Turnaround king Harbaugh has playoff-bound Chargers dreaming big again

The 61-year-old coach has an LA team that finished 5-12 last year headed to the playoffs. All they needed was the sort of attitude adjustment he’s famous for inspiring

CULTURE CLUB: Chargers' head coach Jim Harbaugh has become the fifth coach in NFL history to win 10 games in his first season with two teams – the eighth coach in NFL history to make the playoffs in his first season with two teams. Pic: Harry How, Getty Images

Not long after Jim Harbaugh was hired in January to coach the Los Angeles Chargers at a handsome $16m per season, he picked out the stalwarts on his roster. Stalwarts is not a typical football term, but Harbaugh loves stalwarts – those who are truly committed to the cause.

The Chargers were coming off a 5-12 season in which head coach Brandon Staley was fired with three games to play, so it would figure that the quirky Harbaugh’s stalwart safari would not be too fruitful. But he found maybe 15 stalwarts, and there would be a great place to start.