The news was so good, it was meant to be celebrated at PF Changs.
More on that in a minute…
First, the news: the Los Angeles Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh Wednesday as their new head coach, just two weeks following his NCAA championship win with Michigan. The Chargers have one of the most talented QBs in the league, Justin Herbert, and are hoping Harbaugh can reach his untapped potential.
How about we take this to the next level?
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We know his son will be cheering him on along the way!
James Harbaugh Jr. first landed on our radar years ago, when he opened up about his dad’s love of musical theatre, and their special bond. He came out as gay to his dad in 2016, and they’ve only grown closer since.
“I just it blurted out –– and told him for the first time verbatim –– ‘Dad, I’m gay. Do you know that? And because of that, this is why X,Y, Z. I’m scared because of this, that and the other,’” he said. “And he just said something else back, it was an encouraging and uplifting response about how you just need to keep your head up. ‘As long as you do what you feel is right in your mind, you live your truth. Everything will end up being OK.’”
James was a regular at “The Big House” during his four years in Ann Arbor, and continues to visit as an alumnus.
He wasn’t shy about rooting for Michigan in the National Championship, either.
In school, James studied at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater & Dance, and credits his old man for stoking his passion.
“I can kind of credit my dad for getting me into theater a little bit, oddly enough,” he said. “In 2005, when he was at Stanford, he took the family — my sister, stepmom and I — we went and saw Wicked in San Francisco. I was blown away by it. I was probably 12 at the time. I remember thinking, ‘Wow, this is so incredible. I would love to be a part of something that makes people feel this way, something that feels so magical and amazing.’”
Suffice to say, father and son also bond over football. When the Chargers hired Jim, James reacted with a celebrity post.
But it was about…PF Changs?
Why?
There is a Hollywood-esque backstory here. Years ago, the Chargers’ Twitter account often tweeted about the popular Chinese restaurant.
Before long, the random shoutouts became iconic. Did the Chargers really appreciate the restaurant’s signature lettuce wraps and Mongolian beef that much, or was something else at play?
Astute observers will notice those tweets were sent in 2007, waaaay back in Twitter’s infancy, when Elon Musk was nowhere near the damn website.
Twitter was still in its relative beta phase, and many sports teams didn’t have official accounts. Thus, the handle “@chargers” didn’t belong to the actual Chargers.
It belonged to a man named Joel Price, who worked in the digital media department for 21 years. Eventually, he switched his personal account from “@chargers” to “@joelprice,” but the tweets stayed.
For years, his positive musings about PF Changs were resurfaced whenever the Chargers played on national TV.
Now, the Chargers are tying their past and present together. Apparently, Jim met his wife at a PF Changs parking lot.
It was meant to be!
Joel, for one, appreciated the effort.
Not to miss out on the fun, James relayed his own PF Changs story as well. His dad took him there for breakfast one day… on his birthday!
We hear that Dynamite Shrimp is a dynamite way to wake up.
A flight attendant based in Seattle, James is back on the same coast as his dad. Odds are, they’ll meet up for plenty of Chargers games next season, and maybe some trips to PF Changs, too.
Just for old times sake.
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