nfl

John Harbaugh vs. Jim Harbaugh Super Bowl: Revisiting the Ravens vs. 49ers 'Harbaugh Bowl' of 2013

01-22-2024
3 min read
(Getty Images)

History has a funny way of repeating itself.

Ten years ago, the Harbaugh brothers were the best football coaches in the game. Not much has changed since then, in some ways. John Harbaugh is still with the Ravens, leading them to an NFL-best 11-3 record. They're the only AFC team to clinch a playoff spot so far.

Christmas Day will be a rematch of the 2013 Super Bowl, when Harbaugh faced his brother and the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh is no longer in the NFL, but the 49ers are still one of the best teams in the league. They stand atop the NFC at 11-3. 

Since the "Harbaugh Bowl" of 2013, Jim Harbaugh, a Michigan alum, has made his way back to his former team. He leads the Wolverines into their third straight playoff appearance, this time as the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff.

MORE: NFL power rankings: 49ers, Ravens battle at top for Week 16

As the NFL's best face off Monday, in what could be a preview of future championship game, take a look back at the 2013 Super Bowl. Not only was it a matchup between the Ravens and 49ers but the Harbaugh brothers, too.

What is the Harbaugh Bowl?

Also known as Super Bowl 47, the Harbaugh Bowl was the NFL finale, capping the 2012 season. Brothers Jim and John Harbaugh, coaching the 49ers and Ravens, respectively, faced each other in the championship game on Feb. 3, 2013. The Harbaughs met once before, in a 2011 Thanksgiving Day game, but this was the first time in Super Bowl history that brothers coached against each other.

Baltimore dominated, taking a 21-6 lead at halftime with QB Joe Flacco at the helm. 

The game also earned the nickname "Blackout Bowl" as a power outage in the Superdome delayed the game for 34 minutes in the third quarter.

Afterward, San Francisco began its comeback and scored 17 unanswered points. It trailed 34-29 just before the two-minute warning but turned the ball over on downs, cementing its loss.The Ravens took an intentional safety to close out the game and win their second Super Bowl.

To this day, it's John Harbaugh's only Super Bowl victory and Jim Harbaugh's only appearance. He made the transition back to college football just two seasons later.