Harbaugh's loyalty split, but not evenly
But those emotions don't seem to be split evenly, and that's understandable. Harbaugh nearly led the Indianapolis Colts to their first Super Bowl appearance, but a dropped Hail Mary pass in the waning seconds of the 1995 AFC Championship Game resulted in the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in Super Bowl XXX, where they lost to the Dallas Cowboys.
''I still think about that play a lot,'' said Harbaugh, who was hired as Stanford's head coach on Dec.18. ''Walking off that field, you think to yourself, 'There will be other days.' But that was the only day.
''You could taste going to the Super Bowl. I've heard other people talk about that, too. For about 10 minutes in the fourth quarter, it tasted like we were going to the Super Bowl. But it was as close as we ever got.''
Harbaugh will feel closer to the game than most fans when the Colts face the Bears in Super Bowl XLI. He is in the Colts' Ring of Honor after playing four years in Indianapolis, including a Pro Bowl season in '95.
The Bears drafted Harbaugh out of Michigan in the first round in 1987. He played seven seasons with the Bears and was on the roster for the 1988 NFC Championship Game, which the Bears lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
''Right now, yeah, I hope Indy finds a way to win,'' Harbaugh said Monday. ''But that could easily change as I'm watching the game and see who's the more deserving team. It really comes down to rooting for the team that plays the hardest.
''Seeing both of those uniforms on the field at the same time is tremendous satisfaction. I have pride and feel a small bit of ownership in it.''
Harbaugh keeps in contact with Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner, who was with the Bears during Harbaugh's last season in Chicago. Harbaugh said he was in Chicago a week ago, and he recently got a commitment from Joliet Catholic tight end Coby Fleener to play at Stanford.
Harbaugh said he can empathize with Rex Grossman, especially with the unique problems facing a quarterback at Soldier Field.
''The best thing he has going is he has the emotional toughness you have to have to play quarterback in Chicago,'' Harbaugh said. ''It's not always about being pretty. Sometimes with the weather and wind swirls, the numbers won't always look good on paper.''
Some have questioned Grossman's mental toughness, especially after he admitted to being distracted during the regular-season finale against Green Bay. But Harbaugh said Grossman's toughness is plain to see.
''He's there, isn't he?'' Harbaugh said. ''The proof is there.''
Yes, Grossman is in the Super Bowl, a position Harbaugh can only dream about.