Mark Snyder

Detroit Free Press

Jim Harbaugh spent his birthday on Tuesday turning 51 away from the public spotlight, receiving many greetings from family, friends and even his players who got him a cake and a card.

He also got a birthday tweet from the Michigan football program which, coincidentally, is pursuing him to be its coach, as soon as next week when his 49ers' season is over.

Asked at his 49ers press conference if he saw the U-M tweet, Harbaugh remained as cryptic as possible.

But he knew what the reporters were getting at, breaking into a rare wide smile.

"I've had a lot of nice birthday wishes," he said in the biggest grin he's shown in a press conference in weeks with the media crew laughing in the background. "Hopefully you'll have the same on your birthday, with a gleam in the eye, a smile on the face and a few kind words. That's all you really need. I wish you guys a very Merry Christmas."

That led to a few questions about having a birthday positioned so close to Christmas. He said he and brother John would get the same presents on Christmas and he'd be looking around to see if there was something else for him.

While his grandmother always got them underwear, his favorite gift growing up was another comment fans can try to read into as Harbaugh is expected to make his decision between staying with an NFL team next season -- the 49ers are expected to cut him loose early next week -- and Michigan.

"I got these sheets that had all the NFL logos on them, all the helmets," he said. "Those were the sheets and the pillowcases, the matching comforter that had all the logos as well. My brother got it, the same gift at probably 6 or 7 and those were my sheets, my comforter until I graduated high school.

"I didn't take them to college."

Contact Mark Snyder at msnyder@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at @mark__snyder.