Hackett, Michigan’s interim athletic director, was announced as Ford’s new CEO on Monday.
ANN ARBOR — Jim Harbaugh was excited and proud to hear about his old boss’ new gig Monday.
Jim Hackett, the man who hired Harbaugh to run Michigan’s football program during his stint as the school’s interim athletic director, was announced as Ford Motor Company’s new CEO on Monday.
And while Harbaugh knows football much better than he knows the business of running an automotive company, he’s confident his former boss will excel in this new high profile venture.
“I absolutely think (it’s a good fit) , ” Harbaugh told MLive on Monday afternoon. “He brings a tremendous wealth of experience and he has tremendous leadership skills. He believes in — the way I put it — in building a ball team. And he does it with a really high intellect. He cares about people, he listens.
“I think that works in a lot of environments. I assume that’ll work for Ford. Obviously (the Ford family) thought it did. (They) know better than all of us.”
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Hackett is no stranger to the business world, of course.
The former Michigan football player took over as Steelcase’s CEO in Grand Rapids at the age of 39 in 1994 and ran the company for 20 years before stepping aside.
He was reintroduced to the Michigan athletic family during a critical time as president Mark Schlissel appointed him as the department’s interim athletic director in October of 2014, the same day former AD Dave Brandon announced his resignation.
Hackett not only had the difficult task of trying to repair an athletic department that was suffering through a serious disconnect with its fan base and community, but he also had to navigate his way through a pivotal coaching transition.
He made the decision to fire Brady Hoke on Dec. 2,2014 after Hoke concluded his fourth season in charge of the program with a 5-7 record. From there, Hackett went through a lengthy 28-day coaching search with one goal.
Hiring Harbaugh — who was, at the time, the hottest name in coaching and viewed by many as a dream (and perhaps unrealistic) candidate for the position. Harbaugh was, at the time, in the midst of a rocky situation with the San Francisco 49ers — which forced Hackett to basically play the waiting game for nearly a month, without much promise the deal would actually go through.
Hackett helped convince Harbaugh to take the position, as he chose Michigan over noted interest from other landing spots in the NFL, announcing the hiring on Dec. 30. From there, the two developed a personal relationship that exists to this day and worked in concert to help breathe life back into Michigan’s football program and athletic department.
Hackett and Harbaugh also worked closely together during Michigan’s switch from Adidas to Nike, a move that saw Michigan become the first football program to be exclusively outfitted by Nike’s Jordan Brand line.
When Hackett began his transition out of Michigan’s athletic department, Harbaugh actually asked his now former boss if he’d reconsider and hang around a while longer. Hackett did move out of the role, though, making way for current Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel — another boss Harbaugh says he’s thrilled to be working for.
Hackett and Harbaugh still speak to this day, the coach says. As he’ll chat with Hackett about various ideas or just general happenings in their personal lives.
“He’s been busy on the Ford board doing all that stuff, but yeah, we’ve kept in touch, ” Harbaugh added. “He’s such a good man.
“Professionally and personally, I always like talking with him.”
