Harbaugh: 'Doesn't Get Better' Than James Earl Jones Narrating Michigan Video
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Jim Harbaugh may have won his first game as Michigan head coach this weekend. But the most exciting moment for him might have had more to do with the pregame video played at the Big House than the actual game.
James Earl Jones (think: Darth Vader) narrated Michigan's pregame hype video, which ran through old footage of Michigan athletics, and declared the university the best in the world.
"It was an amazing experience to watch James Earl Jones do the voiceover," Harbaugh said. "It must have been what it was like to watch Willie Mays take batting practice back in that time."
The idea to recruit Jones for the narration actually came from Harbaugh's father, Jack. The two, along with Jay, Jim's son, were gathered around trying to brainstorm ideas for who could do the voiceover. The video, after all, would preclude the first game of the season, and the first under Harbaugh's reign as head coach.
"Then my dad goes, 'Call James Earl Jones,'" Harbaugh said. "And we were like, 'Yeah!' How could it get any better than that? It does not get any better than that."
Jim's father played an even bigger role in the video than coming up with the Jones idea. One of his philosophies – about attacking "with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind" – was included in the script.
And Jones declared that part the best of the entire read.
"It's my dad's line," Harbaugh said. "I've heard that from the first memory I had, being 4 or 5 years old. To hear him read it, and then say that was the best read in the piece, I was filled with a lot of pride and good feeling to hear him read that. It doesn't get better than that."