Harbaugh finds new ways to motivate unbeaten 49ers

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif.

Jim Harbaugh considers Muhammad Ali the most competitive athlete of all time — in anything.

Harbaugh got so giddy hearing father Jack’s stories of recently spending a Ravens practice alongside Ali in Baltimore, San Francisco’s coach shared it all with his players at the first possible chance.

That was last Tuesday, when the team returned to work following a season-opening victory at Green Bay. Five days later, the 49ers (2-0) dominated the Detroit Lions in Sunday night’s 27-19 victory that showed this team is among the NFL’s best on both sides of the ball and special teams with so many different ways it can win.

“One that Muhammad’s wife told my dad is when he was young and training he had to take the bus to school every day, 21/2 miles with the other kids,” Harbaugh said. “Rain, sleet, snow, humidity of the Louisville springs and falls, Muhammad would walk to the bus stop and all the kids would get on the bus and Muhammad would run and follow the bus to school every single day. Everybody thought he was crazy.”

Now that Ali visited his big brother, John, back East, Harbaugh figures it’s time for the boxing icon to come see the 49ers.