Documentary gives insight into 49ers coach Harbaugh

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"So what's Jim Harbaugh really like?"

It's a question most every sportswriter in the Bay Area gets at dinner parties, barbecues and Little League games. The public is fascinated by the 49ers' intense head coach, and rightfully so. Harbaugh has dominated the local football scene since he arrived at Stanford seven years ago. He's the closest thing to Bill Walsh since Bill Walsh.

But none of us can truly answer the question. We don't really know the guy. And what we do see is carefully managed by his famously cagey and reluctant public persona. He's an enigma wrapped in a sweatshirt and khakis.

But there's one guy in the local media who can answer the Harbaugh question with confidence. Anchorman Dave Feldman of Comcast SportsNet Bay Area played high school basketball with the man at Palo Alto High School in the early 1980s. More than 30 years later, the two remain close.

So, what's Jim Harbaugh really like, Dave?

"He's just a big softie that loves helping people," said Feldman.

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 07: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers (L) and his brother head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens talk before the start of their NFL pre-season game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 7, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) less BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 07: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers (L) and his brother head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens talk before the start of their NFL pre-season game at M&T ... more Photo: Rob Carr, Getty Images Photo: Rob Carr, Getty Images Image 1 of / 7 Caption Close Documentary gives insight into 49ers coach Harbaugh 1 / 7 Back to Gallery

Huh? We talking about the same guy?

Yup. Feldman is describing Jim Harbaugh, the volunteer. The man who has gone to Peru for five of the past six offseasons to help the disenfranchised. The guy who plays a strange version of rugby and football during those trips with the children of the poor.

It's an annual trip that Harbaugh says re-energizes him and keeps him grounded. And it's a trip that was chronicled for the first time by Feldman this past summer, resulting in a Comcast documentary titled "Peruball," which premieres Tuesday.

"The bottom line is, people will see a different side of him there," said Feldman, who spent a week in a small Peruvian village with Harbaugh. "He just works the whole time. He's not into doing charity by just writing a check. He works his ass off."

So as the 49ers prepare to begin a critical season in Harbaugh's tenure, a season where some say it's Super Bowl or bust, a tense fan base might do well to watch this documentary and get some perspective. There's more to life than the Seattle Seahawks.

The trips to Peru every year benefit the Santisimo Sacramento Catholic parish in the village of Piura. Located in the northwest corner of the country, near the equator, the parish is led by Father Joe Uhen, a man Harbaugh affectionately calls Padre.

From the opening moments of the documentary until the end, you can see the coach has made some significant relationships with the people of Peru. The coach brought three of his children along for this year's trip, hoping to show them what volunteering is about.

"It's better," Harbaugh says in the film, "because you know people. The area, the church, gets better every year."

Viewers will see Harbaugh helping build new housing for villagers. Toting massive sacks of wheat. And butchering the Spanish language.

"So much fulfillment here," says Harbaugh. "It's really just about the mission."

Viewers will also see the coach playing something called Peruball, a no-holds-barred version of football mixed with rugby that breaks out spontaneously at various times during Harbaugh's visits.

It's in these moments of the film that I had a realization. None of us really know Harbaugh that well, but there's not much mystery to his game. He's a straightforward, blunt, socially awkward guy who puts immense value in the benefits of competition. In many ways, Volunteer Jim is no different from Coach Jim. What you see is just that.

During one long scene, depicting Harbaugh playing Peruball with a group of young villagers, one of his teammates powers across the goal line for a score that sends the coach into ecstasy.

"Power of the wedge, Padre!" Harbaugh yells, clearly amped. "Power of the wedge!"

When asked about the game by Feldman, Harbaugh grows philosophical, and the bridge between football and philanthropy is complete.

"That's the beauty of it," says Harbaugh, of the game. "There are very few rules.

"We used to play it at Stanford. Andrew Luck played Peruball. ... He was very good at it."

Even in the foothills of the Andes, Jim Harbaugh is never far from the gridiron. No matter what he's doing, or for whom, the game is always on his mind.

So when the final screenplay is written, Harbaugh will be judged on his football, not his Peruball. But one would like to think this little window into a driven coach's soul might make the final cut.

NFL CUTS INSIDE

-- 49ers: Some older and better-paid reserves are released in final trims.

-- Roundup: Rams release Michael Sam; Bills sign quarterback Kyle Orton. B8