Jim Harbaugh overcomes all odds, Takes home Coach of the Year Award

Like the saying goes, all good things come to an end. That saying proved to be true for the San Francisco 49ers who's Super Bowl hopes came to an early end in this year's NFC Championship game after falling to the New York Giants in overtime by a score of 20-17. Despite their unfortunate early exit from the Playoffs, San Francisco's 2011 campaign was nothing short of remarkable in more ways than one. Since the hiring of head coach Jim Harbaugh in early January during the off-season, the 49er faithful instantly fell in love with the direction their team appeared to be moving in. Little did they know coach Harbaugh and co. would take them on a ride they haven't been on since the 2002 season.

With the odds stacked up against him and his new squad, coach Harbaugh came into the season virtually unfazed by the disadvantage the lockout-shortened off-season was thought to be for first year head coaches and their teams. Despite being plagued by the inconvenience the lockout proved to be during training camp, coach Harbaugh still managed to breath life back into the 49ers franchise and get his team to start playing the winning brand of football the organization and fans grew accustomed to in the 80's and 90's. In only his first year at the helm, Harbaugh was able to turnaround the franchise and lead the team to their first playoff berth in 10 years, finishing the regular season 13-3 to make him the runaway favorite for the NFL's Coach of the Year Award. On the eve of the Super Bowl, that dream became a reality as he was awarded the prestigious hardware, adding to an already impressive resume which includes success at the collegiate level as well with both the University of San Diego and Stanford.

Coming into the season, nobody thought we'd taste that much success given the difficult tasks Harbaugh would face when transitioning from college to the pro's. Instead, coach Harbaugh made it look easy as if it wasn't his first rodeo. I'd be lying if I didn't say coach Harbaugh and the 49ers exceeded my expectations this year and am anxious to see what he could do when given a full off-season to get his guys ready and with a year of experience already under his belt. One thing that is certain is that the team from the city by the bay will be taken much more serious come next season. If he can talk the front-office into acquiring another piece or two on offense, I've got a feeling it won't be long before he adds a ring to his resume. Jim Harbaugh is one of only three 49er head coaches to be named Coach of the Year and is the first to take home the honors since Bill Walsh in 1981.