Jan. 6, 2010STANFORD PAGE Scott Reiss
CSNBayArea.com
According to a source close to Stanford, football coach Jim Harbaugh met Thursday morning with top university officials -- including president John Hennessey -- so that they could make their absolute best offer to try and retain him.
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The source did not divulge details of the discussions and the offer, but said that while there's no way to match the rumored 7-8 million annual figure that could come from an NFL team, the school can offer things like greater security and work environment.
Harbaugh met with 49ers team president Jed York and new general manager Trent Baalke for several hours on Wednesday and reportedly appeared close to accepting the 49ers offer. But Harbaugh later met with Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who flew to the Bay Area in hopes of hiring Harbaugh.
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The Denver Broncos have also expressed interest in the Orange Bowl-winning coach and former NFL quarterback.