To this day, both John and Jim talk about their father's 14-year stint coaching the Hilltoppers in a way that suggests nothing short of reverence. The school repeatedly looked like it might kill the program, either by vote or simple neglect. First the athletic department was forced to cut 13 scholarships. Then the program's operating budget was slashed in half, eliminating the salaries of two full-time coaches. The locker room leaked when it rained. The players had to run across train tracks to get to practice, and then they'd spend the first 10 minutes picking up rocks from the field. The school wouldn't even buy soap for the athletic department, so Jackie Harbaugh went out and bought some herself so the players could shower after practices and games.

"What we would do is we'd cut them in half so they'd go a little bit longer," Jack Harbaugh said. "At the end of the day, we'd have our managers go through and collect them so the players didn't take them home with them so we'd have them the next day. There were some tough times. We were really on the ropes. The president had decided to drop the program. He had the votes. He had the five votes he needed to put the program away."

Jack Harbaugh's sons refused to watch their father struggle from afar. John, who was coaching at the University of Cincinnati at the time, would spend hours putting together two recruiting lists: the players he was targeting to play for the Bearcats, and the players he hoped his father could sign to play at Western Kentucky. Jim, who was still playing in the NFL, took an unpaid assistant coaching position on his father's staff, which allowed him to go on recruiting visits without violating NCAA rules. John would identify 20 or 30 kids in Florida they should go after, kids with talent but academic red flags, and Jim and Jack would drive down on their own dime to convince prospects to sign. The three Harbaugh men talked on the phone constantly.

Pictures: Kaka signs with Orlando City Soccer

"It was truly one of the great times of my life," Jim Harbaugh said. "You really start to understand how those father and son businesses happen. The dad passes something along to his son and they work side-by-side for awhile. You're learning the trade, the secrets, and you're talking every single day."

The turn-around was slow. Half the kids struggled to stay eligible academically. But in time, Jack Harbaugh molded them into a winner. In 2002, Western Kentucky captured the Division I-AA National Championship, a feat that would have been unfathomable when he took over the program.

"That was the signature coaching experience for me," Jack Harbaugh said. "John and Jim really stepped up. Without their support and contribution in terms of recruiting and the times we spent on the telephone talking football during that championship season, that would have never been possible."

Tickets to the game

Regardless of what happens in the Thanksgiving meeting between his two sons, this week will in some ways bring Jack Harbaugh's life almost full circle. On Friday, the day after the game, he and Jackie will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Fifty years ago, Harbaugh was a high school football coach in Cleveland, and in those days, Browns owner Art Modell provided free game tickets for local high school coaches. So the morning after the Harbaughs were married, they had breakfast at White Castle, and then spent their "honeymoon" watching the Browns play the Giants in Municipal Stadium.

"Jackie and I walked up those steps and I can remember it like it was yesterday," Jack Harbaugh said. "It was about all we could afford. I saw Mr. Modell at a game a few years ago. I told him, 'Mr. Modell, if it had not been for you, I would not have had a honeymoon.'"

After spending a few extra days in Baltimore with family, Jack Harbaugh and his wife will return to their home in Wisconsin. Eventually, a FedEx truck will swing by the house and make its regular delivery. Harbaugh's routine, however, will be slightly different this time. It will be a unique moment, alone in his basement, sitting in front of a television he's had for nearly 25 years. His voice swells with pride when he explains why.

"This time," Harbaugh said, "there will be only one tape to watch."
