Harbaugh brothers NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens (L) and head coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers speak during warm ups prior to Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

No one has ever questioned Jim Harbaugh’s competitive genes. The dude loves to compete, and loves to win. But in case you’re curious about whether or not Harbaugh’s competitiveness has limits, be curious no more.

On his latest podcast, The MMQB’s Peter King interviewed Harbaugh’s (more successful) brother, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh. The elder Harbaugh discussed a family vacation the two brothers took with their respective wives and children, and revealed that Jim even took a pickup basketball game way too seriously.

(blockquote split into paragraphs with my comments afterwards, because it was just too damn long)

“No one is more competitive than him. He has a bunch of kids now, young kids. Just had a baby, John Paul. … Last Memorial Day we did vacation together. My wife and I have a cottage up north in Michigan on Lake Huron. We get Jim to drive up with the kids and all that, and we have a basketball hoop in the front yard in the driveway, and we were going to play a little game with the kids, and we just started shooting around, and next thing you know it was a 4-on-4 game.”

This sounds like something that would happen on a normal family vacation. It’s spontaneous and fun. Nothing out of the ordinary here.

“It was Jack, who is two-and-a-half, Addy, who is six, Katie, who is four-and-a-half or five at the time, Allison who is 13 or 14 and she is a little basketball player, and Jim and me and Sarah, my wife. We’re playing, and you can picture the kind of game it is, right? Allison happens to hit a couple jumpers and we’re playing to seven, and we’re up maybe 5-1. Next thing you know, Jim starts going over the top of Allison for rebounds, he’s boxing her out 10 feet away from the basket. Next thing you know, it’s 5-5 and Jim has made all the shots for his team of course. I’m like, you know, maybe Addy would like to touch the ball? Maybe Katie or Jack could dribble a little bit now and then?”

So Jim and his family were getting embarrassed in pickup hoops by a teenage basketball player? And he was actually getting mad about this instead of just moving on with his day? Man.

“It goes 6-6 and a long rebound comes out the side, he goes and gets it. I see Allison happens to be over there, so I see him going to the basket, he’s going to take Allison to the hole, you know, he’s about 6’3″, 235, so I’m going to go cut him off. I get him with my right arm bar across his chest and I’m trying to body check him into the pricker bushes behind the driveway, and he just powers his way to the basket, lays one over the top, a reverse layup off the board, and all he could talk about is how he won.”

Alright, so it sounds like John also helped escalated this a little bit. At least Jim didn’t body check poor Allison.

He picks up Jack and says, ‘Doesn’t it feel great, Jack, to win? Doesn’t it feel great to win?’ An hour later we were crossing paths in the backyard to go get a soda or something, and he looks me right in the eye and he says, ‘Hey John, have you won anything yet?’”

Wait, I’ve got something for this.

NEW ORLEANS, LA – FEBRUARY 03: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates with the VInce Lombardi Championship trophy after the Ravens won 34-31 against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on February 3, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Check and mate. Where’s your trophy, Jim?

(Michigan lost this game)

[The MMQB]

About Joe Lucia

I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.