By Nevada Wolfpack.com
RENO, Nev. — San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh will serve as the keynote speaker at the 43rd annual Governor’s Dinner on Friday, July 8 at the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City.
The event will start with cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and the family-style, sit-down dinner and program begins at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $300 per person or $2,200 for a table of eight. In addition, a total of 10 VIP tables of eight (including eight VIP reception tickets) will be available for $3,500 each.
Proceeds from the Governor’s Dinner benefit student-athlete scholarships at the University of Nevada.
To reserve your tickets early and for more information, call Heather Pennington at (775) 682-6965.
Harbaugh was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 7, 2011 after spending the previous seven years as a head coach at Stanford University and the University of San Diego. Considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country, Harbaugh joins the 49ers after an impressive four-year stint as the head coach at Stanford University, where he guided the Cardinal to the biggest turnaround in school history over a four-year span.
Among Harbaugh’s many accomplishments while at Stanford were orchestrating two of the highest scoring teams in school history, three of the top four rushing teams in program history and back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since 1995 and ’96. He also coached back-to-back Heisman Trophy finalists in running back Toby Gerhart and quarterback Andrew Luck.
Last season, Harbaugh led one of the greatest teams in Stanford football history, guiding the Cardinal to a school-record 12 wins, including a 40-12 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, the first Bowl Championship Series bowl appearance in school history.
Harbaugh came to Stanford from San Diego, where he guided the Toreros to an impressive three-year overall record of 29-6, including back-to-back 11-1 seasons that netted a pair of Division I-AA national titles in 2005 and 2006. He also spent two seasons (2002-03) as an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders. In his first season, the Raiders posted an 11-5 regular season record, won the AFC Western Division title and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVII.
Harbaugh laid the groundwork for his coaching career while he was still competing as a player in the NFL, serving as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant coach at Western Kentucky, where he worked with his father and Hilltoppers head coach Jack Harbaugh from 1994-2001.
As a first-round draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1987, Harbaugh played for five teams over 15 seasons, including the Chicago Bears (1987-93), Indianapolis Colts (1994-97), Baltimore Ravens (1998), San Diego Chargers (1999-2000) and Carolina Panthers (2001). He racked up 26,288 passing yards to go along with 129 touchdown passes, while completing 2,305-of-3,918 passes in 177 career games (140 starts). Harbaugh ranks in the NFL’s top-50 in two career passing categories - completions (41st) and pass attempts (45th).
A product of Palo Alto (Calif.) High School, Harbaugh enjoyed a storied career at the University of Michigan, where he played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler, helped lead the Wolverines to two bowl appearances and garnered Big Ten Player-of-the-Year honors.