From ball boy to coach, Shanahan hopes to repeat history in Miami
Kyle Shanahan has already seen firsthand what it’s like for the San Francisco 49ers win a Super Bowl in Miami.
It was 25 years ago, Super Bowl 29, the last time the 49ers hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. A 15year-old Shanahan roamed the sidelines at
Joe Robbie Stadium — now called Hard Rock — as a ball boy. Shanahan’s dad, Mike Shanahan was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in the 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
“Definitely wasn’t allowed to cross the 30[yard line],” Shanahan reflected Thursday. “I was with most of the media. I was always that annoying kid jumping in front of other media people trying to do their job and blocking their shot and they would tell me to get the heck out of the way. But it was great, just being down there, being on the field afterward, being able to wander around the locker room and try to collect anybody’s gloves who left them around.”
A quarter century later, Shanahan is roaming those same sidelines, this time as a head coach, hoping to lead the 49ers to their sixth Super Bowl victory, which would tie them with the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots for most all time.
Being around the game as long as he has — 16 seasons as an NFL coach in some capacity and tagging along to games with his father well before that — has given Shanahan an understanding of just how big the Super Bowl really is.
“I think I always at least somewhat understood what it is. I know how big of a deal it is to get here and kind of let that soak in,” Shanahan said. “You know how big of a deal it is to the country and even around the world. It’s always been my favorite time of year, whether I’ve been coaching or watching. It was a time where I would try to take a week off school and my parents wouldn’t let me. Mentally, I did. I was always focused on the Super Bowl.”
COACH’S FIRST WIN
While San Francisco has not won the NFL’s championship since that Super Bowl 29 victory, most players on this 49ers team can point to one moment under Shanahan’s tenure that came close to the celebration they hope to have on Sunday.
It goes back to Shanahan’s first season leading the team. San Francisco lost its first nine games in that 2017 season, including five consecutive games by three points or fewer, before defeating the Giants in Week 10.
“We were throwing water in the locker room, boomboxes were going, everything,” said quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was traded to San Francisco from the New England Patriots two weeks earlier. “It was just the accumulation of that whole year and everything those guys had been through before that. I wasn’t there for all of it, but you could see it. To get that first win was just so much emotion out of everyone.”
Shanahan’s recollection of that day, which began a stretch of the 49ers winning six of their final seven games?
“Starting 0-9 was not fun at all,” Shanahan said. “Especially in your first year as a head coach. You want to get that monkey off your back and get at least one win . ... It felt like we won the Super Bowl afterward. It was nice to have. We were in so many close games. We broke an NFL record by losing five games in a row by three points or fewer, which is something you’re not proud of, but it means you’re a good 0-9 I guess.
“But we were pumped. It wasn’t just me. It was everybody.”
PRACTICE UPDATE
The 49ers anticipate having everyone available for Sunday, according to Friday’s report from practice.
San Francisco had an up-tempo 70-minute walkthrough at the University of Miami’s campus and had a little fun with their coaches in one of their final days of preparation for gameday.
With the team buses arriving to UM about 45 minutes early, a group of players swapped jerseys before heading into practice.
Defensive end Nick Bosa
switched with safety Jimmie Ward. Meanwhile, running back Tevin Coleman wore Kyle Juszczyk’s No. 44, and tight end George Kittle
wore position mate Levine Toilolo’s No. 83.
“They surprised us with it,” Shanahan said. “They are loose and feeling good, and they had fun with it. We’ll see how it is when we watch film.”