Job

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said recommendations from Dawkins, as well as former Eagles coach Ray Rhodes and Reid convinced him to take a risk on Harbaugh, despite many NFL analysts believing he was not the most qualified candidate.

“When they start to paint a picture that says that ‘yeah, this guy is a legitimate candidate,’ and then you bring him in and you put him through the process as we did and he's still standing tall at the end of the day, that's the reason why he's here as our head coach,” Newsome said.

Harbaugh has to rebuild a veteran-laden team that is coming off a disastrous season in which it went from Super Bowl contender to finishing in last in the AFC North Division.

Harbaugh’s first step: Call the team’s brightest star — linebacker Ray Lewis — he’s the right man for the job.

He succeeded.

During an appearance as an analyst for ESPN on Sunday, the Pro Bowl linebacker said Harbaugh won him over by “just the electricity of his voice, the passion on what he feels and his personality. I truly believe that his personality is going to really capture a lot of personalities in our locker room right now. His personality and what he brings to our team, I think our team is ready to do some great things.”

mpalmer@baltimoreexaminer.com