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Opposite: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy takes part in practice in Santa Clara. ARIC CRABB/STAFF

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49 E R S

Familiar ring Kyle Shanahan will tie legendary Bill Walsh for the longest-tenured head coach in franchise history this season. Will that elusive Super Bowl ring be waiting at the end of his first decade?

Dieter Kurtenbach

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y C E S A R C A N S E C O

t’s now Year 10 of the Kyle Shanahan era in San Francisco. Ten years. A decade. A veritable eternity in the modern NFL, where head coaches are typically discarded faster than gas station sushi. And with the big 1-0, Shanahan has officially tied Bill Walsh for the longest coaching tenure in franchise history. Except, well, what does he have to show for it? There’s a rather massive, silver, Lombardishaped difference between the two men. Walsh burned out, sure. The stress of the job had hollowed him out when he stepped away from the 49ers in January of 1989 at the age of 57. But he left with rings on his fingers. Three of them. And Shanahan, 46 and coming off a concussion from a serious car crash, is still hunting for his first. Which brings us to the uncomfortable question hovering over Santa Clara: Is Shanahan’s 49ers legacy already cemented, or is the best yet to come? The résumé, we know, is exceptional. Shanahan’s reputation around the league is unimpeachable.

Kyle Shanahan has had plenty of regular-season success with the 49ers, but hasn’t won the sport’s ultimate prize. JANE TYSKA/STAFF ARCHIVES

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An elite offensive mind without a superior in that department, he’s the guy every other owner desperately wants to duplicate, usually by hiring anyone who has ever shared a cup of coffee with him. His coaching staff is poached so routinely that the 49ers might as well install a drive-thru window outside Levi’s Stadium. But it’s a testament to the rock-solid program he’s built in a league that is always chasing the next trend; an association that’s fly-by-night, inherently chaotic, and reeks of desperation from coast to coast. The successes of Shanahan far outweigh the mistakes. Is that enough for the 49ers? All he can claim is that ineffable word-of-mouth status and a pair of NFC championships — the kind of hardware that takes years for the 49ers to even acknowledge with locker-room banners. Is that enough to survive the crushing weight of San Francisco’s history? Because we all know greatness means one thing around 6 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Since he was hired as the new San Francisco 49ers head coach in February 2017, top, Kyle Shanahan has led the team to two NFC championships (2020, 2024). MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/ASSOCIATED PRESS CHRISTOPHER CHUNG / THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

these parts. It means a parade down Market Street (and past Great America, too). Without one, what exactly is Shanahan? Is he Marv Levy? Always poised to be the bridesmaid, but never the bride? Is Shanahan a brilliant football mind cursed to watch someone else hoist the Super Bowl trophy while the confetti sticks to his visor? Is he Marvin Lewis? (Seriously, what is it with the Marvs?)

Lewis survived a generation in Cincinnati despite clear signs of decay, strictly because ownership was too complacent to make a change. Jed York isn’t cheap, but the 49ers owner is deeply enamored with stability. Or, is Shanahan simply the next Andy Reid? For a decade, Reid was the patron saint of “almost” in Philadelphia. He called brilliant plays, won countless games with the Eagles

Now in his 10th season, Kyle Shanahan has tied Bill Walsh, center, for the longest coaching tenure in 49ers history. In his 10 seasons with the team, Walsh won three Super Bowls. Shanahan has led the team to two Super Bowl appearances (2020, 2024) but no wins — yet. MARTIN E. KLIMEK/STAFF ARCHIVES

and gagged when the lights were the brightest. Then he went to Kansas City, found his generational quarterback, learned a bit of clock management and became inevitable, winning three Super Bowls and guiding the Chiefs to two more. The 49ers are betting their $10 billion operation that Shanahan is Reid, just waiting for his time to break through. They’re praying the breakthrough happens here, and not on some other franchise’s dime.

Shanahan’s offensive wizardry has worked with a rotating crew of players, including Patrick Taylor Jr., a practice squad player who had a 100yard game in 2024. NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

But does Shanahan actually have that kind of longevity in him? The modern NFL is a soul-crushing, 365-day grind. And Shanahan isn’t just fighting the rest of the league as he returns to health; he’s fighting the relentless brain drain within his own building. Constantly hiring new coaches is exhausting. Needing to find new ways to stay in the game — much less stay ahead of it — is extremely taxing.

He spends his early offseasons fending off the rest of the league from his coterie of Gary Kubiak scions. Since Shanahan has taken over in Santa Clara, six of his offensive assistants have been hired to be offensive playcallers for other teams. The latest is Brian Fleury, his longtime tight ends coach who is replacing former 49ers “offensive passing game specialist” Klint Kubiak, after Kubiak’s turn as the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator landed him the Raiders head coaching job this past offseason. And those are just the top assistants on the offensive side. There’s always coach churn in the NFL, but Shanahan is now on his fifth defensive coordinator in five years (some successes, some errors) and his fifth quarterbacks coach. That’s the hidden tax of being the smartest guy in the room. Everyone steals your play sheet, and when they learn they can’t figure it out on their own,

they steal your mentees, too. So, Shanahan reloads. What else is there to do? He drafts new players, replaces departed assistants and draws up fresh ways to get a wide receiver ridiculously open over the middle of the field. But is this constant change invigorating or deteriorating? Shanahan is an excellent coach. Anyone with a functioning cerebral cortex knows that. The way the next few years go, however, will define if he’s a truly great one in San Francisco. The grace period is over. The think pieces about his offense have lost their novelty. The moral victories? Those became gauche years ago. It’s Year 10. The only thing left to prove is the only thing that matters. Because if he doesn’t break through, he won’t be remembered as a genius. He’ll just be the smartest guy to never win a ring. BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 7

49 E R S

Roger Craig figured to be a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he retired. It took 33 years, but the former 49ers star running back finally is in

LONG OV ER DU E B Y CA M I N M A N

Roger Craig’s overdue entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame raises a stark question: Is this “game over” for the Team of the ’80s? This summer Craig, 33 years after his career ended, joined Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice, Bill Walsh, Eddie DeBartolo, Steve Young, Charles Haley and Fred Dean in Canton, Ohio’s cavern of bronze busts and gold jackets. So, is that all from that dynasty? “He’s the last piece of Bill Walsh’s offense that needs vindication and acclaim,” former 49ers executive Carmen Policy said in January, a week before Craig’s Hall of Fame selection went public. The 49ers certainly have had other stars from their 1981-89 teams who helped deliver their first four Lombardi trophies. A dozen others earned Pro Bowl or All-Pro accolades, or a spot in the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame. The dynasty was launched with the 1981 NFC Championship game win over Dallas, featuring Eric Wright’s game-saving tackle and Dwight Clark and “The Catch.” Randy Cross, Guy McIntyre, Keith Fahnhorst and Fred Quillan anchored the offensive line. And there was Michael 8 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Former San Francisco 49ers running back Roger Craig, above, who made the Pro Bowl four times in the 1980s, finally finds his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, right. ABOVE: STAFF ARCHIVES; OPPOSITE: SUE OGROCKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Carter, one of Walsh’s all-time favorite draft picks, who won the silver medal in the shot put at the 1984 Olympics and won three Super Bowls with those 1980s 49ers. Undoubtedly, Craig, 66, was next in line for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A 1983 second-round draft pick out of Nebraska, Craig made the Pro Bowl four times (1985, ’87-’89) and was an All-Pro in 1988. The 1985 season defined Craig’s pioneering production, when he became the first NFL player to accrue over 1,000 yards both in rushing and receiving in the same season. He led the NFL in 1988 with 2,036 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 1,502 yards. “Roger was one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around,” DeBartolo told this news organization. “His running style was unique, his toughness was unbelievable, and he never stopped competing. No matter what the score was, he gave everything he had. “Beyond the football player, he was a wonderful teammate and a dear friend. He deserved to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame a long time ago.” Similar testimonials have echoed from 49ers past and present throughout Craig’s

three-decade wait for the Hall to come knocking on his door. When that time came, Craig, now 66, opened the door with Lott and Haley at his Peninsula doorstep to deliver the overdue news. “He meant everything to that offense,” Montana said in January as he and other 49ers legends attended the premiere of AMC’s “Rise of the 49ers” docuseries. The only other players in NFL history to pull off the 1K/1K rushing/receiving feat were 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Marshall Faulk, who did it in 1999 with the Rams, and current 49ers star Christian McCaffrey, in 2019 with Panthers. McCaffrey nearly repeated that effort last season, rushing for 1,202 yards and falling 76 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards. “You’ve got Christian McCaffrey now as the poster boy for the dual-threat running back,” former 49ers coach Steve Mariucci said. “A guy I used to work with at (NFL) Network — and had to try to stop when I was with the Niners, that darn Marshall Faulk guy — he was a dual-threat runner. But the guy who did it first was Roger Craig. He set the standard.” Faulk said when he joined Craig a quarter-century ago in that 1K/1K club, Craig immediately called to congratulate him. And when Craig made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Faulk relayed his happiness, telling 95.7 The Game: “He was a team guy, and he didn’t scream for the ball. All they did was win.” A couple weeks after the 49ers’ playoff run last season ended in Seattle, the Pro Football Hall of Fame class was announced at the NFL Honors show in San Francisco. Craig BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 9

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“Roger was one of the greatest competitors I’ve ever been around. . . . He deserved to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame a long time ago.” Eddie DeBartolo

blew kisses to the hometown crowd as he celebrated on stage with his fellow honorees Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, and Adam Vinatieri. “To see how dynamic Roger was, then you think of the next generation,” said Fitzgerald, a longtime 49ers nemesis with the Arizona Cardinals. “Marshall played the same way, and now Christian here in San Francisco is doing the same things. “It’s so cool to see him honored and have our busts next to each other for eternity.” Frank Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher, missed the HOF cut despite being a first-ballot finalist. He tempered his disappointment with the joy he felt for Craig. “I’d rather him get all the shine than both of us go in at the same time,” Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher, said in an exclusive interview. Craig’s No. 33 jersey remains in circulation with the 49ers, worn last season by special-teams ace Siran Neal. Craig famously ran a San Carlos hillside to keep in shape during offseasons. In 1985, he brought along a rookie wide receiver to train with him: Jerry Rice. “I remember when he went up the first time, he stopped two or three times,” Craig said in 2005, “and we didn’t see Jerry Rice again for about three weeks. I said, ‘You’ve got to finish that hill.’ ” Craig took up marathon running after his playing days. When he visited the 49ers in 2004, Craig, who only missed six

games in eight seasons with the 49ers, shared his training tips. “Your offseason will make or break you as a running back,” Craig said then. “You have nagging injuries during a season. What helps you get through is what you have in the tank, and that comes from what you did in the offseason.” Similar advice was bestowed upon him by Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton at the 1986 Pro Bowl. “He was a great guy. He told me certain things I needed to do. He didn’t have to do that, being in the same (conference) we were in,” Craig recalled. “He told me to help the next young guy to come up. I thought about Jerry Rice.” Craig is the ninth Niner from the 1980s teams to enter the Hall of Fame, but that total is still shy of other NFL dynasties. The 1960s Green Bay Packers and ’70s Pittsburgh Steelers each have 14 individuals in the Hall. The 1990s Dallas Cowboys are at eight, and Darren Woodson was a 2026 finalist. The 2000s New England Patriots notched their fourth Hall of Famer with Vinatieri’s selection this year, while ex-coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft were first-time finalists but failed to make the cut. Last winter, as Vinatieri and the other Class of 2026 inductees gathered for their first group photo at NFL Honors, it was Craig who let out the first words, albeit under his breath. He said the words he’s been waiting to say for decades: “Thank you.”

Roger Craig, the ninth Niner from the 1980s teams to enter the Hall of Fame, hoists the ball in the air after scoring a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in Candlestick Park in 1983. ERIC RISBERG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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49 E R S

WAITING FOR At long last, Roger Craig has earned his rightful place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. These 49ers might be next in line.

10th-most in NFL history. His 14-year career was highlighted by a Super Bowl win (with the Ravens against the 49ers in 2012) and seven 1,000-yard seasons, including in 2013 and ’14 with San Francisco. He was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 with Arizona and won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2015 after his final season with the 49ers.

B Y CA M I N M A N

After a 33-year wait, 49ers running back legend Roger Craig finally gained entry to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will be the 29th individual who played for the 49ers to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Patrick Willis was the most recent addition, inducted in the Class of 2024. How good are Frank Gore’s chances of joining Craig and the others in 2027? Which other former 49ers are in the mix? And what current 49ers also could be Canton-ized? Here’s a look at 11 candidates: Frank Gore The 49ers’ third-round pick in the 2005 draft retired behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton with 16,000 career rushing yards, and his 241 games are the most played by an NFL running back. The 49ers started 10 different quarterbacks during Gore’s rocky road to becoming the franchise’s rushing king (11,073 yards with the 49ers). The 49ers never had a Pro Bowl wide receiver during his 10 seasons with the team, although they did have tight end Vernon Davis and linemen Joe Staley and Mike Iupati. George Seifert The former defensive coordinator succeeded Bill Walsh and oversaw the 49ers’ two most recent Super Bowl victories, the 1989 title defense and the dominating 1994 team. He led the 49ers to a 98-30 record in regularseason action from 1989-96, and won at least one playoff game in seven of eight postseason trips. One knock against Seifert is that his coaching career sputtered to an end 25 years ago in Carolina, where the Panthers went 1-15, 8-8 and 7-9. (Note: Former 49ers assistants Mike Shanahan and Mike

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Holmgren also have made serious Hall of Fame pushes, but with an emphasis on their time as Super Bowl-winning head coaches elsewhere.) Ricky Watters The 49ers’ second-round pick in the 1991 draft is a five-time Hall of Fame semifinalist, although he was not among the candidates for this most recent class. Watters only played for the 49ers from 1992-94 after his rookie season was wiped out by hand and foot injuries, but he was a dynamic playmaker as a rusher and receiver on teams that led the NFL in scoring and yardage each of those seasons. He scored 10 touchdowns in seven playoff games with the 49ers, punctuated by three TDs in the Super Bowl win over the Chargers before his free agency exit to Philadelphia. Anquan Boldin The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver spent three of his final four seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, catching 237 passes and 16 TDs. He retired in 2016 with 1,076 career receptions, the

THE CALL

Frank Gore, the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher, missed the Hall of Fame cut this year despite being a firstballot finalist. NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

Joe Staley Staley was the 49ers’ first-round pick in the 2007 draft and played his entire 13-year career with San Francisco before a neck issue led to his retirement after the 2020 Super Bowl. He was a six-time Pro Bowl left tackle and the franchise’s steward through highs — three NFC West titles and two Super Bowl appearances, and lows — three last-place finishes. He became Halleligible last year but wasn’t among the 26 semifinalists.

Justin Smith After spending seven seasons marooned in Cincinnati, where he experienced just one winning season, Smith flourished in seven years with the 49ers. After arriving in 2008 as a free agent, he made five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2009-13 and commanded All-Pro attention as both a defensive tackle and defensive end during the 49ers’ NFC Championship Game runs from 2011-13 and the 2012 season’s Super Bowl appearance. NaVorro Bowman A third-round pick in the 2010 draft, Bowman had a breakout season in

Joe Staley, below left, anchored an offensive line and became Hall-eligible last year. RANDY VAZQUEZ/ STAFF ARCHIVES

Ricky Watters, right, has been named a Hall of Fame semifinalist five times, although he wasn’t on the list for the most recent class. BOB GALBRAITH/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

2011, finishing sixth in the defensive player of the year voting and making first-team All-Pro, but somehow he was snubbed from Pro Bowl honors. Bowman made the Pro Bowl each of the next two seasons, as well as first-team All-Pro. Bowman suffered a devastating knee injury in the 2013 season’s NFC Championship Game loss at Seattle and missed the 2014 season. He returned in 2015 and once again was an All-Pro. Bowman played in just four games the following season, and the 49ers’ new regime cut him

loose five games into the 2017 season. He finished that season as the Raiders’ leading tackler and then retired at the age of 29.

last season. He enters this season ranked 12 among active NFL players in career combined tackles, solo tackles and fumbles forced.

George Kittle Kittle, who is entering his 10th season with the 49ers, is the most prolific tight end in franchise history and has been a captain since his 2018 sophomore season. Kittle has been a Pro Bowl selection seven times and twice won AP first-team All-Pro honors. He enters this season with the second-most receptions in 49ers history at 595, three more than Terrell Owens; Kittle’s 8,008 yards are third behind only Jerry Rice and Owens. Kittle’s 52 touchdown catches rank fifth, three shy of Vernon Davis, a fellow tight end who was a two-time Pro Bowler in 14 seasons.

Trent Williams Williams has been considered the NFL’s premier left tackle for more than a decade. At 38, he enters his seventh season with the 49ers and 16th NFL season overall. He was a Pro Bowl selection for the 12th time last season, a new record for an offensive tackle, which surpassed Hall of Famers Anthony Muñoz, Jonathan Ogden and Willie Roaf. After a decade in Washington, Williams joined the 49ers in 2020 and finally secured AP first-team All-Pro honors from 2021-23.

Fred Warner Warner, who turns 30 this fall, is the youngest of the potential Hall of Famers. The four-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, who is entering his ninth season after being a third-round draft pick, has become the prototypical linebacker who can tackle, cover and, most of all, lead with passion. He started all but one game during his first seven seasons before a fractured ankle limited him to six games

Mike Evans When Evans signed with the 49ers this spring, many dubbed him a Hall of Famer upon his arrival. Evans holds virtually every Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiving record after 12 seasons with the franchise, and he enters the season second among active receivers in career receiving yards (13,053) and receiving TDs (108) and sixth in receptions (866). He has never been an AP first-team AllPro, but he is a six-time Pro Bowler who produced 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons until injuries limited him to eight games and 368 yards a year ago.

49ers in the Hall: Who’s in? Quarterbacks: Joe Montana, Steve Young, Y.A. Tittle Running Backs: Roger Craig, Joe Perry, Hugh McElhenny, John Henry Johnson, O.J. Simpson Receivers: Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Randy Moss, Bob Hayes Defensive Backs: Ronnie Lott, Jimmy Johnson, Deion

Sanders, Rod Woodson Linebackers: Patrick Willis, Charles Haley, Fred Dean, Dave Wilcox, Kevin Greene, Ricky Jackson Defensive Linemen: Bryant Young, Leo Nomellini, Chris Doleman, Richard Dent Offensive Linemen: Bob St. Clair, Larry Allen Builders & Contributors: Bill Walsh, Edward DeBartolo Jr.

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49 E R S

Donna Bettencourt has been a faithful 49ers fan for more than 60 years, sharing her contagious passion for the red and gold

BY DAV I D K I E F E R

n Nov. 11, 1962, Donna Bettencourt and her father sat at Kezar Stadium to watch their beloved San Francisco 49ers face the Detroit Lions on a perfect 71-degree day. It was Donna’s 13th birthday. Her father brought an angelfood cake to the game to share with their friends in Section PP, behind the corner of the west end zone. Many brought gifts. “That was my family,” Bettencourt said. They celebrated together when John Brodie handed off to halfback Billy Kilmer, who passed to Jimmy Johnson, who beat “Night Train” Lane for a 73-yard gain. They saw Abe Woodson tie an NFL record with 210 kickoff-return yards, and they watched Johnson catch a club record 11 passes during the 49ers’ 38-24 loss. In those days, fans mingled with players on the field after the game, which gave the young teen an idea. “Dad, do you think I can go and give two pieces of cake to my favorite players?” With a couple of minutes left in the game and with her father’s approval, Bettencourt took what remained of the cake and walked around the stadium until she found herself behind a short fence near the 49er bench. “Can I help you?” a security guard asked.

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Donna Bettencourt’s love affair with the team spans 73 of her 76 years, since her parents brought her to her first game in 1953. ARIC CRABB/STAFF

“My dad said I could come down here.” “Who’s your dad?” “Red Hickey.” The then-Niner head coach had no daughters, but the guard bought it. After the game, she approached Woodson and told him it was her birthday. He gave her a hug and took a piece of cake. Then she approached linebacker Matt Hazeltine. He took a piece and gave her a kiss on the cheek. For days, she refused to wash her face. “You know it’s wiped off by now,” her mother said a few days later. Bettencourt’s love affair with the team spans 73 of her 76 years, since her parents brought her to her first game in 1953, to watch Y.A. Tittle, Joe “the Jet” Perry and Hugh McElhenny. It was only the 49ers’ fourth season in the NFL. The game was the climax to a fun-filled day that began at Children’s Wonderland, with a carousel and swings and slides, in Golden Gate Park. She has grown with the franchise. Bettencourt and her family have been season-ticket holders for most of the franchise’s existence, first at Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park, then Candlestick Park and now at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. “I was always a Niner fan,” Bettencourt said. “I support other Bay Area teams, but my allegiance is with the Niners, and Niners only.” The Vallejo native says she hasn’t been to every 49ers home game during her lifetime, but she has always at least viewed all the games she couldn’t attend on television. Just like her heroes, Bettencourt hasn’t always been 100 percent healthy for every game. She missed the finish of one game In the early 1970s during a family trip to Clear Lake after she crashed through a sliding glass door while watching a play on TV. She suffered cuts on her face and came dangerously close to slicing a nerve in her right leg. Bettencourt was rushed to the hospital for surgery. When she woke up, with one eye patched and the other barely able to open, she asked a nearby nurse, “Tell me, did the Niners win?” Much to her relief, they did. The only game Bettencourt has missed since the team moved into Levi’s Stadium was the same day as her granddaughter’s wedding. “I was upset — why would you schedule it on a Sunday when the Niners were playing?” Bettencourt said. “But there was a TV, and while they were in the other room practicing, I was watching the game.” To Bettencourt, three words embody the 49ers: “faithful,” “standards” and “respect.” Those words helped define her careers as a teacher and coach at St. Vincent Ferrer High, and more than two

Donna Bettencourt dons a 49ers necklace and sweatshirt in her home in Vallejo. ARIC CRABB/STAFF

Vallejo native Donna Bettencourt, otherwise known as the “Mayor of 408”, poses with Sourdough Sam after learning she had been named Fan of the Year by the 49ers in 2025. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

decades as a ramp trainer for United Airlines before she retired in 2010. When Bettencourt was announced as the 49ers’ 2025 Fan of the Year, it was no surprise to those who know her at Levi’s Stadium. After all, she is the “Mayor of 408.” She brings fans together. When the 49ers moved to Levi’s from Candlestick Park in 2014, Bettencourt was disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm when the 49ers scored a touchdown in those first games. While she went crazy, she felt others weren’t matching her energy. “Oh no, no, no … This isn’t happening,” she said. The next game, she reached across the aisle to a pair of fans and said, “Hey, how about a high-five after that touchdown?” They complied. Every touchdown thereafter, her circle of high-

fives spread. “Hey, how about over here?” fans shouted. Unwilling to leave anyone out, Bettencourt began running up and down the aisle, high-fiving everyone she could. Now, kids run up and down with her. Others give her hugs. “The Mayor,” indeed. “I know everybody here,” she said. “Do you know how I know them? They’re all Niner fans. They’re all my friends here.” What has she learned from a lifetime of Niner love? “You have to be loyal,” she said. “You have to be accepting, because not every game is going to go your way. You have to learn patience. And you have to be aware there are going to be changes — the people you love might not be with the team the next year. “You have to learn to let go.” Bettencourt finds meaning in every game, every tailgate and every moment with those she shares so much in common. “There’s a lot of joy, a lot of love and a lot of disappointment,” she said. “And a lot of looking toward the future — the next game, the next season. It’s a new experience every year, a new expectation. And every year, you expect to go to the Super Bowl. “And, this year, I think we have a good chance.” It’s of little use to argue anything 49ers with Bettencourt. She’s a walking encyclopedia of Niners knowledge. Bettencourt said she once visited the 49ers museum inside Levi’s Stadium with a friend, and as she shared the stories-behind-the-stories of the exhibits, other fans soon joined their group. By the end of the tour Bettencourt had at least 40 fans hanging on her every word. On her way out for the start of the game, a museum employee told Bettencourt she had been watching and offered her a job as a tour guide. Bettencourt said she would have loved to take the volunteer job, but the travel from Vallejo would have been too much. The Fan of the Year recognition literally floored Bettencourt, whose knees buckled when she was given the news. The honor also came with tickets to the Super Bowl in February at Levi’s, where she watched the Seahawks beat the Patriots, 29-13. Unable to sleep after the game, Bettencourt stopped at the hotel bar, where she encountered some Seahawks fans and started up a good-natured back-and-forth. “I’m going to tell you something,” Bettencourt said. “You’re going to be in deep trouble next year. You’d better be prepared. Remember me next year.” Clearly, she is a 49er Faithful. “Oh my God, yes I am,” she said. “Don’t talk bad about my Niners.”

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Schedule at a glance Here is a week-by-week look at a season that will take the 49ers an NFL-record 38,105 miles (over 58 time zones) in pursuit of the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl victory, and the first since 1995 AWAY

Week 1 Thursday, Sept. 10 (5:35 p.m., Netflix) at Melbourne Cricket Stadium, Australia LOS ANGELES RAMS The NFL’s first regular-season game to be played Down Under casts the 49ers against their longtime rival. Instead of a 351-mile journey between their homes, a 7,854-mile flight is in order, across the International Date Line and below the Equator. In addition to Kyle Shanahan vs. Sean McVay or Brock Purdy vs. Matthew Stafford as the juiciest subplots, we now can include a matchup between two of the biggest additions of the offseason, 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans vs. Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie.

HOME

BYE

Week 2 Sunday, Sept 20 (1:25 p.m., Fox) MIAMI DOLPHINS The 49ers are looking to win their fifth straight home opener. Purdy famously stepped onto the NFL stage in December 2022 to beat the Dolphins in their most recent Levi’s Stadium visit. Miami comes to town with a new coach, former 49ers assistant Jeff Hafley, and a new quarterback, Malik Willis, who is 3-3 as a starter in four NFL seasons. It doesn’t exactly echo the Don Shula-Dan Marino combination that Miami’s 1984 team rode to the Super Bowl, and a loss to the 49ers at Stanford Stadium.

The 49ers will face their former head coach, Jim Harbaugh, right, when they visit the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 at SoFi Stadium. MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES

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Week 6 Monday, Oct. 9 (ABC/ESPN, 5:15 p.m.)

ARIZONA CARDINALS

WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Another new coach-quarterback combination comes to Levi’s Stadium, but Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur likely will lean more on running back Jeremiyah Love, the No. 3 overall draft pick. Kyler Murray went 4-5 against the 49ers in his seven seasons as Arizona’s quarterback (and 2019 top pick ahead of Nick Bosa), but he’s gone to Minnesota. The Cardinals brought back backup Jacoby Brissett and drafted Carson Beck out of Miami to handle the quarterback duties.

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B Y CA M I N M A N

Week 3 Sunday, Sept. 27 (1:05 p.m., Fox)

Week 4 Sunday, Oct. 4 (1:25 p.m., CBS) DENVER BRONCOS Did you know the Mike Shanahancoached Denver Broncos went to Sydney, Australia for the NFL’s debut there in a 1999 preseason trip against the then-San Diego Chargers? Those Broncos were two-time defending champs. This season’s Broncos are coming off their best season since 2015, and an AFC Championship Game appearance, so they’ll be a tough guest to cap the 49ers’ threegame homestand. None of the current Broncos were on the 2015 team that won Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. Week 5 Sunday, Oct. 11 (1:25 p.m., Fox) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS The 49ers were exhausted, undermanned and obviously overmatched on their last visit to the Pacific Northwest, a 41-6 divisional-playoff loss that ignited the Seahawks’ successful Super Bowl run. But the 49ers won in Seattle each of the previous three regular seasons, so recent history is on their side. Nick Bosa should be back from ACL recovery as he tries to relive last season’s heroic strip sack of Sam Darnold that secured a Week 1 win in Seattle.

The 49ers are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most wins (55) on “Monday Night Football,” and are 7-7 on MNF under Shanahan. This matchup could pit the McCaffrey brothers, Christian and Luke, against each other. More familiarity abounds, including between Shanahan and Washington counterpart Dan Quinn, who got his start as a 49ers’ assistant 25 years ago, and Shanahan was his offensive coordinator in 2015 and ‘16 when he was the Falcons’ head coach. Week 7 Sunday, Oct. 25 (10 a.m., Fox) ATLANTA FALCONS It is hard to believe the 49ers’ last win in Atlanta was 14 seasons ago, when they rallied for the NFC Championship and a Super Bowl berth behind Frank Gore, Colin Kaepernick, Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Justin Smith and many more. Kevin Stefanski’s predecessor as Atlanta’s coach was Raheem Morris, now the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, who knows better than anyone the capabilities of Atlanta’s offensive weapons Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Week 8 BYE This is the 49ers’ earliest bye since Week 6 during the 2021 season. Their last Week 8 bye came in 2016, between a 1-6 start and a 1-8 finish. Week 9 Sunday, Nov. 8 (1:05 p.m., CBS) LAS VEGAS RAIDERS This is the Raiders’ first regular-season Bay Area appearance since their 2020 exodus to Las Vegas. It’s also a homecoming of sorts for, yes, minority owner Tom Brady, but also quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who played at Cal before winning a national championship at Indiana and becoming the No. 1 overall pick. Shanahan, whose dad infamously coached the 1988-89 Raiders, is 6-3 following regular-season byes.

Week 10 Sunday, Nov. 15 (1:25 p.m., Fox) DALLAS COWBOYS This rich rivalry is rekindled in Dallas, where the 2021 49ers won a wild-card playoff game in their most recent visit. The 49ers own a 21-19-1 record in this rivalry that sparked in the 1970s when the Cowboys eliminated San Francisco three times, was renewed with “The Catch” in the 1981 NFC Championship, and then really took off in the 1990s when the franchises were among the NFL’s elite. The 49ers are bidding for a fifth straight win, including playoffs. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott won at Levi’s Stadium his first two seasons in 2016 and ’17 but the Niners have won their last four matchups (the 2021 playoffs, the 2022 playoffs and regular season games in 2023 and ’24). Week 11 Sunday, Nov. 22 (5:20 p.m., NBC) at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City MINNESOTA VIKINGS It’s back to Mexico City, but instead of facing division foe Arizona as they did in 2005 (a 31-14 loss) or 2022 (a 38-10 win), the 49ers are hosting the Vikings and presumably Murray, the former Cardinals quarterback. Aside from AllPro Justin Jefferson, the Vikings have another intriguing wide receiver, former Niner Jauan Jennings. The Vikings are no strangers to international affairs, having split last season’s back-to-back games in Ireland and England. Week 12 Sunday, Nov. 29 (1:25 p.m., Fox) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS The Seahawks not only celebrated their Super Bowl LXI victory inside the 49ers’ locker room at Levi’s Stadium in February, but Seattle has won eight of the 12 regular-season visits since the Niners’ new home opened in 2014. “We love this field. We had a good year on this field,” safety Julian Love said after the Seahawks’ Super Bowl win over New England. “Four weeks ago, we had cigars in this stadium (after clinching the NFC’s No. 1 seed by beating the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.) … It’s Lumen South today.”

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Which team B Y CA M I N M A N

Week 13 Sunday, Dec. 6 (10 a.m., Fox)

Week 16 Sunday, Dec. 27 (1:25 p.m., CBS)

NEW YORK GIANTS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

New Giants coach John Harbaugh went 4-1 against the 49ers when he was the Ravens’ head coach from 2008-2025, including the 2012 season’s Super Bowl in New Orleans. The 49ers had a rollicking visit to East Rutherford, New Jersey last November, beating the Giants 34-24 as George Kittle danced with fans during a timeout and Mac Jones deferred to Adrian Martinez for the victorious kneel-down. Week 14 Sunday, Dec 13 (1:25 p.m., Fox) LOS ANGELES RAMS This rivalry, loaned to Australia for the NFL’s debut there in Week 1, returns to the shores of San Tomas Aquino Creek for a major NFC West duel. The Rams have won their past three visits to Levi’s Stadium after losing the previous four. The 49ers are 38-37-2 all-time at home against the Rams. Week 15 Thursday, Dec. 17 (5:15 p.m., Prime Video) LOS ANGELES CHARGERS Yes, another Harbaugh is on the 49ers’ schedule. This time it’s Jim, San Francisco’s head coach from 2011-14. His new offensive coordinator is Mike McDaniel, Shanahan’s former right-hand man. Denied a visit to play the Rams in SoCal because of the opener in Australia, the 49ers Faithful now can make their annual SoFi Stadium pilgrimage to take on the other tenants, with a dream return Feb. 14 in Super Bowl LXI.

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It’s an orthopedic surgeon’s dream matchup: Chiefs quarterback star Patrick Mahomes against a 49ers defense led by Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, all of whom are coming off anterior cruciate ligament repairs. Speaking of ACLs, this is the 49ers first visit to Arrowhead Stadium since 2018, when former 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tore an ACL during the game. This could be the 49ers’ final visit to the oldest stadium in the AFC, which turns 54 this season, if the Chiefs make good on plans to build a new home in Kansas. Week 17 Sunday, Jan. 3 (5:20 p.m., NBC) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Both of these teams will have to bottom out to flex this fiery matchup out of the Sunday night spotlight. Each franchise can be counted on for drama. Put them together and watch out. The 49ers have won three of the last four meetings, highlighted by last January’s wild-card game that dethroned the host Eagles, and the 2022 season’s NFC Championship Game that saw Brock Purdy tear his UCL early in what became a 31-7 49ers loss.

San Francisco 49ers Coach: Kyle Shanahan (10th year) Last season: 12-5, third place Arrivals: WR Mike Evans, WR Christian Kirk, WR Deebo Samuel, WR De’Zhaun Stribling; DE Romello Height, DE Cameron Sample; DT Osa Odighizuwa, DT Gracen Halton; RB Kaelon Black; OL Robert Jones, OL Brett Toth, OL Vederian Lowe, OL Carver Willis, OL Enrique Cruz Jr.; CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jack Jones, CB Ephesians Prysock; LB Jaden Dugger; P Corliss Waitman Departures: WR Jauan Jennings, WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Skyy Moore; RB Brian Robinson; DT Jordan Elliott, DT Kalia Davis; OL Spencer Burford, OL Ben Bartch, OL Matt Hennessy; LB Dee Winters, LB Curtis Robinson; S Jason Pinnock; CB Chase Lucas; DE Bryce Huff, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, DE Robert Beal; P Thomas Morstead; LB Eric Kendricks Analysis: As Kyle Shanahan matches Bill Walsh for longest tenure by a 49ers coach (this is his 10th season), he’ll oversee a veteran-laden offense that welcomes the Buccaneers’ all-time receiving leader Mike Evans, journeyman Christian Kirk and second-rounder De’Zhaun Stribling as wide receivers. Brock Purdy’s targets shouldn’t rely so much on Christian McCaffrey (team-high 102 catches for 924 yards in 2025) or George Kittle, pictured, who’s coming off an Achilles repair. Rejuvenating the run game is vital to balance that offense. Raheem Morris, the 49ers’ fifth defensive coordinator in as many years, brings a varied approach to enliven a unit that produced just 20 sacks and six interceptions last season. Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are coming off ACL tears, while Keion White and Alfred Collins required offseason surgeries. This year’s defensive “we-build” welcomed in linemen Osa Odighizuwa, Gracen Halton, Romello Height and Cameron Sample. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro leads the special teams’ confidence, but new returners must emerge. Projected finish: 13-4, first place

Week 18 Saturday or Sunday, Jan. 9 or 10 (time, television TBA) ARIZONA CARDINALS The 49ers will be resting their starters for the playoffs, right? That assumes the preceding month didn’t derail them. Two years ago, the 49ers finished up a dreadful season with a 47-24 loss in Arizona. At least this time the Cardinals won’t be able to bait Jennings into a fight and ejection.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF ARCHIVES STEPH CHAMBERS, RONALD MARTINEZ, ALEX SLITZ/GETTY IMAGES

will stand atop the NFC West? Seattle Seahawks

Los Angeles Rams

Arizona Cardinals

Coach: Mike Macdonald (third year) Last season: 14-3, first place Arrivals: RB Jadarian Price, RB Emanuel Wilson; DE Dante Fowler Jr.; CB Noah Igbinoghene, CB Julian Neal; TE Harrison Bryant; S D’Anthony Bell, S Bud Clark; G Beau Stephens Departures: RB Kenneth Walker III, RB Cam Akers; DE Boye Mafe; S Coby Bryant; CB Tariq Woolen; WR Dareke Young Analysis: The Seahawks want to be the ninth franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls; that’s how Sam Darnold can top his first season as the Seahawks’ quarterback. They need rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price to replace Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the backfield. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, pictured, is coming off an NFL-best 1,793yard receiving season. The Seattle defense remains elite after yielding an NFL-low 17.3 points per game last season, led by Pro Bowlers Leonard Williams, DeMarcus Lawrence, Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori. Seattle’s opener — and the first game of the NFL season — is a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots, while the NFC Championship Game rematches against the Rams are stashed away until Weeks 16 and 18. Projected finish: 12-5, second place

Coach: Sean McVay, pictured (10th year) Last season: 12-5, second place Arrivals: CB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylon Watson; QB Ty Simpson; TE Max Klare; LS Joe Cardona; LB Grant Stuard; OL Keagen Trost; WR C.J. Daniels; DL Tim Keenan Departures: WR Tutu Atwell, CB Ahkello Witherspoon, CB Cobie Durant, CB Roger McCreary, CB Derion Kendrick; DE Nick Hampton Analysis: Reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, 38, is quarterbacking this year’s trendy Super Bowl favorite. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are back as his top wide receivers, and Colby Parkinson leads a brigade of tight ends that have proved troublesome to the 49ers. Running backs Kryen Williams and Blake Corum combined for more than 2,300 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns. Jared Verse, Byron Young, Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner lead the defensive front, and the Rams bolstered their defense this offseason by acquiring former Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylon Watson. The Rams open the season with four of their first five games in prime time, including their “home” opener against the 49ers in Australia. They also play Thanksgiving Eve against Green Bay and Christmas Day at Seattle. Projected finish: 11-6, third place

Coach: Mike LaFleur (first year) Last season: 3-14, fourth place Arrivals: QB Gardner Minshew, QB Carson Beck; RB Jeremiyah Love, RB Tyler Allgeier; WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Devin Duvernay, G Chase Bisontis, G Isaac Seumalo, G Elijah Wilkinson; DL Jonah Williams, DL Andrew Billings, DL Roy Lopez, DL Kaelb Proctor; S Andrew Wingard; OL Olisaemeka Udoh, OL Matt Pryor; LB Jack Gibbens Departures: QB Kyler Murray; DL Dalvin Tomlinson, DL Calais Campbell; S Jalen Thompson; LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB Channing Tindall; WR Greg Dortch; RB Michael Carter, RB Emari Demercado; CB Darren Hall; G Evan Brown Analysis: A telling signal that expectations are low coming out of the desert is that the Cardinals have no prime-time games scheduled. Mike LaFleur replaces Jonathan Gannon as coach, but the Cardinals have no sure-fire successor to quarterback Kyler Murray. The candidates are Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and second-round pick Carson Beck. Their primary targets are All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, pictured, and receivers Kendrick Bourne, after his second stint on the 49ers, Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. Perennial Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker enters his 10th season, but the defensive front needs more from former first-rounders Walter Nolen, Darius Robinson and Zaven Collins. Arizona’s fate could be determined early. Three of the Cardinals’ first four games are on the road. Projected finish: 3-14, fourth place

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 19

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49 E R S

THE THUNDER DOWN UNDER

The 49ers are traveling halfway across the globe for their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, and fans in Australia can’t wait to see the first regular-season NFL game ever played in their country S TO R Y B Y CA M I N M A N I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y D AV I D E B A R C O

More than 100,000 fans will pack the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground. Another 20,000 will watch at a neighboring park in an NFL-sponsored festival. Throngs more will tune in up the coast, from Sydney to Queensland and beyond. What in the (other side of the) world are the NFL — and the 49ers — doing in Australia? “It comes from the passion that Australians have for sport. They love sport. They love any sport,” said Charlotte Offord, general manager of the NFL’s Australia and New Zealand office. “While they might love one sport more than another, they will consume everything year-round.” Australians are eating up the NFL, with a fan base Down Under that has ballooned from 5 million to 8.8 million fans in just the past three years. That feeds into the league’s all-out push for global growth. The 49ers are a big part of that push. The 49ers’ season opener against “host” Los Angeles Rams will mark the NFL’s first regular-season appearance in Australia, and it kicks off a league-record slate of nine international games during the upcoming season. After a Week 2 break, the league will stamp its passport weekly, heading to Rio, London for three games, Paris, Madrid, Munich and Mexico City, where the 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 22. An Australian walkabout is the first stop. “The nice thing for the NFL is, one, we are an exciting sport, but we also have a kind of attachment to America, and Australians also love that kind of attachment to Americana, having grown up consuming American movies and seeing the culture,” said Offord, a New Zealand native. “There’s a natural tie there. “So it’s an exciting time for us to be in this growth stage and

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 21

to be able to host a game, which certainly I wasn’t thinking we would for a little while.” The NFL has been to Australia before, for a preseason game nearly 30 years ago when another Shanahan was coaching one of the teams. Sydney, Australia’s most populated city, hosted the 1999 American Bowl. The two-time defending Super Bowl-champion Denver Broncos, coached by Mike Shanahan, beat the San Diego Chargers, whose quarterback — future 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh, earlier during the trip took in “Macbeth” at the Sydney Opera House. Fast-forward to 2026 as Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son, is beginning his 10th year as the 49ers’ coach. He hurt Aussie feelings back in March when he said there was nothing positive about flying 16 hours to face the Rams halfway across the world, but that doesn’t mean Shanahan doesn’t see the benefits of the NFL expanding its fan base. “It’s cool for the league to play globally; I think that’s awesome,” Shanahan said. “As far as a team doing it, no, there’s not much benefit to it.” It’s understandable that Shanahan would prefer his team’s typical journey for a road game against the Rams, a one-hour flight south to SoFi Stadium, where a legion of red-clad 49ers fans await. No worries. The 49ers Faithful should be the vocal majority in Melbourne, too. NFL research identifies the 49ers as Australia’s second most popular team behind the Dallas Cowboys (and their equally famous cheerleaders). However the past two Super Bowl 22 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

winners have gained supporters in large part because they have Aussies on their roster: The Philadelphia Eagles have left tackle Jordan Mailata, and the Seattle Seahawks have punter Michael Dickson. Dickson is among a steady stream of Australian punters and kickers entering the NFL, including the 49ers’ Mitch Wishnowsky from 2019-24. The Niners also had Jarryd Hayne, the former rugby-league star who made the team in 2015 as a punt returner and running back, only to retreat the next year to Australia amid allegations of sexual assault. Charges were dropped in 2024 after a lengthy legal battle that included three trials. Hayne, 38, plays for a semi-pro rugby team in Sydney. Prokick Australia, an academy that coaches aspiring NFL punters and kickers, has been key to the NFL’s pipeline, but other organizations have developed position players in both flag and tackle leagues. American football took root in Australia some 50 years ago, and American Football Australia claims 3,000 members with 50 clubs. “We’re sports mad,” said Thomas McMillan of the “Any Given Sunday Australia” podcast. “This game’s already got a massive following. “The 100,000 people there are going to love it. It’s going to be loud.” The NFL said it sold out its initial release of 42,000 tickets within two hours, and more than 165,000 fans registered an interest. As for those who make it into “The G,” the NFL estimates 48% are from overseas or outside the state of Victoria.

Just as in the United States, the NFL fan base in Australia has grown with the help of fantasy football, sports betting and RedZone broadcasts that offer viewers multiple games at once. “I don’t have a conversation with an NFL fan that’s not tied to a fantasy team, and that’s awesome,” said Laurie Horesch, ESPN Australia’s NFL aficionado. “It’s for the same reason people love it in the States — the competitiveness and vested interest. But it’s also bonding.” Fandom is growing, but the NFL is still younger than traditional Aussie sports, Horesch said. Similar to the U.S., fantasy football leagues are building community and friendships. To hook the younger generation around the globe, the

Above: The 49ers have a large fan base in Australia. Here, some of the 49ers Faithful cheer the team on during Super Bowl LVIII at a viewing party in Melbourne. Opposite: The 49ers and Rams open the 2026 season at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. JOSH CHADWICK, SCOTT BARBOUR/ GETTY IMAGES

NFL is heavily promoting flag football, seizing on the sport’s inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and lobbying for its place in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia. “There’s no question we’re going to be playing here again,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said upon his first visit to the Melbourne Cricket Ground in April. “Our view is that we’re coming here for the long term. We don’t come as a one-off. This isn’t a circus. This is something that’s an investment in this market.” The NFL has run a flag-football program in Australia the past three years, spreading from 10 pilot schools to more than 500. Goodell announced during his spring visit that every school in Australia will be gifted flag-football equipment over the next two years. The 49ers will host flag-football clinics, including an event for girls, while they are in Melbourne. Also gathering steam is the 2-year-old NFL Academy on the Gold Coast, where high schoolage prospects learn the game, drawing attention and scholarships from America’s Division I college football programs. The Super Bowl has also helped create a buzz for the NFL Down Under. The league has hosted an annual watch party in Australia for the big game, rotating it from Sydney to Melbourne. Nearly 2,000 people packed the Hickens Hotel and its rooftop bar last February in Melbourne to watch the Seahawks beat the Patriots at the 49ers’ home, Levi’s Stadium. “Three years ago, you’d see a handful of jerseys wandering around on a Super Bowl Mon-

day, and people would take the day off,” Offord said. “Now it’s become almost a cultural phenomenon, and people will take the day off. It’s becoming almost like an unofficial public holiday.” The NFL doesn’t expect to overtake Australian Rules Football or the National Rugby League, to say nothing of Australians’ appetites for cricket, soccer, basketball, golf, swimming, surfing, etc. Interestingly, the NFL’s regular-season debut in Australia comes as the AFL and NRL seasons are entering the playoffs. “It’s right in the heart of our playoffs,” McMillan said. “It’s a perfect time to come out. And it’s springtime. The weather will be perfect.” When the NFL decided to return to Australia, the question was which major city would be best to host the game. Sydney is the slightly larger of the two, with a population of just over 5 million. But Melbourne tends to host most of the country’s biggest non-water sports events. “The main determining factor really was Melbourne and Victoria have such a prominent major-events landscape and sporting landscape,” said Offord, with a nod to F1 racing, the Australian Open, the AFL Grand Final, the State of Origin rugby-league series and much more. “The MCG, if you haven’t been, is the best stadium that Australia has, and it certainly is one of the best in the Southern Hemisphere. “For us, if we’re going to come this far across the world and put on a regular-season game, we want it to be grand, we want it to be big, and there’s nothing like the MCG to deliver that.”

With Qantas Airlines supplying Airbus A380 double-decker planes — the world’s largest — to bring the 49ers and Rams, the NFL will try to ease other logistical concerns as they and fans get embedded in Melbourne’s centralized downtown. It will be more than just Aussie fans who are tuning into the historic game. Netflix will provide the NFL with a global streaming platform while local broadcast partners also get in the mix. “We want this to be a huge moment for the sport,” Offord said. “We want it to be a huge moment for the 49ers and for the Rams’ brands, and having Netflix as a global streaming platform offers us the opportunity to really get in as many households as we possibly can.” For those who can’t get into the game, the NFL is hosting a festival at the neighboring park, including a watch party the day before for the Seahawks-Patriots NFL opener, followed by music acts and more. Ultimately the 49ers-Rams kickoff will take place at 10:35 a.m. AEST locally on Friday, Sept. 11 (or 5:35 p.m. PT on Sept. 10). The NFL’s festival won’t end there. The game will be done in the early afternoon, but the party will just be starting. “With Australians, I tell you what, they won’t be going home,” Offord said. Horesh added, “People will turn out. That’s a huge selling point of Australia. There’s so much confidence they’ll pack 100,000 seats in a stadium at 10:30 a.m. in the spring. We’ll show up. Australian sports fans are beautifully committed.” BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 23

49 E R S

Have football, will travel The 49ers are no strangers to the NFL expanding its global fan base. They are set to play in their NFL-leading seventh different country this season. B Y L AU R E N C E M I E D E M A

It’s a good thing the 49ers have a little room left in their well-traveled passport. The franchise will play in its NFL-leading seventh different foreign country when the 49ers help kick off this NFL season against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. But that’s just the start. Ten weeks later, they’ll face the Minnesota Vikings in Mexico, although that is a trip the 49ers have made before, and an enthusiastic fan base awaits their return. Starting with an exhibition game against the Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London in 1988, the 49ers have played outside of the United States 12 times. They’ve played games in Mexico, Canada, England, Spain, Germany and Japan. The NFL has scheduled games outside of the U.S. since the early 1950s, spanning 10

countries. The only countries that have hosted NFL games which the 49ers have yet to visit are Sweden, Ireland and Brazil. A record nine international games in seven different countries are on this season’s NFL schedule, including France for the first time. Until recently, only the frequent flyer miles counted from the international games. The first eight of the 49ers’ nonU.S. appearances were either exhibition games or part of the American Bowl series from 1988 through 2002. But both of the 49ers’ international games this season will impact the franchise’s pursuit to end its 31-year Super Bowl drought. The 49ers are 3-1 in regular-season international games and won in their most recent non-U.S. game, a 2022 visit to Niners-friendly Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

Top: The 103,467 fans who jammed into Estadio Azteca, top, in Mexico City in 2022 set an NFL attendance record at the time. It’s still the largest crowd ever to watch a 49ers game. Right: 49ers fans in England, right, greet quarterback Colin Kaepernick during the team’s most recent trip in 2013. The Niners made their first trip 38 years ago and have played in England four times. SEAN M. HAFFEY/GETTY IMAGES; SANG TAN/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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several other Northern California connections, including Stockton musician Chris Isaak singing the national anthem.

Jacksonville in its home-awayfrom-home. The Jags have played 14 regular-season games in London since 2013 and will play two more this season.

CA N A DA

The NFL has been playing games in Canada since 1950, but the 49ers didn’t make their first trip north of the border until Aug. 15, 1998 when they met the Seahawks about 145 miles north of Seattle at B.C. Place in Vancouver for an exhibition game. The game saw Steve Young and Ty Detmer orchestrate early scoring drives for the 49ers in their 24-21 win. But the day belonged to Jim Druckenmiller, who would later go down as one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history. The second-year quarterback came off the bench and directed the winning sixplay, 42-yard drive capped by John Becksvoort’s 31-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. ENGLAND

Here’s a look at the countries the 49ers have visited and how it went: AU S T R A L I A

We’ll see what happens on Sept. 10, which is a day later in Melbourne, but the 49ers have a significant fan base in Australia and there is a good chance Melbourne Cricket Ground will have that familiar 49ers-friendly SoFi Stadium vibe when the teams kick off. The Rams are even the “home” team in this one. There has only been one NFL game played Down Under, in 1999, but that was an exhibition game between the Broncos and the Chargers with future Stanford and 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh playing quarterback for San Diego. That game had

The 49ers made their first international trip 38 years ago to Great Britain and have been to England four times. On July 31, 1988, the 49ers played the Dolphins in a rematch of Super Bowl XIX three years earlier at Stanford Stadium. The game drew a then-capacity crowd of 70,535 to the iconic Wembley Stadium. Joe Montana and Dan Marino made brief appearances, but the 27-21 loss to the Dolphins was long forgotten when the 49ers capped the season with a Super Bowl win over Cincinnati. There was another exhibition game in the summer of 1992 against Washington, followed by regular-season victories over the Broncos in 2010 and the Jaguars in 2013. In 2010, Troy Smith rallied the 49ers from a fourth-quarter deficit in a 24-16 victory in front of nearly 84,000 fans. Three years later, Colin Kaepernick threw one touchdown and rushed for two more in a 42-10 rout of

GERMANY

Fifty-five years after Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the 49ers and Bears met at Olympic Stadium for an American Bowl series exhibition game. The 1991 game drew 66,876 fans to watch the 49ers’ 21-7 win. Montana and Young both threw touchdown passes, giving the franchise its first international win after losses in England in 1988 and Japan in 1989. Harbaugh was the Bears’ starting quarterback. JA PA N

The 49ers played in Japan three times between 1989 and 2002, losing exhibition games to the Rams, Broncos and Washington. The 16-13 loss in 1989 at the Tokyo Dome was memorable, as far as exhibition games go, because the Rams had three straight field-goal attempts blocked (the first two were nullified by penalties) late in overtime before a fourth attempt in the final seconds sailed through the uprights and the 49ers’ new look on the sidelines. It was George Seifert’s first game as a head coach. The longtime assistant was replacing Bill Walsh, who retired after the 49ers’ victory over Cincinnati in Super Bowl XXIII. Once back in the U.S., Seifert led the 49ers to their second straight championship. MEXICO

The 49ers have had a large group of supporters in Mexico for years, and the number of Niner Faithful fanclub members across the country has only grown after two previous appearances. The 49ers played the NFL’s first regular season game held

San Francisco quarterback Steve Young and Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway don “Nomo caps” prior to a preseason game at the Tokyo Dome in 1995. KOJI SASAHARA/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

outside of the U.S. at the home of the Mexican national soccer team in 2005 and were routed 31-14 by the Arizona Cardinals, who were without star quarterback Kurt Warner. He had been a major part of the pregame marketing blitz but couldn’t play because of a groin injury. The game was memorable for 49ers fans because rookie Alex Smith came off the bench in the fourth quarter to replace Tim Rattay. Smith made his first NFL start the following week. The 103,467 fans who jammed into Estadio Azteca set an NFL attendance record at the time and is still the largest crowd ever to watch a 49ers game. Mexico City was the site of the 49ers’ most recent international trip in 2022. They blew out the Cardinals 38-10 on Monday Night Football in front of a decidedly pro-Niners crowd of 78,427. It was the fourth and final time Jimmy Garoppolo threw four touchdown passes in a game with the 49ers. S PA I N

The NFL made its debut in Spain with an exhibition game in 1993 between the 49ers and the Steelers, two of its premier franchises that both had won the Super Bowl a then-record four times. Young led the 49ers to a TD on their opening drive in a 24-14 win at Montjuic Olympic Stadium, the site of the Barcelona Olympics the previous summer. BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 25

WO M E N ’ S F O OT BA L L

Storm rising The Golden State Storm made waves in the Women’s National Football Conference as an expansion team, and the Oakland-based tackle football squad has designs on making an even bigger splash in Year Two B Y M I C H A E L N OW E L S

The Golden State Storm smashed Women’s National Football Conference records in its first year of existence, but goals for the team’s sophomore season are higher. The women’s tackle football team drew roughly 1,700 fans per game to Laney College this spring, about three times the league average, and featured the WNFC’s top tackler in its seven-year history as Leilani Caamal made 90 stops over the season’s six games. The league’s prior record for tackles in a season was 73. Caamal expressed her record-setting mentality succinctly, asking: “Can I beat who I was last week?” Now it’s up to the Storm to beat who they were last year. Those involved with the team know that in order to do so and reach the playoffs for the first time, everyone will have to pitch in. Head coach Daniel Robinson said he does some graphic design work for the team in addition to his coaching role. His wife gave detailed notes to ownership after the Storm’s home opener on how to boost the fan experience, an area where Golden State focused resources at its launch. The players also went on a community engagement blitz before the season began in March. Part-owner Jake Langner says the Storm was the first WNFC team, 26 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Above: Golden State Storm linebacker Leilani Caamal poses in front of a team background. ALEX LLAMAS/GOLDEN STATE STORM

According to part-owner Jake Langner, the Golden State Storm was the first WNFC team to use name, image and likeness deals to compensate players. Players join the league for the love of the game — they are not paid for their play. SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF

as far as he knows, to use name, image and likeness deals to compensate players. Players join the league for the love of the game — they are not paid for their play. “My No. 1 goal is to be able to pay athletes,” Langner said of his business plans. The coaching staff and front office also operated on a volunteer basis in the team’s first season, but Langner was clear he wants that to change, too. Langner, who left a job at Google a couple years ago to seek a smaller company and angel investment opportunities, said the rush to field a team started in the early summer of 2025. He and co-owners Brad Grovich and Tony Lynn brought BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 27

in an advisory board with some names familiar to Bay Area sports fans: Former San Jose State and 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, Cal women’s basketball general manager Meghin Williams and ex-Earthquakes GM Chris Leitch are among its members. After that came the coaching staff and the roster. Free agency opens in the summer, but according to Caamal and Robinson, many players don’t sign until closer to training camp in January. That’s also when Robinson joined up as wide receivers and quarterbacks coach. As a vice president and coach for a Vacaville youth football program, Robinson wanted to check things out before committing his time to the Storm. He visited a pre-training camp workout and was sold immediately. “I was hooked because of their passion, their energy, how hungry they were for football,” he said of the players, who also hold down day jobs — meaning their practice, conditioning and playbook studying time is reserved for nights and weekends. Among those women is Caamal, the WNFC’s defensive player of the year, who estimated the Storm’s roster was 70 percent rookies. Many of those first-year players were just beginning their tackle football experience as former high school and collegiate athletes in track, rugby or soccer. Caamal, 21, was technically a WNFC rookie, but she is no stranger to women’s tackle football: She played the last five years for the Mile High Blaze in the Women’s Football Alliance, a competing league founded in 2009. She also played flag football at Ottawa University in Kansas, one of the premier women’s flag programs in the country, where she was coached by former 49ers assistant Katie 28 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

The Golden State Storm clash with the Oregon Ravens, top, at Laney College in Oakland at a game in May, as fans cheer them on, above. The women’s tackle football team drew roughly 1,700 fans per game to Laney College this spring, about three times the league average. SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF

Sowers in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. Seeking a new challenge, Caamal traveled west to join the Storm. She also saw the beginnings of an opportunity. “We don’t get fully compensated in either league, but the WNFC does offer in terms of brand sponsorships and NIL deals,” Caamal said. “The Golden State Storm are probably one of the top three teams in the WNFC that have better player support. I feel like a lot more fans, being in the Bay Area, they buy into the women’s sports scene that’s out here, so we get a lot of people who are eager to partner with us.” When she first arrived, Caamal stayed with family in the East Bay. This summer, she lived with Storm teammates she first connected with before the season. “There was a lot of trust that had to be built very quickly,”

Caamal said, noting that community engagement efforts before the season helped create bonds off the field. “We don’t have any film, we don’t have any material things to really show you, because it’s our first year. But please come.” That work paid off in the season opener as the Storm set a WNFC attendance record with 2,123 fans. The Storm, Langner said, focused on the fan experience by offering five or six food vendors at Laney College compared to just one at many WNFC stadiums, a full bar with mixed drinks, a kid zone and a VIP deck. On the field, things were a bit shakier: The San Diego Rebellion beat them 36-0. The following week, things jelled much better as Alexis Contreras scored Golden State’s firstever touchdown and the Storm had its own blowout victory, 31–2 over the Las Vegas Silver

Everyone pitches in to make the team work. Head coach Daniel Robinson, above, said he also does graphic design work for the Storm. STANLI COOLBRICK CREATIVE VIA GOLDEN STATE STORM

Lex Contreras and Julysil Paycoan, top, get hyped up on camera before a game. SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF

Stars. The next game was a tight win over the Seattle Majestics, and suddenly the Storm had a winning record. Another hurdle was coming, though. Head coach Dallas Hartwell left the team for personal reasons, and Langner’s front office had to make a quick midseason decision. “All these people have fulltime other jobs, they’ve got other commitments both professionally and personally,” Langner said. “We were lucky enough that we had a strong stable of assistant coaches, and Daniel stepped up.” Robinson and the Storm had a tall task up next, facing San Diego again. But they had a bye week to prepare. The Storm’s first snap was a 70-yard gain, Robinson recalled, but it was called back for a procedure penalty. Still, it showed Golden State’s players that they could hang. Caamal and the defense

held San Diego to just seven points in the first half, but eventually the Rebellion won 17-0. San Diego’s coaches asked Robinson after the game how the Storm had improved so quickly from their season opener. Caamal’s dominance continued the following week as her 19 tackles against the Oregon Ravens helped her surpass the WNFC single-season record of 73 with a game left to play. The Storm’s 14-8 win kept Golden State in contention for the playoffs, but a road loss to the Los Angeles Legends in the regular-season finale sent them into the offseason. Langner will spend the months before next season’s kickoff reviewing the team’s first year and hinted at the possibility of a crowdfunding campaign to sign fans up as part-owners, similar to what the East Bay’s minor-league soccer and baseball teams have recently done. Robinson’s youth football work will keep him busy — he coaches 14-year-olds in addition to his administrative tasks with the youth football program. Caamal’s offseason gig was as an animal care intern at the Oakland Zoo, using her biology degree to work primarily with warthogs and giraffes as she seeks a zoology career. Her fellow players — school teachers, data scientists and mothers — will also be plenty busy, with Robinson expecting to hold informal offseason workouts and meetings this fall and winter in anticipation of the kickoff to the Storm’s sophomore season next spring. “We take this game very seriously, but we also like to have a lot of fun,” Caamal said in a pitch to fans. “Tackle football is a full-time job, but on top of that, we also have a full-time job. The fan support helps.” BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 29

COLLEGE F O OT BA L L

No change, for a change B Y L AU R E N C E M I E D E M A

College football made news this offseason by, for the first time in this decade, making relatively little news. The landscape in 2026 looks largely the way it did in January when the Indiana Hoosiers raised the national championship trophy inside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Sure, there is a trickle of teams joining new conferences — the Pac-12 is up to eight! — but no seismic shifts as in recent years. There was no expansion of the College Football Playoff — it will remain a 12-team tournament through at least the end of this season — but it got a slight tweak. Each of the Power Four conference champions is now guaranteed a playoff spot. The same goes for Notre Dame, as long as the Irish secure a top-12 finish in the CFP rankings. The NCAA adopted a rule that athletes must complete their four seasons of football eligibility in five years, including even an injury-shortened season. This season’s conference affiliation shuffle mostly impacts the West. Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State and Texas State join holdovers Washington State and Oregon State in the restocked Pac-12. Five of the teams joining the Pac-12 arrived from the Mountain West, which added North Dakota State, UTEP and Northern Illinois. Sacramento State moved up from FCS (second-tier) status to FBS and joined the Mid-American Conference as a football-only member. The MAC, which has six of its 13 schools located in Ohio, now includes outposts in three time zones, from Amherst, Massachusetts to California’s capital city. W H O’ S I N C H A R G E

Of course, coaches were on the move, or replaced, since last season, although there were no major departures to retirement (Nick Saban in 2024), the NFL (Jim Harbaugh, also in ’24) or stunning arrivals like Bill Belichick to North Carolina. 30 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

college head coaching stop since 2009. Here’s a look at some of the schools with new coaches:

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love leaps over Miami defensive back Dylan Day during a game last season. As Love returns to the Irish as a Heisman hopeful in 2026, the Irish and Hurricanes clash on Nov. 7 will be a key matchup to watch. PETER JONELEIT/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Despite all the mostly negative attention last season, including the Tar Heels missing a bowl game for the first time since 2018, the 74-year-old former Patriots coach is back in Chapel Hill for Year 2. Lane Kiffin’s move from Mississippi to LSU headlined nearly three dozen changes, including familiar faces taking over at Stanford and Cal. Kiffin, who was the youngest NFL coach in the modern era when he took over the Oakland Raiders in 2007, is now 51, and the Tigers are his fifth

School

Coaching change

Auburn

Alex Golesh for Hugh Freeze

Cal

Tosh Lupoi for Justin Wilcox

Colorado State

Jim Mora for Jay Norvell

Florida

Jon Sumrall for Billy Napier

LSU

Lane Kiffin for Brian Kelly

Michigan

Kyle Whittingham for Sherrone Moore

Mississippi

Pete Golding for Lane Kiffin

Oklahoma State

Eric Morris for Mike Gundy

Oregon State

JaMarcus Shephard for Trent Bray

Penn State

Matt Campbell for Terry Smith

Sacramento State

Alonzo Carter for Brennan Marion

Stanford

Tavita Pritchard for Frank Reich (interim)

UCLA

Bob Chesney for DeShaun Foster

Virginia Tech

James Franklin for Brent Pry

Washington State

Kirby Moore for Jimmy Rogers

O N T H E M OV E

The transfer portal has come a long way since it debuted following the 2018 season. This winter more than 3,000 FBS players entered their names to move on to a new school. More than 50 of the transfers fled Penn State, but the Nittany Lions restocked with at least three dozen Iowa State players using the portal to follow head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley. Cal not only didn’t lose star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to the portal, but added more than 30 new players to the roster mix, led by touted receiver Chase Hendricks from Ohio University. But the portal also saw star linebacker Cade Uluave move on to BYU. Nationally, the portal provided Oklahoma State

with former North Texas quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the only 4,000-yard passer in the FBS last season, and Caleb Hawkins, who was fifth in the FBS in rushing yards and first in rushing touchdowns for the Mean Green. Indiana added a transfer quarterback for the third year in a row, strong-armed Josh Hoover from TCU, after former Cal star Fernando Mendoza led them to the National Championship and he won the Heisman Trophy. Here’s a look at some of the top players who utilized the portal: Player

Pos. Transfer

Cam Coleman

WR Texas from Auburn

John Henry Daley

Edge Michigan from Utah

Caleb Hawkins

Chase Hendricks

WR Cal from Ohio

Josh Hoover

Indiana from TCU

Sam Leavitt

LSU from Arizona State

Earl Little Jr.

Ohio State from Florida State

Nick Marsh

WR Indiana from Michigan State

Darian Mensah

Miami from Duke

Drew Mestemaker

Oklahoma State from North Texas

Jordan Seaton

LSU from Colorado

Danny Scudero

WR Colorado from San Jose State

James Smith

Oklahoma State from North Texas

Ohio State from Alabama

Princewill Umanmielen Edge LSU from Ole Miss Jontez Williams

USC from Iowa State

Damon Wilson

Edge Miami from Missouri

HEISMAN HOPEFULS

College football’s most prestigious individual honor has essentially become a quarterback award. Only three running backs have won the Heisman since 2000: Reggie Bush (USC in 2005), Mark Ingram (Alabama in 2009) and Derrick Henry (Alabama in 2015). Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who finished a distant third behind Indiana’s Mendoza and Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, is the top returner from last year’s Heisman race. There’s also preseason buzz about Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. But most eyes — and votes — are on the QBs. Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Texas’ Arch Manning were the clear favorites, at least according to oddsmakers, entering the season. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, fourth last year, and Mississippi’s Trinidad Chambliss also enter the season with major Heisman hype. Carr and Manning have credentials and names to help fuel their candidacies. Carr, who led the Irish to a 10-2 record and passed for 2,741 yards as

Lane Kiffin’s move from Mississippi to LSU headlined nearly three dozen coaching changes. LSU is Kiffin’s fifth college head coaching stop since 2009. ALONZO ADAMS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

a freshman, is the grandson of longtime Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr. Manning is Archie Manning’s grandson, and Peyton and Eli are his uncles. Last season he passed for 3,163 yards, throwing 26 touchdown passes and rushing for 10 more scores. Here’s a look at some of the names to watch:

of The Big Game, on Nov. 21 at Stanford, will mark just the third time they will participate in the same game, this time as their alma mater’s head coaches. Here’s a look at some of this season’s national games of the year: Date

Matchup

Player

Pos.

School

Sept. 12

Oklahoma at Michigan

CJ Carr

Notre Dame

Sept. 12

Ohio State at Texas

Trinidad Chambliss

Mississippi

Sept. 19

LSU at Mississippi

Ahmad Hardy

Missouri

Sept. 26

Oregon at USC

Josh Hoover

Indiana

Oct. 10

Texas at Oklahoma

Kewan Lacy

Mississippi

Oct. 10

Georgia at Alabama

Jeremiyah Love

Notre Dame

Oct. 17

Ohio State at Indiana

Arch Manning

Texas

Nov. 7

BYU at Utah

Darian Mensah

Miami

Nov. 7

Oregon at Ohio State

Dante Moore

Oregon

Nov. 7

Miami at Notre Dame

Julian Sayin

Ohio State

Nov. 7

Alabama at LSU

Jeremiah Smith

Ohio State

Nov. 28

Michigan at Ohio State

Dec. 4-5

Conference championship games

Dec. 18-19

First-round playoff games

Dec. 30-Jan. 1

Quarterfinals

Jan. 14-15

Semifinals

Jan. 25

National Championship

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Cal’s Tosh Lupoi and Stanford’s Tavita Pritchard have been part of the biggest traditional game in the Bay Area more than two dozen times, both as players and assistant coaches. But the 129th edition

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 31

CA L

Cal first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi returns to Berkeley eager to take his alma mater to another level, using the lessons and guidance he gathered from a who’s-who of football coaching mentors B Y J E F F FA R AU D O BERKELEY — Tosh Lupoi had never been a head foot-

ball coach. But late last year, before Cal hired Lupoi to run its program, Oregon coach Dan Lanning gave his defensive coordinator of four seasons a compelling endorsement. “Tosh is an unbelievable coach,” Lanning said. “He can coach every position on defense, understands offensive ball, puts in the time and effort. So when he gets his opportunity, I know he’ll kill it.” Lupoi, 45, has done just that. Since being hired to replace Justin Wilcox on Dec. 4, the Bay Area native and Cal graduate has sold recruits on his vision for his alma mater and invigorated a hungry fan base. The Bears have played in a bowl game in each of the past three seasons, but haven’t made an appearance in the AP Top-25 poll since 2019 and their last 10-win season was in 2006. When the Bears kick off the season Sept. 5 against UCLA at Memorial Stadium, Lupoi will become the 35th head football coach in program history. It’s a scenario he couldn’t imagine while he was a star defensive lineman for the Bears in the early 2000s under Jeff Tedford. 32 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

“Never,” he said about the coaching job. “I wanted to play,” he said recently. “I was obsessed with the game — I wanted to play. Honestly, I can truly say I never even thought about coaching.” Injuries snuffed out Lupoi’s NFL dreams, but Tedford found an outlet for the Concord native’s passion for the game, bringing him on as a graduate assistant in 2006. He was promoted to full-time defensive line coach two years later at the age of 25. Lupoi has arrived at this moment after spending two decades learning his craft from a remarkable series of mentors that also includes De La Salle High’s Bob Ladouceur, Washington’s Steve Sarkisian and Alabama’s Kirby Smart as well as NFL coaches Freddie Kitchens, Dan Quinn and Urban Meyer. Here are the men who had the greatest impact on Cal’s new football coach and the most valuable lessons he learned at each stop.

Family WORK ETHIC

Years before he began playing football, Lupoi saw how his grandfather approached building and maintaining a thriving produce business in the East Bay community of Pittsburg. Tony Lupoi, an Italian immigrant, would sometimes take Tosh with him on early-morning drives to the Oakland marina to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables. “I learned work ethic from him, learning what it means to outcompete and hustle,” Lupoi said. “My whole family worked at the Lupoi Produce Market. I would love to say I worked there — (but) I was a kid, running around the conveyor belt, climbing on the roof. “A lot of respect for my family, who worked there. It was the only place in town open at 6 a.m. on Christmas Day. That was the way of life for my grandfather and was a huge inspiration for me and an early foundation of my identity today.” John Lupoi said the experience helped mold his son. “I see more of my father in Tosh than in anyone else,” he told ESPN in 2011. Tosh’s introduction to football was with the Walnut Creek Marauders, though he probably wasn’t old enough to play on the Pop Warner squad. “You’re supposed to be 8,” he said, “and I might have been 7.”

Above: Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw for 3,454 yards and 18 touchdowns as a freshman and enters this season as one of the top quarterbacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Left: Head coach Tosh Lupoi and Cal players run onto the field for the Cal Annual Spring Football game. JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

John Lupoi coached his son’s first team. He had played at BYU and briefly coached at BYU and Cal, so the Marauders implemented what Tosh referred to as advanced schemes. They included a kickoff return where players would cause confusion by criss-crossing the field, looking for someone to block. “It was ear-holing and destroying poor 9- and 10-year olds,” Lupoi recalled with enthusiasm that hasn’t waned after more than three decades.

De La Salle ACCOUNTABILITY

Lupoi was 10 when big brother, Tony, began his freshman year at De La Salle High in Concord. Tosh rarely missed a practice. “It was almost like they were my unwritten babysitters,” Tosh said. “Going over there, seeing how they BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 33

program, from the way the team looked on the practice field (the offense and defense previously wore different colored jerseys) to where team meals were held and the way meeting rooms were set up. “Everything changed,” Lupoi said of Tedford’s method of telling everyone, “it’s not the same old way.” Lupoi said his love affair with coaching began as soon as Tedford gave him a shot as a grad assistant. “It took probably all of 24 hours, and I think I know what I’m going to do the rest of my life,” Lupoi said.

worked out, just being there. In its own way, probably playing a big role in my own continued work ethic.” Tosh began his freshman year at De La Salle in the fall of 1996. The Spartans were in the midst of their national-record, 151-game winning streak and that streak still was intact by the time Lupoi graduated. “I learned so many valuable things from coach (Ladouceur),” he said. “But ultimately, if you said I had to sum this up, I would say accountability. They were at the forefront of things that you just know as a way of life.” Lupoi said the Spartans didn’t just watch game film nearly every day at lunch with Ladouceur; they absorbed every little detail about their schemes and technique. “It was a very cult-like operation of extreme connection,” Lupoi said. “We were doing a lot of things that to this day I implement. “When a group is around each other for many moons, you naturally grow with each other, you become connected at a different level.”

Alabama RELENTLESS CONSISTENCY

Cal EXTREME CULTURE CHANGE

Tom Holmoe recruited Lupoi to play at Cal, but he was fired after going 4-18 in his final two seasons. Things turned around under Tedford. The Bears were 26-12 in Lupoi’s final three seasons in Berkeley, and Tedford became the program’s winningest head coach during his 11 years at Cal. Lupoi and Tedford were not strangers when they arrived on campus. Tedford was an assistant at Oregon before getting the Cal job and recruited Lupoi. But Lupoi said he was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the immediate impact his new coach had on the program. “He was a high-level schematics football coach, and he inherited a unique, hungry group,” Lupoi recalled. “I was a part of that extreme culture change with Jeff Tedford.” Lupoi said Tedford shook up the 34 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Top: Before returning to his alma mater, Cal head coach Tosh Lupoi, left, was defensive coordinator at Oregon, where, over the past four seasons, the Ducks enjoyed a 48-8 record. Bottom: Since he was hired to replace former Cal coach Justin Wilcox, Bay Area native Tosh Lupoi has sold recruits on his vision for his alma mater and invigorated a hungry fan base. THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES; JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVE

Lupoi’s coaching path began with four seasons as a full-time assistant at Cal and two at Washington. Then he got the chance of a lifetime to work under Saban at Alabama. Lupoi helped the Crimson Tide to a 67-6 record over five seasons. Those teams won two national championships and reached the title game four times. Lupoi became Alabama’s defensive coordinator in 2018. Under his watch the defense dominated, even against future No. 1 overall NFL draft picks. The Tide shut down Joe Burrow and LSU 10-0 at Death Valley, and beat Kyler Murray and Oklahoma in the national semifinals. His time in Tuscaloosa was “an amazing awakening, a great growth experience,” said Lupoi, who prides himself on cultivating a growth mindset. Asked to pinpoint one aspect of Saban’s program that stands out, Lupoi doesn’t hesitate. He also concedes he’s borrowed some of Saban’s approach. “Relentless consistency. Incredible,” he said. “This is our consistency. This is our calendar year. This is the expectation of how we construct a meeting, a walkthrough, a practice. Everything. “The offseason is no different than the season itself in the approach, the organization and the consistency.”

Lupoi is all but breathless while continuing to describe working with Saban, who won seven national championships before he retired after the 2023 season and is considered one of the greatest coaches in college football history. “When I came to Alabama, the best way I can explain what the feeling was like — and no disrespect to anybody — but I felt like I was coaching flag football in my first eight years of coaching,” Lupoi said.

Oregon STAYING CURIOUS

Lupoi was in his second season at Alabama in 2015 and had just been promoted to outside linebackers coach when Lanning joined the staff as a grad assistant. After a season, Lanning’s career path took him to Memphis and Georgia before he was named Oregon’s head coach in 2022. Lanning hired Lupoi to be his defensive coordinator. The pecking order had flipped, but Lupoi said it was a “unique” pairing that he knew would work. The pair helped guide the Ducks to a 48-8 record the past four seasons. “He’s someone I have great respect for, great love for,” Lupoi said. “What a cool opportunity for me. Knowing just how sharp he is, seeing his growth and thinking, ‘You know what, this guy’s going to make me better.’ ” Lanning, like Lupoi, began his coaching career as a defensive specialist and expanded his offensive and special teams knowledge. Lupoi wanted that, too, in preparation for someday becoming a head coach. He said he remembers thinking, “ ‘Man, this guy has passed me up. That really challenged me. I’m not going to let that happen.’ So going back and challenging myself and studying a lot more from an offensive perspective, and being much more curious.” As the season approaches, Cal fans are curious as well, to find out just how good their new coach can be.

Cal schedule at a glance Saturday, Sept. 5 7:30 p.m. ESPN UCLA The UC rivalry will be renewed after UCLA’s departure from the Pac-12 for the Big Ten resulted in Cal seeking refuge in the ACC. Bruins fans can claim aggrievement, though, as UCLA is required by the Board of Regents to send $10 million to Berkeley for a third straight year. Saturday, Sept. 12 12:30 p.m. ACC Network

The Bears and Rebels met for the first time in September 2022 at Memorial Stadium, with Cal coming out on top behind two Jaydn Ott touchdowns and Isaiah Young’s last-play interception. Two seasons later, though, UNLV got revenge in the LA Bowl, which Fernando Mendoza missed as his final game before transferring to Indiana. Saturday, Oct. 10 TBD ACC Network VIRGINIA TECH

This will be the Bears’ first trip to Syracuse since 1967. They lost that matchup 20-14 to a team led by fullback Larry Czonka, who rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries. Saturday, Sept. 19 12:30 p.m. ACC Network

Saturday, Oct. 17 TBD, ACC Network

WAGNER COLLEGE The Seahawks may be unfamiliar to some Cal fans, but they’ve been around since 1927. The Staten Island-based school now competes in the Football Championship Subdivision’s Northeast Conference, but it won the 1987 D-III title coached by Walt Hameline, who is now the athletic director. Friday, Sept. 25 7:30 p.m. ESPN

WAKE FOREST Jake Dickert is entering his second season leading the Demon Deacons after a successful 9-4 campaign in 2025. Dickert is familiar to the Bears, as he coached Washington State from 20222024, and was previously the Cougars’ defensive coordinator and interim coach. Saturday, Oct. 24 TBD, ACC Network SMU

CLEMSON The Bears have yet to face the Tigers since joining the ACC two years ago. The only time they’ve faced Clemson was in the 1991 Citrus Bowl, a 37-13 victory to cap one of Cal’s three 10-win seasons since 1950. Saturday, Oct. 3 12:30 p.m. CBS Sports Network UNLV The final non-conference game of Cal’s regular season features an opponent that has become familiar recently.

NC STATE Third-year starter CJ Bailey leads the Wolfpack’s offense, and coach Dave Doren said he could be the best quarterback in the nation. Bailey showed off his skills while helping NC State erase a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to the Bears in Berkeley two seasons ago, the only time the teams have met. Weekend of Nov. 7

The Hokies hired James Franklin as their new head coach after firing Brent Pry last September, just three games into the season. Cal lost in Blacksburg last October in double overtime to a team led by interim coach Philip Montgomery. Pry has since returned as Virginia Tech’s defensive coordinator.

SYRACUSE

Saturday, Oct. 31 TBD, ACC Network

The Bears upset the Mustangs to finish their regular season last year, ending SMU’s chances of winning the ACC and earning a second consecutive berth in the College Football Playoff. Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele engineered a sevenplay, 75-yard winning drive, finished off with a 2-yard run by Kendrick Raphael in the final minute, to win the game.

BYE

Saturday, Nov. 14 TBD, ACC Network VIRGINIA Transfer Beau Pribula was named the starting quarterback for the Cavaliers before training camp, replacing senior Chandler Morris, who led Virginia to an 11-3 season last year. One of those wins was Nov. 1 at Berkeley in their first matchup against the Bears, when Kam Robinson’s 35-yard interception return sealed the game late. Saturday, Nov. 21 TBD, ACC Network STANFORD It’s the Big Game. Cal will be seeking to avenge an embarrassing 31-10 loss to an underwhelming Cardinal team last year that featured two Stanford fumble return touchdowns. Justin Wilcox was fired as head coach a day later. Saturday, Nov. 28 TBD, ACC Network PITTSBURGH Quarterback Mason Heintschel took over the starting gig as a true freshman last season and led the Panthers to five consecutive wins. He threw for 2,354 yards with 16 touchdowns and a passer rating of 137.4, but he also took 34 sacks as a first-year player. BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 35

S TA N F O R D

Former Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard eager to begin the job he once thought he’d never want

Stanford’s Pritchard comes full circle BY H A R O L D G U T M A N N STANFORD — Tavita Pritchard never came to Stanford intending to become a football coach, let alone the Cardinal’s head coach. Like many college quarterbacks, Pritchard dreamed of playing professionally for as long as he could. He imagined that when his playing career was over, he’d move into a career in finance, commercial real estate or another business field that would put his Stanford education to work. Instead, the first step toward becoming Stanford’s head coach

36 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

came after Pritchard lost his job as the Cardinal’s starting quarterback. Pritchard started 20 games for the Cardinal. His first was in Week 6 of the 2007 season when he led the 41-point underdog Cardinal to an epic 24-23 win at second-ranked USC. The game is still considered one of the biggest upsets in college football history. But during his senior season, Pritchard was replaced by freshman phenom Andrew Luck. Pritchard was asked by thenhead coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator David Shaw to wear a headset on game days to help communicate with Luck and serve as another set of eyes for the offense. At the time, Pritchard viewed it simply as a way to stay involved. “I was the guy, and now I’m standing on the sideline,” Pritchard said. “It was my first taste of coaching.” Seventeen years after succeeding Pritchard on the football field, Luck, now Stanford’s football general manager, turned to Pritchard to help lead the Cardinal back to relevance. Pritchard and Luck helped spark an unprecedented run of success for Stanford during their playing days. Beginning with the 2009 Sun Bowl, which Pritchard started because Luck injured his hand before the game, Stanford went to 10 straight bowl games, including the Rose Bowl three times. But it’s been eight years since the Cardinal’s last bowl appearance. Now 39, and after a dozen years as a Cardinal assistant coach and three more in the NFL, Pritchard takes over a program that hasn’t won more than three games in a season since the Cardinal went 4-2 during the COVID-shortened season of 2020. The Cardinal finished 4-8 last

fall under interim head coach Frank Reich following the messy dismissal of Troy Taylor. Outside expectations are muted once again for 2026. CBS Sports predicted that Stanford won’t win a conference game, and ESPN projected the Cardinal to be the worst team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The schedule offers little margin for error. Ten of the Cardinal’s 11 FBS opponents made a bowl game last season. But Pritchard inherits a roster with several pieces to build around, including running back Micah Ford, who last season ranked eighth in the ACC in rushing yards per game, and inside linebacker Matt Rose, who finished second in the conference in tackles. The team

also added sixth-year senior quarterback Davis Warren, who appeared in 17 games and made nine starts at Michigan. “Tavita Pritchard is exactly the right head coach at the right time to help us build on the foundation of this season and lead Stanford football to its next great era,” Luck said when Pritchard was hired in November. “Coach Pritchard is a culture-builder, a teacher of football of the highest caliber, and a humble yet determined servant leader who is committed to the success of Stanford’s student-athletes.” A series of leaders in Pritchard’s life left a piece of themselves in the coach he has become. The first was his father, David.

Tavita Pritchard, opposite, takes over a program that hasn’t won more than three games in a season since the COVIDshortened season of 2020. RAY CHAVEZ/STAFF

As a kid, Pritchard spent many Friday nights as a ball boy while his dad coached the Centralia High football team in Washington state. He said the lasting memories from that time weren’t wins or championships. They were about watching former players return years later to thank the coach who had changed their lives. “When I think of my dad, I think of integrity,” Pritchard said. “He certainly taught me to coach and live with integrity.” That lesson remains the foundation of his leadership philosophy. Another formative influence came from his uncle, Jack Thompson, known at Washington State University and then for six seasons in the NFL as the

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 37

“Throwin’ Samoan.” Long before quarterback coaches became full-time specialists, Thompson became his nephew’s unofficial mentor. He taught him mechanics, but the lessons that helped Pritchard most were mental. “He has an uncanny ability to flip the switch,” Pritchard said. Watching his uncle prepare for competition taught Pritchard that elite athletes enter a different mindset when they step between the lines. Pritchard believes coaches have to do the same. Pritchard said his passion for coaching comes from Harbaugh. He gave commercial real estate, technology startups and private equity a shot after he was done playing. None of them felt right. Football kept pulling him back. Eventually, he returned to Stanford and walked into the head coach’s office. He told Harbaugh he was thinking about getting into coaching. “There’s one way to find out,” Harbaugh told him. “You just got to coach.” But Harbaugh couldn’t pay him. Instead, he offered Pritchard a volunteer role working with quarterbacks, a place to live and, Pritchard remembers, “you can eat peanut butter and jelly in the kitchen.” Around the same time, Pritchard sought advice from Bill Campbell, the legendary executive known as the “Coach of Silicon Valley.” Campbell had been the head football coach at Columbia and an assistant at Boston College before working with Apple and Kodak. Campbell told Pritchard that the corporate world would always be there. But an opportunity to apprentice under one of the nation’s premier 38 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

A former Stanford quarterback, Tavita Pritchard said his passion for coaching comes from former Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh. After Pritchard tried several career paths, Harbaugh, left, offered him a volunteer role working with quarterbacks and a place to live. MARK J. TERRILL/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pritchard started 20 games for the Cardinal but during his senior season, he was replaced by freshman phenom Andrew Luck. Pritchard was asked to wear a headset on game days to help communicate with Luck. “It was my first taste of coaching,” Pritchard said. NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF ARCHIVES

coaching staffs — which at the time included future NFL head coaches and coordinators Shaw, Vic Fangio, Greg Roman and Pep Hamilton — might never come again. Pritchard took the leap. “Everything was about competition,” he said of what he learned from Harbaugh, who went on to coach the 49ers, won a national championship at Michigan and is back in the NFL as the Chargers’ head coach. “Everything was about competing and finding a way to win.” Another member of that Stanford staff who left a lasting impression was strength coach Shannon Turley. “There was a lot of the intensity and a lot of the competitiveness, but it always had the why

and it had the reasoning to back it up,” Pritchard said. Shaw provided a different lesson. Where Harbaugh oozed energy, Shaw showed Pritchard the power of consistency. “It was who you are every single day, and not being a roller coaster,” Pritchard said. “It’s so much easier to come to work when your boss or the coach that you play for is the same guy and you know what you’re getting.” Pritchard played quarterback his entire career, but his first full-time coaching assignment came on defense as a quality control assistant under Derek Mason. Pritchard wondered whether he belonged. Mason never did. “You have a perspective that they rarely hear,” Mason told

Stanford schedule at a glance Saturday, Aug. 29 4 p.m. ACC Network

him. “Speak up.” Pritchard credits Mason with helping him find his own voice as a coach and giving him the confidence to contribute. Pritchard’s coaching philosophy continued to evolve when he moved back to coaching offense. One of his success stories was quarterback Kevin Hogan, who finished his career with the most wins in school history. But Pritchard says the most valuable lessons had little to do with victories. Working with Hogan reinforced that coaching begins with understanding the person before the player. “We can think about these guys as a position, or a number, or a role, and they are those things, but they’re humans first,” Pritchard said. Pritchard said his coaching style is a combination of the lessons from each of his mentors while remaining true to himself. “Hopefully I’m the sum of a lot of parts from coaches that I respect and admire,” he said. How will that look in practice? Time will tell. Pritchard said he isn’t interested in re-creating a previous era as much as applying the lessons he has collected throughout his career to today’s college football landscape. The game has changed a lot since he led the Cardinal past USC all those years ago. The transfer portal, NIL and conference realignment have altered nearly every aspect of coaching. But the principles that shaped him — integrity, consistency, curiosity, communication and genuine care for people — remain timeless. And it has come full circle as Luck, the quarterback who once forced him to the sideline, now trusts him to lead Stanford football.

HAWAII After opening two of the previous three seasons in Honolulu, the Cardinal plays host to the Warriors for the first time. Stanford had lost consecutive home openers, including to Sacramento State, until last season against Boston College. Friday, Sept. 4 6 p.m. ESPN MIAMI The ACC opener for both teams is the Hurricanes’ first trip to Palo Alto and their first game since losing the national championship game to Indiana. Stanford lost 42-7 last season in its first-ever regular season game played in Florida. Weekend of Sept. 12 BYE The Cardinal had three bye weeks last season. The extra week to prepare did not help in losses at BYU (27-3) and SMU (34-10), but Stanford was more than ready in its 31-10 home win over Cal in the Big Game. Saturday, Sept. 19 1 p.m. CW DUKE This is the first time the teams meet as ACC members, but there is some history. Coming off a Rose Bowl victory and a 3-0 start to the 1971 season, the 10th-ranked Cardinal lost 9-3 at home. Stanford out-scored Duke 132-33 in three other meetings, most recently in 2012. Saturday, Sept. 26 7:30 p.m. ESPN GEORGIA TECH Another ACC first-timer for the Cardinal, but the teams have met twice in bowl games. The most recent meeting was in the 2001 Seattle Bowl. The No. 11 Cardinal lost 24-14 to cap what could

have been the program’s first 10-win season in nearly a decade. They finally broke through with 12 wins in 2010. Saturday, Oct. 3 TBD WAKE FOREST The Cardinal make their first visit to Winston-Salem, North Carolina since joining the ACC. The Demon Deacons beat the Cardinal 27-24 in 2024, the first time the teams had met since Andrew Luck led Stanford to a 68-24 home win. Saturday, Oct. 10 Noon, NBC/Peacock NOTRE DAME

Saturday, Oct. 31 TBD LOUISVILLE The Cardinal was a 21-point underdog when the teams met the first time in 2024, but Ashton Daniels threw three TD passes and Emmet Kenney kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired in a 38-35 home win. The Cardinals are 12-4 since that loss. Weekend of Nov. 7 BYE Saturday, Nov. 14 TBD VIRGINIA TECH

The teams will meet for the 40th time going back to 1925, and this spring the schools agreed to play through at least the 2028 season. The Irish lead the series 25-14 and out-scored the Cardinal 132-33 in the past three games. Saturday, Oct. 17 4:30 p.m. ACC Network ELON This is Stanford’s first game against the North Carolina-based Phoenix, who have played at the FCS level since 1999 after winning consecutive Division II titles in the early 1980s. Indiana’s Curt Cignetti coached Elon from 2017-18 but the Phoenix have won more than six games just one time since. Friday, Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. ESPN N.C. STATE Only four times since 2008 has the Wolfpack’s season not ended in a bowl game, although the school hasn’t won an ACC title since 1979. It’s been a member since its inception in 1953. The schools met for the first time two seasons ago, and Stanford lost 59-28.

The Cardinal have never visited Blacksburg, Virginia as they’ve only faced the Hokies twice. Andrew Luck led Stanford to a 40-12 win in the Orange Bowl after the 2010 season, setting a school record with four touchdown passes. Virginia Tech got revenge in the teams’ first meeting as ACC foes, dominating the Cardinal 31-7 in 2024. Saturday, Nov. 21 TBD CAL New head coach Tavita Pritchard went 1-1 in Big Games as a player: He rotated with T.C. Ostrander in 2007, two months after leading the Cardinal to the biggest upset in college football history against USC, completing just 5 of 9 attempts. The next season, he threw three INTs in a 21-point loss to the Bears. Saturday, Nov. 28 TBD SMU Stanford has lost each of its conference games against the Mustangs by at least 24 points. Returning SMU senior quarterback Kevin Jennings has passed for 569 yards and five touchdowns total in the two games, while Stanford has just 559 yards of offense. BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 39

Passing

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fancy

Stutzmann’s innovative and high-powered spread-and-shred offense has turned the San Jose State Spartans into one of the most prolific passing teams in college football

SA N J O S E S TAT E

B Y C H R I S T I A N BA B C O C K SAN JOSE — Craig Stutzmann uses a whiteboard to fully explain the high-flying offense he has unleashed at San Jose State. Even when discussing his philosophy and route concepts with a reporter, words aren’t enough for the Spartans’ third-year offensive coordinator to describe how his vision has transformed San Jose State into one of the most prolific passing schools in the nation. And as Stutzmann sketches out his novel ideas, his passion for teaching — and winning — resonates clearly. “We have answers for everything,” Stutzmann said. “And the way that we teach it, and the way that we practice it, it makes sense to the players. It looks very complicated from the outside in, but I’m a firm believer that it’s as simple as you teach it to the players. So they’ve done a really good job.” San Jose State entered the season looking to play in a bowl game for an unprecedented fourth time in five seasons. The debut of the spread-and-shred in the Bay Area couldn’t have gone much better in 2024. The Spartans finished fifth in the nation in passing offense and extended their post-season streak with a Hawaii Bowl appearance. Last season the Spartans went 3-9, but they were still 14th in the nation in passing offense. When head coach Ken Niumatalolo succeeded Brent Brennan in 2024, he brought Stutzmann with him to be a first-time offensive coordinator. Stutzmann, 45, had been the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at Texas State. San Jose State is the latest stop in a roundabout career path that has taken the Hawaii native across the mainland, from Portland State to Memphis, Rhodes

Craig Stutzmann, above, has transformed the San Jose State’s offense into one of college football’s strongest. Despite a record of 3-9 last season, the Spartans were still 14th in the nation in passing offense. Stutzmann’s spread-and-shred offense has produced nearly 8,000 passing yards and 48 passing touchdowns over the past two seasons, including this scoring pass to Nick Nash, opposite, in San Jose’s State’s 34-31 upset win against Stanford in 2024. KARL MONDON, SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF ARCHIVES

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 41

College, Weber State, Emory & Henry, Washington State, Utah Tech and even a season with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. Those locales had one thing in common: They all were led by some of the most innovative offensive minds in football, trailblazers such as June Jones, Jerry Glanville and Matt LaFleur. Stutzmann, who grew up in Honolulu, also took inspiration from the offensive systems of Chip Kelly, Art Briles, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Though he never worked for Kelly, his connection with former St. Louis School quarterback Marcus Mariota, Kelly’s pupil at the University of Oregon, exposed him to the Ducks’ groundbreaking blur offense. But the spread-and-shred is Stuzmann’s distinct creation. It marries influences from Jones’ run-and-shoot — which Stutzmann first experienced as a slotback for Jones’ Hawaii Warriors from 1998-2001 — as well as Kelly’s run-pass options and blistering tempo, Briles’ wide-split veer-and-shoot and the McVay-Shanahan-LaFleur wide-zone run game. Like the signature Hawaiian dish kalua pork, it’s a blend of flavors distilled over long hours, a labor of love that spans the depth of Stutzmann’s unique coaching journey. The pairing at first glance appears to be a mismatch. Niumatalolo’s Midshipmen primarily ran the ball. Navy ranked first or second in the nation in rushing six times during his 15 seasons as head coach. Only three of Niumatalolo’s Navy teams attempted more than 150 passes in a season, and none completed 100 passes in a season. In the first season of the spread-and-shred, San Jose State quarterbacks attempted 552 passes, and Nick Nash led the nation with 104 receptions. Last season, Danny Scudero caught 88 passes. “In my conversations with 42 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Craig, he’s very impressive as a person, but most of it was this system,” Niumatalolo said. “Even though it’s completely philosophically different from what I’ve been used to doing, I knew it was a system of offense based on some of the things that I believed in. It’s based on numbers, based on advantages for the offense. “They have answers for however you play them. It’s not a ton of different routes, but he’s very precise in his teaching and how he attacks people.” Niumatalolo first noticed Stutzmann when the latter played receiver at St. Louis High School and then the University of Hawaii. He followed Stutzmann’s career path through two decades of coaching, beginning in 2003 at Kapolei High in Honolulu. When Niumatalolo was

getting ready to accept the SJSU job, he had Stutzmann in mind to run his offense. “He’s a pretty well-known guy in the Islands,” Niumatalolo said. Niumatololo also remembered the way, several years earlier, that Hawaii beat his Navy team 59-41 with Stutzmann on the Rainbow Warriors’ coaching staff. “They won a ton of games in Hawaii,” Niumatalolo said. “We played them in 2018 and they killed us. I mean, they crushed us, and I was really impressed with what they did on offense. So I’d watched a lot of his stuff, and then my son told me a lot about him, and then we kind of started to talk a little bit for different reasons.” An integral part of Hawaii’s Polynesian culture, family — known as ohana — connected the two from there. Niumatalolo’s son Va’a was a graduate

San Jose State offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann instructs quarterbacks CJ Lee, Robert McDaniel and the offense during the Spartans’ spring football showcase in April. RAY CHAVEZ/STAFF

assistant at Hawaii and overlapped with Stutzmann, then Niumatalolo hired Stutzmann’s younger brother as a graduate assistant at Navy. Stutzmann said Niumatalolo’s approach to coaching, which is rooted in that communal philosophy, made it more attractive to decamp for San Jose. Entering Year Three, there are new challenges facing the spread-and-shred and the Spartans. The conference has a new look. The Mountain West added North Dakota State, Northern Illinois and UTEP after losing Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State to the Pac-12. And the Spartans’ roster experienced significant turnover. Scudero transferred to Colorado, so who’s next to be a potential breakout star? Senior Cooper

Hoch is the leading returning receiver with five catches for 43 yards. SJSU added some intriguing receivers through the transfer portal, including Jordan Anderson, who had 24 receptions for 361 yards at Sacramento State, and Jerry McClure from San Diego State. “This offense is very explosive, and it fits all different types of receivers,” Hoch said. “It doesn’t matter what your play style is, you’ll fit into this offense on the outside or on the inside. It’s very versatile, too. There’s a lot of different concepts that apply on different levels, and coach Stutz usually knows when to call the perfect concept at the perfect time, and get the correct player the ball in certain situations.” But the spread-and-shred is not all about passing. SJSU is looking to improve its run game, which struggled a year ago.

“This offense is very explosive, and it fits all different types of receivers. It doesn’t matter what your play style is, you’ll fit into this offense on the outside or on the inside. It’s very versatile, too.” San Jose State wide receiver Cooper Hoch

UCLA transfer Isaiah Carlson could bring some juice to the backfield. “This year, we’re more solid as a whole,” Stutzmann said of his offensive personnel. “You’ll see the distribution of the football will be better. “If we could have run the football (last season), we probably would have hit seven or eight wins. So that’s going to be a key focus for us this year.”

San Jose State schedule at a glance Saturday, Aug. 29 Noon NBC/Peacock USC The Spartans are winless in six games against USC, and the average margin of defeat has been 27 points. But the 2000 team put a scare into the ninth-ranked Trojans before falling 34-24. Friday. Sept. 4 3:30 p.m. ESPN+ EASTERN MICHIGAN

Saturday. Oct. 3 TBD, MW+ HAWAII

The Huskies join the Mountain West for football and women’s gymnastics after 29 seasons in the Mid-American Conference. The only previous meeting was in 1995, when they were both members of the Big West Conference.

Friday, Oct. 9 6 p.m. CBSSN

Saturday, Nov. 14 4 p.m. CBSSN

WYOMING San Jose State has won six of the past eight meetings between the Mountain West teams, but five of those games were decided by a touchdown or less.

Saturday, Sept. 12 TBD, MW+

Saturday, Oct. 17 6 p.m. MW+

The Mustangs have won two of the eight previous meetings, but those were backto-back victories in 1957-58. The most recent meeting was 2023 when the Spartans won 59-3. Saturday, Sept. 19 8 p.m. FS1 FRESNO STATE The Spartans face their arch rival for the first time since the Bulldogs joined the Pac-12. Fresno State leads the series 46–39–3, but the teams have split the past four games in San Jose. Weekend of Sept. 26 BYE The Spartans were 2-0 after a bye week last season, beating Idaho and Hawaii at home. Since 2000, San Jose State is 11-4 coming off a bye.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS

This is the Spartans’ conference opener. SJSU has all sorts of connections to the Islands, starting with their head coach. San Jose State has won three in a row in Honolulu, most recently a 35-0 rout in 2023.

The teams are playing for the third time, but for the first time it’s not in a bowl game. The most recent meeting was in the 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl when the Eagles won 41-27.

CAL POLY

Saturday, Nov. 7 TBD MW+

UTEP The Miners join the Mountain West from Conference USA. The teams have played 10 times dating to 1966 but have not met since 2004, when they were members of the Western Athletic Conference. Saturday, Oct. 24 2 p.m. MW+ NEVADA This is the third road game in a fourgame stretch that could make or break SJSU’s season. San Jose State has lost 11 in a row in Reno, including a 55-10 loss last year that ended their bid to become bowl-eligible. Saturday, Oct. 31 TBD MW+

AIR FORCE Ken Niumatalolo faces the Falcons for the 37th time as a player or coach. His teams are 8-9 vs. Air Force, including a split at SJSU. The Falcons won 26-16 in San Jose last season after the Spartans won at the academy in 2024 for the first time in four tries. Saturday, Nov. 21 4 p.m. CBSSN UNLV The Rebels were the preseason favorites to win the conference coming off consecutive double-digit-win seasons. The Spartans hold a 21-7-1 series lead and had won four in a row before last year’s loss in San Jose. Friday, Nov. 27 12:30 p.m. CBSSN NORTH DAKOTA STATE The Bison join the Mountain West after dominating at the FCS level, winning 10 national championships between 201124. NDSU was picked to finish third in the conference preseason media poll.

NEW MEXICO The Spartans have won four straight in the series, but the Lobos are no longer a joke after nearly a decade of ineptness. They went 9-4 last season, including a bowl loss, and were picked to finish second in the MW preseason poll. BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 43

49 E R S

‘ We’re gonna do some crazy, wonderful things’ San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., seated, with Mayor Dianne Feinstein and 49ers head coach Bill Walsh ride down Market Street in a Jan. 25, 1982, parade celebrating the 49ers’ Super Bowl win the prior day. As owner, DeBartolo saw the team win five Super Bowls. ASSOCIATED PRESS 44 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

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The 49ers — and the NFL — changed 50 years ago when the DeBartolo family bought the then-foundering team for nearly $15 million and turned it into one of the league’s most influential franchises and a five-time Super Bowl champion B Y CA M I N M A N

Carmen Policy recalls vividly the veal schnitzel and glass of wine he was enjoying one February evening in 1977 at Antone’s, just south of downtown in Youngstown, Ohio. At 9:30 p.m., Eddie DeBartolo Jr. and his father walked in — with a secret. “I just bought a football team,” Eddie, then a 30-year-old visionary, told Policy after waving him over from dinner to join them at the bar. Policy was bewildered. A football team? Was it a semipro franchise? Could it be the Rooney family’s Pittsburgh Steelers? Was it finally Art Modell’s Cleveland Browns? “No, I didn’t buy the Cleveland Browns. I bought the San Francisco 49ers,” DeBartolo said of the yet-to-be-finalized, highly confidential purchase. “Why in the hell did you buy the 49ers?” asked Policy, then a private attorney and a fellow Youngstown native. “Because they were for sale,” DeBartolo answered. “I’m gonna get you to give up that nickeland-dime law practice of yours, you’re gonna come with me, and we’re gonna do some crazy, wonderful things.’ ” Yes, yes, they did. The 49ers are heading into their 50th season since the DeBartolo family purchased a 46 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr., right, with coach Bill Walsh, and quarterback Joe Montana, hold the Lombardi Trophy following their Super Bowl win Jan. 20, 1985, at Stanford. It was the franchise’s second of five Super Bowl wins, all on DeBartolo’s watch. ASSOCIATED PRESS

fledgling franchise for nearly $15 million. Their greatest mementos, of course, are the five Lombardi Trophies won during Eddie DeBartolo’s Pro Football Hall of Fame tenure from 1977-99. “Once I became responsible for the 49ers, it wasn’t just a business anymore,” DeBartolo said in an exclusive interview. “It became a passion. The relationships, the players, the coaches, the fans — it became part of our family.” The deal came together through a transaction that entangled Raiders owner Al Davis (and his six-figure finder’s fee), Alex Spanos, Bob Hope, Joe Thomas and the Morabito family, who founded the 49ers in 1946. A sixth Super Bowl win has eluded the snakebit 49ers since DeBartolo transferred majority control in 2000 to his sister, Denise DeBartolo York. Jed, her oldest of four children, now serves as the principal owner, having matured into a business-savvy, behind-the-scenes steward who’s always paying homage to his uncle’s legacy. “Obviously the NFL was a little bit of a different place when he was running the San Francisco 49ers,” Jed York said at the NFL’s annual meeting in March. “But he would always find a way to make sure that he was successful and that he was competing.” TURNING PRO

Edward John DeBartolo Jr. — “Mr. D” to a legion of 49ers alumni — was president of the family’s Youngstown-based real estate company in the 1970s. He never imagined football becoming a defining aspect of his life. His father built an empire developing shopping malls. Yet there remained an irresistible itch to expand the family portfo-

lio into sports, from professional franchises to thoroughbred racetracks. Window-shopping for a baseball team wouldn’t suffice. So in 1977, the DeBartolo family entered the NFL business, as well as the NHL. DeBartolo Sr. bought into the bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins and took control of the club in April 1978. Daughter Denise succeeded him as president in 1988, and the Pens became a Stanley Cup champion behind Mario Lemieux in 1991, mere months before the DeBartolos sold the team. During the same era, the 49ers struck gold under DeBartolo. “My dad had looked at owning NFL teams before. We had explored opportunities with the Browns before then, but nothing ever came together,” DeBartolo recalled. “When Joe (Thomas) called about the 49ers, it felt different. The Morabito family had owned the team for decades and had reached the point where they were ready to sell. My father saw it as a tremendous opportunity.”

T H E B I D D I N G WA R

Josephine Morabito and sister-in-law Jane Morabito inherited the 49ers from their husbands. Tony was 47 when he was struck down by a heart attack during a 49ers-Bears game at Kezar Stadium in 1957. Eight years later, his brother Victor died of a heart attack too, also at age 47. “Tony and Vic told Josie and me that if anything happened to them, we should get out of football if we had any sense,” Jane Morabito said in 1975, according to Dave Newhouse’s book, “Founding 49ers: The Dark Days Before the Dynasty.” “She just thought, with the increased salaries and the lawsuits and everything, she wanted to get out,” J. Raymond Fox told the Mercury News following wife Josephine’s 1995 death at age 84. DeBartolo wasn’t the only one who wanted in on the Niners. “There were other people interested in buying the team,

San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo celebrates during a playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings at Candlestick Park, Jan. 6, 1990. OTTO GREULE/ ALLSPORT

including Bob Hope and Alex Spanos,” DeBartolo said. Hope, the iconic comedian and actor, had previously owned a share of the Rams with Bing Crosby from 1947-62. He and Spanos, a Stockton-based real-estate developer, had become close friends. The Raiders’ Al Davis had a vested interest in finding the 49ers’ next owner — and assuring that the Bay Area market would not be shared by Wayne Valley, who sold his Raiders’ shares around the same time in 1976. Franklin Mieuli made sense, years before he gained fame as the Golden State Warriors’ owner. He bought a 5 percent stake in the 49ers in 1954, but he remained only a limited partner until his death in 2010. The biggest challenger for DeBartolo was Spanos, who balked when Davis gave him 24 hours to meet the 49ers’ purchase price. Instead of paying less than $20 million for the 49ers, Spanos later splurged and forked over about $70 million for the San Diego Chargers in 1984. “I put Spanos into San Diego, DeBartolo into the 49ers. I know all of these kids,” Davis said in an exclusive interview with this news organization 20 years ago. “Al certainly made sure everyone knew he had helped,” DeBartolo confirmed. “He was involved, and yes, there was a finder’s fee that became part of the deal. My father believed the 49ers were worth it, so we got it done.” It took a visit to the Raiders’ Oakland headquarters to clinch the deal, however, where Davis justified his broker fee, which is believed to be $500,000. DeBartolo Sr. threatened to walk out on the meeting before Davis intervened. “Take your coat off and just stay right there. Hear me out,” BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 47

Davis told DeBartolo Sr., according to Dennis Georgatos’ 2005 book, “Stadium Stories: San Francisco 49ers.” “Take the deal. It’s a great deal. And a year from now, you’ll double your money.” Davis knew the NFL was on the verge of a new television contract, and the billions have kept flowing ever since. DAW N O F A N E W E R A

When a wide-eyed Eddie DeBartolo walked into the NFL’s March meeting to gain approval, he was surrounded by blueblood owners such as the Maras, the Hunts, the McCaskeys, the Rooneys and Modell. Saving a seat for DeBartolo was Washington’s Edward Bennett Williams. “I always felt the Morabitos wanted to leave the franchise with people who would care for it the way they had,” DeBartolo said. “I also think the fact that we were another Italian family meant something to them. In the end, they told us they wanted to sell the team to us, and I’ll never forget that.” DeBartolo recalls spending a lot of time with the Morabitos and their attorney, Eddie Alvarez. He didn’t just tell them he would transform the 49ers; he showed it in ways anyone could understand. For his family’s introductory press conference at the Fairmont Hotel atop San Francisco’s Nob Hill, DeBartolo wore a threepiece suit with his thick hair cascading over his eyebrows. Standing at a podium with 10 microphones strung to it, he exchanged vows with a city that eventually fell madly in love with him. “We’re going to make this team a winner,” he told the crowd. “You could say I’m wrong, in a year. But we’re not going to handle this any different than we handle anything that we’ve ever done in our lives. When my father started 48 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

out 30 years ago, he started out with nothing. But we’ve been a winner in everything we’ve done because we sweat blood.” Their NFL entry wasn’t smooth, and DeBartolo regrets Thomas’ tenure as the 49ers’ general manager from 1977-78. Thomas, a fellow Ohio native with previous NFL front-office experience, was the one who initially phoned the DeBartolo Corporation about the Morabitos’ potential sale. After the 49ers went 5-9 in 1977, Thomas wildly overspent in a trade for O.J. Simpson. Then came 12 losses in 14 games, and out the door went four coaches before DeBartolo discovered the 49ers’ “turning point.” “We flew out to meet this guy, Bill Walsh. We snuck him into Eddie’s condo on Nob Hill, had

a meeting that night, and Eddie made the decision and hired him,” said Policy, who officially came aboard in December 1978. “Joe Thomas was fired, he filed a grievance, and I handled the grievance. And I handled Bill Walsh’s first contract.” DeBartolo credited broadcaster Ron Barr with introducing him to Walsh, then Stanford’s coach. Within 15 minutes, DeBartolo was hooked. “I knew when he walked out of that room that he was going to be the next coach of the San Francisco 49ers,” DeBartolo said. His father, however, initially was against the hiring. But DeBartolo Jr. held firm. “After a while, Eddie says, ‘Hey, my name is on this thing. It’s not going well. I want to take it over and I want to run with

Eddie DeBartolo Jr. gets a locker room victory shower from team members after the 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV at New Orleans, Jan. 28, 1990. JOHN GAPS III/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

it. I don’t want anyone paying attention to what I do except read the paper and watch the games.’ He took a stand,” Policy recalled. “Senior was an intimidating guy.” It became a defining moment for the younger DeBartolo, an old-world moment where he needed to prove himself. His father’s blessing came with a caveat: “OK, but you can’t spend money,” according to Policy. DeBartolo made it work. “Senior was never more proud than the way it all turned out,” Policy said. “It was a blessing for everybody.” Indeed, in Eddie’s Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2016, he said his father used to carry the 49ers’ Super Bowl rings on a rubber band in his pocket and show them off to his

associates. He was 85 when he passed away on Dec. 19, 1994 — a month before the 49ers beat the Spanos-owned Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. “When we got our fifth ring, we took it to my dad’s final resting place, and it’s with him to this day,” Eddie said in his Hall of Fame speech in Canton, Ohio, 40 miles from his childhood home. “Those were crazy years. The memories pile up,” Policy said. “You think back and say, did I really live through that and was I lucky enough to experience all that?” M O D E R N - DAY B U S I N E S S

Today’s NFL is more than a “little bit” different. DeBartolo said it has changed “tremendously,” pointing to free agency and the salary cap, the latter of which was prompted by his

lavish spending on the 49ers. “I’ve always believed that how the business evolves shouldn’t determine how you treat people,” DeBartolo said. “Long before football, we had more than 600 employees in our Youngstown real estate office, and my father taught us to treat every one of them like family.

That’s the philosophy I brought to the 49ers, and it’s still the philosophy I have today. “Being a family-oriented organization was never about contracts. It was about relationships. It was about making everyone — from players and coaches to trainers, equipment staff and front office employees — feel like they mattered.” Looking back to 50 years ago, DeBartolo said he should have trusted his instincts sooner, even if he did eventually oversee one of sports’ greatest dynasties. “He was not in it for the money. He was in it for the game and for winning, for the competition, for the same excitement that the fan gets watching the game,” Policy said. “That was the rush he got in life. Now, he was a bad loser. One quality he never had was the ability to handle losses well.” That fire still burns.

When DeBartolo joined other 49ers icons at the premiere of AMC’s docuseries “Rise of the 49ers” in late January, he was asked how he’d handle a 31-year championship drought. He replied in deadpan fashion: “I wouldn’t,” as if such a streak wouldn’t exist with him as owner. York didn’t take that as an insult from his uncle: “That’s just who he is. And if you know him, you just know the will that he has to win.” DeBartolo’s reign ended at the turn of the millennium. He ceded control of the 49ers to his sister after he got ensnarled in a Louisiana gambling-license scandal. The NFL suspended him for a year and fined him $1 million. Although he pleaded guilty to a felony for failing to report a felony extortion by Gov. Edwin Edwards, DeBartolo was pardoned in 2020. Between living near Tampa, Florida, and Whitefish, Montana, he has made multiple visits to 49ers games over the years and often draws “ED-DIE! ED-DIE!” chants when he appears at the stadium. He commends his nephew for maintaining a “very high level” of success behind “tremendous” general manager John Lynch and “excellent” coach Kyle Shanahan. “Obviously, they’ve been to three Super Bowls and have been one of the best teams in the NFC for a long time. You don’t accomplish that by accident,” DeBartolo said of the current leadership. “What impressed me most was last season. They dealt with so many injuries, and yet they never stopped competing. That says a lot about the organization and the culture they’ve built. Football seasons don’t always go your way, but the way they handled adversity tells you everything you need to know. They’ve done a great job.” Sounds like he’s still sold on the 49ers.

Left, top: Flanked by former 49er players and Hall of Famers Charles Haley, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice and Joe Montana, Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., third from right, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2016. GENE J. PUSKAR/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bottom: DeBartolo resigned as head of the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 2, 1997, following reports that he and former Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards were to be indicted for gambling fraud. DeBartolo pleaded guilty and received a pardon in 2020 from President Donald Trump. BEN MARGOT/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 49

50 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Eddy Piñeiro became a fan favorite as soon as he joined the 49ers last season, bringing stability, confidence and even some flair to the previously troublesome kicking game

49 E R S

B Y L AU R E N C E M I E D E M A

It didn’t take long for 49ers fans to be drawn to Eddy Piñeiro by his megawatt smile, endless enthusiasm and, most importantly, his accurate right leg. Fans call him “Eddy Dinero” for being “money” on clutch kicks, which, as a 49er, Piñeiro never seems to miss. He was so good after being plucked off the street during last season that the 49ers gave the 30-year-old a four-year contract, which is practically unheard of for that position. But Piñeiro, who enters this season as the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history, might never have found a home with the Niners after bouncing between five previous franchises if not for a last-second change of heart. The 49ers and their fans had reached the end of the line with Piñeiro’s predecessor, Jake Moody, after the season opener a year ago. Moody missed two field-goal attempts in a win at Seattle that was closer than it needed to be. The former third-round pick had made just 12 of his previous 21 field-goal attempts and was released. Piñeiro was also looking for a job. He handled the kicking chores for the Carolina Panthers the previous three seasons but wasn’t even invited to training camp. A job offer finally arrived after Week 1. From the Atlanta Falcons. The Florida native was on his way to the airport to fly to Atlanta when the 49ers reached out. The pitch was basically this: “Would you be interested in playing for a Super Bowl contender instead of a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2017?” The next flight he took was to the Bay Area. “I took the opportunity and didn’t look back,” Piñeiro told reporters when he joined the 49ers. He added, “I want to win games.” They didn’t return to the Super Bowl, but the 49ers went 12-5 during the regular season and reached the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Piñeiro played a huge role in the 49ers’ success by helping restore consistency to the kicking game. He also provided confidence instead of dread when the 49ers lined up for a field-goal attempt.

The 5-foot-11 Piñeiro also added some flair to the kicking game. Piñeiro endeared himself to fans when he won the 49ers’ home opener with a 35-yard field goal against Arizona as time expired. Two weeks later, he kicked four field goals in an overtime win against the Rams, including a 59-yarder and the winning boot from 41 yards away that glanced off the left post and through the uprights. In all, Piñeiro missed just one of his 29 field goal attempts with the 49ers. The lone miss was from 64 yards away as the ball hit the crossbar in Indianapolis on the last play of the first half. Piñeiro grew up in Miami and dreamed of being a soccer player like his dad, Eddy Sr., who played two years with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the American Soccer League. Eddy landed a soccer scholarship from Florida Atlantic University but couldn’t attend the school because of academic issues. Eddy went to a local junior college and occasionally kicked during practice with the football team for fun. But word of his booming kicks spread from campus to recruiting circles when he began attending football camps and posted videos of his long kicks. The buzz earned Piñeiro an invitation to an open tryout from Alabama head coach Nick Saban. Piñeiro and his dad drove 12 hours to Tuscaloosa, but slept in their rented car because they didn’t have enough money for a motel. The next morning Piñeiro rolled out of the car and nailed the tryout. He signed with the Crimson Tide, but flipped to the University of Florida before he reached campus so he could be closer to home. “I was physically gifted with kicking a football,” Piñeiro once said of his unlikely road to becoming an NFL kicker in a profile on the Carolina Panthers’ website. “Some people just don’t wake up and say, ‘I’m going to be a professional kicker.’ They can train their whole life and never be a professional kicker. It’s just a gift from God.” Piñeiro always has had plenty of leg. He went viral in 2017 when, as a Gators sophomore, he

drilled an 81-yard field goal during practice — with room to spare. (The NFL record is 64 yards, and the NCAA record is 67 yards.) But even Piñeiro is not perfect. He missed four of his 38 extra-point attempts and missed eight field-goal tries during his final two seasons with the Panthers, although three were from more than 50 yards. During the 2022 season Piñeiro missed two potential winning attempts in an overtime loss to Atlanta. “At the end of the day you just got to make kicks, and I know if I don’t make kicks, I’ll be out of here,” Piñeiro told reporters last season. Entering this season, only the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker, who has a 93.5 percent career success rate, has been more accurate at kicking field goals in NFL history than Piñeiro. He’s made 139 of 155 career field-goal attempts. Despite his success, Piñeiro bounced around a lot before his breakthrough with the 49ers. But at each stop, coaches, fans and teammates have commended his determination and positive approach. As a rookie with the Bears in 2019, Piñeiro emerged from a group of eight candidates to win the job. Chicago coaches tried to create additional pressure by halting practice and calling for complete silence when the players attempted a kick. Piñeiro survived the “Augusta silence” and, in his second NFL game, kicked a 53-yarder as time expired to beat the Broncos in Denver. Then-Bears head coach Matt Nagy gushed about Piñeiro after the game, saying, “I like rooting for good people, and he’s a good person. He fought for a lot to get to this point. He listened to coaches, he trusted himself and teammates that believed in him. Good things happen to good people — 42-yarder, 52-yarder, 53 to win the game. Can’t make that up.” Piñeiro’s career path has been no sure thing. After two seasons at Florida, he was signed by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018 as an undrafted free agent. As well as Carolina, he’s appeared for the Bears and the Jets and briefly was on the Colts’ roster. Piñeiro has been “dinero” with the 49ers, and his sizable fanbase figures to keep growing. He’s made sure 49ers fans know the appreciation is mutual. Following the season-ending loss to the Seahawks, Piñeiro took to Instagram to send messages thanking the fans for their support. In one post, he wrote in part, “Year wrapped up and I’m leaving it with nothing but gratitude. I’m proud to wear these colors and represent this team. … The work continues, the goals get bigger, and the mindset stays locked in. Built for this. Built for the Bay.”

Eddy Piñeiro endeared himself to 49ers fans by drilling a winning field goal against Arizona in his home debut last September. He enters this season as the second-most accurate kicker in NFL history. JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES

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GREAT CATCH 52 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

49 E R S

Mike Evans had a Hall of Fame career with the Buccaneers, but the 49ers’ biggest offseason acquisition still has some goals to accomplish before he gets to Canton BY M I C H A E L N OW E L S

Mike Evans is destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Just ask Kyle Shanahan and Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ offensive brain trust who brought Evans in as a free agent this spring. Both the 49ers’ head coach and their offensive coordinator called their big offseason addition a “Hall of Fame receiver” after he signed a three-year contract worth up to $60 million with the 49ers. “He’s about as competitive as they come,” Kubiak said in May. “He’s a guy who’s going to win his matchups, and it’s just really cool to have that alpha type of player out on the field at that position for us again.” Heck, even ESPN fantasy football writer Eric Karabell invoked Evans’ Canton candidacy in highlighting potential bounceback candidates for the 2026 season. But despite his six Pro Bowls, the 32-year-old Evans has never been a first-team All-Pro. Can a receiver who has never earned the position’s top honor be a shoo-in for the Hall? Evans, who describes himself as “ultra-competitive,” is surely motivated by that missing recognition. Evans was one of the most dependable receivers in the game during his 12 seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He used his 6-foot-5 frame to average at least 76 receptions and eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in every season. Until 2025. Evans’ last season was limited by a hamstring injury

Mike Evans looks to return to Pro Bowl form after an injury-hampered 2025 season, as the wide receiver joined the 49ers in the offseason after 12 seasons with the Buccaneers. SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 53

and a broken collarbone in his final season with the Bucs. He played in just eight games, catching only 30 passes for 368 yards and three touchdowns. That snapped his NFL-record streak of 11 consecutive 1,000yard seasons, which he shared with Jerry Rice. “It was super disappointing,” Evans said in June of losing that streak. “I thought I was going to break it easy — how hungry I was going into that season.” Coming off that downer, it’s no wonder Evans sought a new home for 2026. Team owner Jed York spoke glowingly of Evans at the NFL’s league meetings shortly after his signing, noting, “The guy wants to be here and wants to be part of a team that can go compete for and win a championship, and that’s what we’re looking for.” Evans, the No. 7 overall pick out of Texas A&M in 2014, joins a 49ers offense with plenty of draft pedigree. Christian McCaffrey went No. 8 overall to Carolina in 2017, and Trent Williams went fourth overall to Washington in 2010. The former top-10 picks also are bound by the fact that each has had to assimilate into the 49ers after being a Pro Bowl player elsewhere. For most of his career, Evans has caught passes from No. 1 overall draft picks. Jameis Winston was his quarterback from 2015-2019, and Baker Mayfield has led the Bucs since 2023. Even Johnny Manziel, his college quarterback with the Aggies, was a first-rounder in 2014 alongside Evans before “Johnny Football” flamed out of the league. 54 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

But Evans’ greatest team success came when he was paired with an overachieving former late-rounder named Tom Brady. The three-time league MVP ended his run with the Patriots and helped Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl in 2020, and then the Bucs won the NFC South the next two seasons. With the 49ers, Evans again will be catching passes from a late-round draft pick with something to prove. Brock Purdy

During his 12 seasons with Tampa Bay, Mike Evans averaged at least 76 receptions and eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in every season until 2025. JULIO AGUILAR/ GETTY IMAGES

is also seeking to bounce back from a disappointing, injury-damaged season. “I just hope I can help him get to where he wants to go in his career, and that’s be a Super Bowl champion, a potential MVP, and have a great career here in San Francisco,” Evans said of Purdy upon signing, noting that the 49ers quarterback’s first start as a rookie was a win over his Tampa Bay team in December 2022.

Not only will he have Purdy throwing his way, but Shanahan will be calling the plays. The 49ers’ coach said he hasn’t had many receivers of Evans’ caliber to work into his playbook during his 10 seasons with the team. Shanahan pointed to his time as an offensive coordinator overseeing Andre Johnson with the Houston Texans and Julio Jones with the Atlanta Falcons as analogs for Evans’ abilities. “What’s unique about Mike

49ers’ defenders in an offseason workout had Kittle excited. “The guy has outside leverage, and the way he sets it up and just gets wide open, I’m just, like, ‘Ah, so fun to watch,’” Kittle recalled to Jason and Travis Kelce on their “New Heights” podcast. “Just so savvy, catches everything, runs great routes, gives great effort. I’m all-in on Mike Evans.” Kittle was a key figure in recruiting Evans to the 49ers, but he is not the most familiar 49er to Evans. New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris faced Evans twice a year in the NFC South from 2015-20 as a Falcons assistant, and 2024-25 as Atlanta’s head coach. Now he’ll see Evans all week long in practices on Marie P. DeBartolo Way as that competitive fire, twinned with Shanahan’s scheming, could push the future Hall of Famer to new heights. “Mike is a pain in the neck, defending against him, because he has so many skill sets and different things that he can do,” Morris said this offseason. “I’m sure Kyle’s going to find things that he didn’t do as great and try to make it better.” is his get-off, how he can attack down the field, and I’ve never been around a guy that is that tall with that long of arms,” Shanahan said in May. “The competitor he is — I’m excited to have the person in our offense, and the talent.” Niners All-Pro tight end George Kittle considers Evans, 32, the 49ers’ first true veteran starting wide receiver since Emmanuel Sanders in 2019. Just watching Evans go against the

“He’s about as competitive as they come,” 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak said of new receiver Mike Evans. “He’s a guy who’s going to win his matchups, and it’s just really cool to have that alpha type of player out on the field at that position for us again.” CARMEN MANDATO/GETTY IMAGES; SHAE HAMMOND/STAFF

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 55

K E E P I N G T

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49 E R S

Raheem Morris brings a needed variety and unpredictability to the 49ers defense

GRANT HALVERSON/GETTY IMAGES

B Y CA M I N M A N SANTA CLARA — No one is certain what the 49ers’ defensive scheme will look like under Raheem Morris, their fifth coordinator in as many years. That’s the point. Unpredictability. Variety. Big-play ability. Savagery. All that is desperately required and in the works. The 49ers will reveal Morris’ regenerated defense in the season opener against reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia. As head coach Kyle Shanahan sought a new voice to mix up the 49ers’ defense, he turned to a man he has known for more than two decades. Morris, who turns 50 on Sept. 3, was a young defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 when Shanahan got his first pro job as a quality control coach with the team. The two crossed paths again as assistants in Washington and Atlanta, between Morris’ stints as head coach of the Bucs (2009-11) and the Falcons (2024-25). Jerry Gray was Morris’ assistant head coach of defense the past two years in Atlanta before coming to the 49ers as his pass-game defensive coordinator. Morris’ scheme, Gray insists, will conform to the 49ers’ talent pool. “He’s trying to make it fit what the players do best,” Gray said.“The last couple of years, I watched how he coaches and understands players. “He’s not trying to say, ‘Hey, this is Raheem’s defense.’ He’s trying to make it the 49ers’ defense. The 49ers didn’t have much of an identity on defense last season. They compiled a league-low 20 sacks (no player had more than four), and they recorded six interceptions (just one through 10 games). Of course, injuries robbed the team of its best defenders, Nick Bosa tore his ACL in Week 3 and Fred Warner fractured his ankle in Week 6. Both are expected back early this season, if not for the opener.

Morris said the five-time Pro Bowl selection Bosa “has been really fun to be around because he’s the most even-keeled dude I’ve ever seen in life. I love that. Nothing’s going to bother him.” Warner’s aura drew even bigger praise from Morris, who coached Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey with the Rams, as well as former Bucs Derrick Brooks and John Lynch, now the 49ers’ general manager. “No disrespect to all the great players that I’ve been lucky enough to be around. I don’t know if anybody’s had the juice that Fred has,” Morris said. “The greatness, the great mornings, the great days, the great attitude, the mentality to go out every single day and win the day. He brings a different attitude every single day, and it is absolutely refreshing.” Gray admired how Morris’ positive messages resonated in Atlanta. “When he ran team meeting rooms, he basically empowered players,” Gray said. When he talked to players, he told them the role he saw for them. “A lot of guys don’t understand this is a phenomenal way to coach a young player: ‘I’m creating a vision for you. So now I need you to reach that vision.’” The preliminary scouting report on Morris’ system isn’t exactly a secret. It’s a new look for a unit that had grown predictable and stale, relying on a four-man pass rush with defensive ends lining up extra wide. “The Niners have run the same thing since (2019), so just to have someone come in new and bring in something different, it’s been a breath of fresh air for this entire building,” said linebackers coach K.J. Wright. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek noted that while a four-man front remains their hallmark, the 49ers will often expand to a five-lineman look, as Morris has done in his past stops, including as the Rams’ 2021-23 coordinator. “Raheem has streamlined this thing where our

techniques don’t change a whole lot,” Kocurek said. “We’re still going to be an attack front. We’re just going to utilize multiple fronts.” The 49ers did dabble in five-man looks last season under Robert Saleh, who reprised his 201720 role as defensive coordinator and now is the Tennessee Titans’ head coach. “You have to have some multiplicity in your front and multiplicity in your back end,” Morris said. “You’d like to do those things when you decide, and use them as terms when you can dictate.” While some may see hints of a 3-4 front, those outside linebackers could be standing up on the line to rush or drop into coverage. Thus, the 49ers brought in a few rookies who could fit that profile: Romello Height (taken in the third round), Jaden Dugger (fifth round) and Larry Worth III (undrafted). They’re all lanky and quick — in the 6-foot-3, 230-pound range, give or take an inch or a few pounds. Kocurek joined the 49ers in 2019 and has gone through all of the coordinator changes: from Saleh to DeMeco Ryans in 2021, to Steve Wilks in ’23, to Nick Sorenson in ’24, back to Saleh in ’25, and now to Morris. “He shows up every day with a smile on his face, to get the guys better,” Kocurek said. “He’s a people-person, for sure. Very outgoing. Then, once you peel back that layer, just his knowledge of defensive football. He’s been in a bunch of defensive schemes and coached a bunch of good players.” Morris counts many mentors from his NFL stops, starting in Super Bowl-winning fashion with the 2002 Bucs, whose acclaimed defensive staff included Monte Kiffin, Rod Marinelli and Mike Tomlin. Two years later, Shanahan arrived as an offensive quality-control coach who also sat in on the defensive meetings for invaluable lessons, just as Morris has done, cross-training on offense. Morris eventually took over the Bucs in 2009-11, going 17-31. He was 4-7 as the 2020 Falcons’ interim coach and won a Super Bowl in his first of three seasons as the Rams’ DC, before returning for 8-9 seasons each of the past two years. His overarching plan for the 49ers is simple, albeit with a multiple-look scheme. “I’m going to try to utilize those guys to the best of their ability to do different things and additions,” Morris said, “to go out there and try to win a championship.”

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NFL

Fearless football forecasts B Y J E R RY M C D O N A L D

There’s a suspicion that Patrick Mahomes, once upon a time on the fast track to being one of the quarterbacks of all time, is past his prime. The Kansas City Chiefs star will be 31 this season, the age Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and others were still on a career upswing. The Chiefs staggered to a 6-11 finish last season, and Mahomes was done after 14 games with a torn ACL. The three-time Super Bowl MVP was cleared for full practice early in training camp and, as of the deadline for this publication, appeared on track to play the season opener. Just in case, Andy Reid did some of his best work in accumulating backups. He’s done it before, using third-stringer Koy Detmer to run circles around the 49ers several times in the early 2000s with the Philadelphia Eagles. This season will test Reid’s mettle as a play designer and caller. For years, Mahomes had given Reid the best of both worlds. Mahomes operated Reid’s creative offense as designed, as well as blending in off-schedule plays with his legs to become something out of this world. But Mahomes has gradually become more erratic, with 11 interceptions in each of his last two seasons. He last had fewer than 10 picks in 2020. He hasn’t broken 30 touchdown passes since 2022. The last time he won a Super Bowl, against the 49ers in Las Vegas after the 2023 season, Mahomes did more damage with his legs than his arm. With Mahomes likely to be 58 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid staggered to a 6-11 finish last season, and Mahomes was done after 14 games with a torn ACL. It remains unclear if the three-time Super Bowl MVP would be recovered in time for the season opener.

S U P E R B OW L WINNER

for 2026 less mobile at the outset, it will be up to Reid to reformulate the Chiefs’ offense with a more balanced attack featuring free agent running back Kenneth Walker III, the MVP of Super Bowl LX, for the NFL’s latest alleged dynasty in Seattle. The next time Mahomes loses a Super Bowl, it will be his third, putting him one shy of Buffalo’s Jim Kelly. That didn’t stop Kelly from making the Hall of Fame, but it’s not what anyone expected of Mahomes until he started showing signs of being fallible over the last two seasons. Mahomes owned the AFC West, but if Justin Herbert gets a jumpstart from new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, he might not even be the best quarterback in his own division — which also includes Denver’s third-year star Bo Nix and Raiders rookie Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.

Los Angeles Rams

How they’ll finish AFC division champions

Let’s not overthink this. The Rams have the reigning Most Valuable Player in Matthew Stafford, below, and Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. Super Bowl LXI is at SoFi Stadium, their home base, except on days when their stadium is overtaken by the 49ers. Call it 31-27 over Buffalo, with Josh Allen breaking through in the AFC Championship Game but being denied on the biggest stage.

BUF DEN BAL HOU AFC East

AFC West

AFC North

AFC South

AFC wild cards

5 KC

6 CIN

LAC

NFC division champions

LAR GB PHI TB NFC West

NFC North

NFC East

NFC South

NFC wild cards

6 CHI

SEA

KEITH BIRMINGHAM, STAFF ED ZURGA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

KEITH BIRMINGHAM/ STAFF ARCHIVES

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 59

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

M O S T VA LUA B L E P L AY E R

Jadarian Price

Lamar Jackson

Seattle Seahawks

Baltimore Ravens

After being a first-team All-American as a kick returner, Jadarian Price, below, was the final pick of the first round and steps into the multithreat role vacated by Kenneth Walker III. Price rushed for 1,420 yards and 18 touchdowns as Jeremiyah Love’s backup at Notre Dame. Love was taken No. 3 by Arizona and could be headed for the kind of season Ashton Jeanty had with the Raiders a year ago.

Lamar Jackson, right, had fewer than 100 rushing attempts last season, an indication he’ll pick his spots. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle plied his trade under Chicago’s Ben Johnson. Another MVP would be Jackson’s third, and some voters will look to right a perceived wrong with Allen winning a year ago, despite Jackson being the first-team All-Pro. Quarterbacks have won the last 13 MVPs, dating back to Minnesota RB Adrian Peterson in 2012. CAROLYN KASTER/ASSOCIATED PRESS

O F F E N S I V E P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

Jahmyr Gibbs Detroit Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs, below, runs the show now with the departure of David Montgomery, and he’s coming off a season with 1,839 scrimmage yards. The former Alabama and Georgia Tech star averaged 13 touchdowns per season over the past three years. The Lions were 0-7 when failing to rush for 100 yards, and rest assured that coach Dan Campbell doesn’t want that to happen again.

LINDSEY WASSON/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

David Bailey New York Jets

DAVID CRANE/STAFF

D E F E N S I V E P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

REY DEL RIO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Myles Garrett

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Los Angeles Rams There is no reason why Myles Garrett, above, this time with a team that typically builds leads and creates more pass rush opportunities, won’t win this award again after claiming it two of the past three seasons with Cleveland. Two potential contenders, the 49ers’ Nick Bosa and Green Bay’s Micah Parsons, are coming off ACL tears. A true linebacker (not an edge) hasn’t won the award since Luke Kuechly of Carolina in 2013.

SUE OGROCKI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

David Bailey, above, transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech as a senior and blossomed into the top pass rusher in the draft. He was selected No. 2 overall behind the Raiders’ Mendoza in the NFL draft. It will be up to Bailey not only to provide sacks, but enough pressure that the Jets might snag an interception after getting none in 17 games last season.

C O M E BAC K P L AY E R O F T H E Y E A R

Fred Warner San Francisco 49ers

Fred Warner, below, was lost to a broken ankle early last season but looks ready to hit the ground running (and hitting) in 2026. Niners teammate Christian McCaffrey won the award in 2025.

Players under full-time injury watch Player

Pos.

Team

Patrick Mahomes QB

Chiefs

Nick Bosa

49ers

Fred Warner

49ers

Micah Parsons

Edge

Packers

Maxx Crosby

Raiders

Joe Burrow

Bengals

Malik Nabors

N.Y. Giants

F I R S T C OAC H F I R E D

Aaron Glenn New York Jets

C OAC H O F T H E Y E A R

Jesse Minter

Aaron Glenn, who was a prominent NFL defensive back, presided over a team that didn’t intercept a single pass last season. There’s no reason to believe the Jets are headed for big things, and Glenn will pay for it before the season is over.

Make or break It’s never ideal for a young quarterback to undergo a big change in Year 2, but that’s what happened to Cam Ward in Tennessee. Saleh is his new head coach, and deposed Giants head coach Brian Daboll is his new offensive coordinator. If Daboll can push Ward into the upper echelon, the Titans will become respectable and Daboll will be on the fast track for another head coaching job.

Rolling the dice The NFL staved off a crisis for at least a year by not holding a supplemental draft, essentially putting quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s arrival to the league on hold following revelations of his gambling addiction while quarterback at the University of Cincinnati. But when the league and its owners realized they could profit from gambling, whether it be with sportsbook sites or fantasy sites, it brought gambling to the masses in a much easier way. There will be more to come. You can bet on it.

Fearless 49ers Forecast If the 49ers won 12 games with all the injuries they had last season, then they ought to be good for another 12-5 season and a playoff berth simply because their injury luck likely won’t be repeated.

Baltimore Ravens

Ranking the impact of new head coaches Coach

Team

1. Jesse Minter

Ravens

2. Joe Brady

Bills

3. John Harbaugh

N.Y. Giants

4. Klint Kubiak

Raiders

5. Mike McCarthy

Steelers

6. Kevin Stefanski

Falcons

7. Jeff Hafley

Dolphins

8. Robert Saleh

Titans

9. Mike LeFleur

Cardinals

10. Todd Monken

Browns

GAME OF THE YEAR

Rams at Seahawks Dec. 25 The suspicion here is that the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks will find the going much tougher while being the team to beat on everyone’s schedule, and they will regret that they largely stood pat in terms of personnel. But that won’t prevent a Christmas Night showdown with the Rams being worth the wait.

RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES

The Ravens probably regretted never elevating Mike Macdonald to head coach, with Macdonald going to Seattle and winning a Super Bowl. This time they moved more quickly, hiring a bright, young defensive mind in Jesse Minter, below, to replace John Harbaugh when he took the New York Giants job.

The Seahawks and Rams had three memorable matchups last season, including in the NFC Championship Game.

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RAIDERS

BEAST FROM THE EAST BAY Fifty years later, fans still glory in rough-and-tumble Oakland Raiders’ Super Bowl XI win BY J E R RY M C D O N A L D

“The Super Bowl really exists for the Oakland Raiders. All along, they’ve been thinking it was someone’s crazy illusion. Ten seconds to go. Eight, seven, six, five, four. The field is being engulfed by humanity. Time has run out. The Raiders have made it to the Super Bowl!” — Raiders radio play-by-play announcer Bill King in the final moments of a 24-7 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game at the Coliseum on Dec. 26, 1976. The passage of time has eroded some of the details, even for the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XI, about the day 62 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Raiders players carry head coach John Madden off the field at the Rose Bowl – shortly before dropping him — after Oakland defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI to bring home the Bay Area’s first NFL title. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

the Raiders finally put one of the most notorious professional sports organizations over the top for the first time. “It doesn’t seem like 50 years ago because people still talk about it,” Hall of Fame wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff said. “You don’t realize how long ago it was until you sit down, look at the date and say to yourself, ‘My God. It’s been that long.’ ” Super Bowl XI final score: Raiders 32, Minnesota Vikings 14. Those who didn’t make the drive to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Jan. 9, 1977, stayed behind in the East Bay, reveling in a special bond between a fan base and a franchise. It brought a third professional championship to Oakland that was more special and intimate than the A’s World Series three-peat from 1972-74 or the Golden State Warriors’ NBA title in 1975. This title was all about Oakland and its surrounding East Bay cities and towns. Monte Poole, a future newspaper columnist and media personality who embodied Oakland through and through, did what he always did with his friends after the Raiders were done playing on Sunday. They went in the street and played football. “It was with a lot more juice when they won, though,” Poole said. “The Raiders were a roughand-tumble team in a roughand-tumble town. It fit perfectly.” Mark Davis sat in the stands in the Rose Bowl that day, at age 21, and immediately grasped the significance of what appeared to be both inevitable and with a tinge of the impossible. “The A’s had moved here from Kansas City, and the Warriors were kind of a shared entity with San Francisco,” said the current Las Vegas Raiders owner and son of the Raiders

Willie Brown, left, is congratulated by Raiders teammates George Atkinson and Mike Siani after he intercepted a pass and returned it 75 yards for the game-sealing touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl XI. RON RIESTERER/STAFF ARCHIVES

patriarch, Al Davis. “But this was our championship, and we weren’t the stepchild of San Francisco any more.” It was more coronation than drama, given the beating the Raiders put on the Vikings on that sunny 53-degree day. An early missed field goal and a blocked punt proved to be no impediment as the Raiders rolled up the yardage and the points behind quarterback Ken Stabler, then shut down the Vikings. As the result became obvious, Raiders radio play-by-play man Bill King made a cultured reference to a contemporary Russian-American violin virtuoso. “Jascha Heifetz never played the violin with more dexter-

Above: Raiders coach John Madden, center, cheers on running back Clarence Davis as he races down the field against the Vikings. Davis rushed for 137 of the Raiders’ then-Super Bowl record of 266 yards. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE

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Tight end Dave Casper scored the first Super Bowl touchdown in Raiders history, a 1-yard reception from Ken Stabler midway through the second quarter that gave Oakland a 10-0 lead over the Vikings. ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVE

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Raiders owner Al Davis, and his son Mark, read newspapers in 1983. Said Mark Davis of the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI win, “The A’s had moved here from Kansas City, and the Warriors were kind of a shared entity with San Francisco. But this was our championship, and we weren’t the stepchild of San Francisco any more.” CLAY PETERSON/STAFF ARCHIVES

ity than Kenny Stabler is playing the Minnesota defense,” King said. Biletnikoff caught four passes for 99 yards to set up four touchdowns. The Raiders rushed 52 times for a then-Super Bowl record of 266 yards, with Clarence Davis (16 rushes, 137 yards) leading the way. Venerable cornerback Willie Brown sealed the deal with a 75-yard interception return against Fran Tarkenton, making the score 32-7 in the fourth quarter. The Raiders soon picked up coach John Madden on the field, and then dropped him. “John Madden’s grin is from ear to ear,” King said. “He looks like a slit watermelon!” Mark Davis said his father called it “the crowning glory” and cause for celebration, even if the win was, as San Francisco Examiner beat writer Frank Cooney described it both at the time and now, “an anti-climax.” For years before they won the big one — followed

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by Super Bowl championships after the 1981 season in Oakland and 1983 in Los Angeles — the Raiders were famous for breaking the collective heart of their loyal fan base. Five times since reaching the second Super Bowl, then called the AFL-NFL Championship Game, the Raiders played for the conference championship. Five times they lost — to the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins and twice to the Steelers. That doesn’t even include the heartbreak of losing a divisional playoff game in Pittsburgh and Steelers running back Franco Harris’ game-winning role in the “Immaculate Reception.” Long before Madden went on to fame and fortune as an announcer, Lite Beer pitchman and video game entrepreneur, he was the crazy coach who couldn’t win the big one. And yet he was the perfect coach to deal with owner Al Davis, who hired Madden at age 32 to succeed John Rauch. “I think Al felt John was someone that he could work with on a daily basis and not feel threatened by Al in any way,” Biletnikoff said. “John knew each one of us and our personalities. He knew our families, our temperaments, our dedication, our work ethic.” The Raiders finally beat the Steelers in the AFC championship game the day after Christmas, and even though Pittsburgh was without starting running backs Harris and Rocky Bleier due to injury the 24-7 victory was, in the words of star linebacker Phil Villapiano, “like a piano falling off our back.” As Madden put it on the NFL Network series “America’s Game,” for the ’76 Raiders, “It was our time to take over. There was a time Miami had taken over, that Pittsburgh had taken over, and now it was our turn to take over and dominate them.” It was the second time the Raiders beat the Steelers that season, including a 31-28 come66 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Raiders fans got their second chance to line the streets of Oakland for a Raiders victory parade in 1981 after the Silver and Black beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XV. That was the franchise’s second and final NFL championship when it called Oakland home. ASSOCIATED PRESS

from-behind win in Week 1 at the Coliseum engineered by Stabler. It included a charge from Steelers coach Chuck Noll about the Raiders being a “criminal element” in the NFL after a hit by safety George Atkinson on Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann. Stabler and his teammates, as they were wont to do, celebrated deep into the night and then embarked on a 13-1 season. The lone blemish was a 48-17 loss in New England to the Patriots in Week 4. A hint that something special might be on the horizon came in Week 13, when the Raiders hosted the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. A Raiders win would eliminate the Bengals from playoff contention and put the Steelers back in the postseason. It was suggested in both the local and national media that

perhaps the Raiders would be better off losing, thereby eliminating Pittsburgh. Instead, the Raiders played what might have been their best game of the season, a 35-20 win before a national television audience. “People expected us to tank,” Biletnikoff said. But, “we never went out on the field just to get by. We went out to win.” Madden said the win was one of his most prideful moments as a head coach, and Villapiano remembers their leader being particularly animated going into it. “We’re not stupid and we were reading every day, ‘Let Cincinnati win to knock out the Steelers,’ ” Villapiano said. “John said, ‘We’re not going in the back door. We’re going in the front door, so let’s kick these guys’ ass and then let’s go kick

Pittsburgh’s ass.’ ” The Raiders took their cue from Stabler, the laid-back quarterback with whom Oakland and the East Bay had a love affair, borne of not only performance but also personality. Stabler and Co. were ubiquitous in the local bar scene in a way that was possible before the advent of cell phone cameras and social media, with celebrated celebrators such as John Matuszak and Ted Hendricks joining in the revelry. “He was a pretty interesting guy, a party animal, was really relaxed and was a joy to watch every day,” said Mike Rae, the Raiders’ backup quarterback and a rookie in 1976. “He had no ego at all and was a player in his prime having a great year.” Rae, as well as Stabler and No. 3 quarterback David Humm, would adjourn to a hotel room every Saturday night to go over the game plan and determine which plays the quarterback — not the coach — would call. “It was putting the final touches on the game plan, but I always suspected it had something to do with keeping Stabler off the street so he couldn’t go out and drink with the boys,” Rae said. Once the Raiders had beaten the Bengals and were set up at home through the playoffs, there was a first-round scare in a 24-21 win over the same Patriots team that had worked them over in Week 4. The Raiders won the second matchup on a late drive by Stabler, in which he was hit in the face on a pass rush by Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton on third-and-18. The penalty kept the drive alive and Stabler scored a go-ahead 1-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds remaining in the game. It was a no-doubt penalty in contemporary NFL football, but not in 1976. And for once the Raiders, who always believed the officials had it in for them, had been given the benefit of the doubt. “We don’t get that flag and we’re done,” Villapiano said.

Once in Pasadena, the Raiders practiced so well that Madden was convinced victory was at hand, although he served a warning about public perception in the event of a loss. “John told us, ‘this is the biggest event of your lives — as long as you win,’ ” Villapiano said. As for winning the MVP, Biletnikoff chose to spread around the credit. “I was probably more shocked than anybody,” Biletnikoff said. “I’d have to put Kenny No. 1. Clarence had a hell of a game. Dave Casper. Anybody could have been named MVP. I’ve always carried it this way. I represented all the guys out there on the field that day.” Vindication came on the biggest stage in their home state, and rewarded a community which had mixed and mingled

Fred Biletnikoff, who played all of his 14 seasons in the NFL with the Raiders, said John Madden and owner Al Davis had a unique relationship with each other and the players. “I think Al felt John was someone that he could work with on a daily basis and not feel threatened by Al in any way.” ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVE

with players sometimes after games as well as at local haunts in Jack London Square, Ricky’s Sports Theater in San Leandro and Big Al’s Cactus Room at Webster and 19th in Oakland. “In the offseason we were going to spaghetti feeds, crab feeds, and enjoyed being around everybody,” Biletnikoff said. “There was such a closeness. Fans would set up at the Coliseum, tailgate, and you’d see the same people. We were so close to the fans and had been in the community for years.” Putting aside the finances and politics that led to the Raiders leaving Oakland a second time, it’s hard not to feel a touch of regret to go with the nostalgia. “It was like moving out of your home, and when you reflect on those years being in that Coliseum and playing, it was

something all of us miss to this day,” Biletnikoff said. Also missed are the many contributors who have died, including key players such as Atkinson, Cliff Branch, Brown, Dave Dalby, Ray Guy, Humm, Matuszak, Stabler, Jack Tatum, Skip Thomas, Gene Upshaw and John Vella. King, whose voice still resonates among the original fan base, died in 2005 due to a pulmonary embolism. Al Davis died at 82 in 2011. Madden passed away in December 2021. “You get to know people and they’re family,” Mark Davis said. “I’ve come to understand we all have an expiration date. We just don’t know what it is. So just live each day to its fullest, and let the people that you love know that you love them before they’re gone.”

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OFF THE FIELD

BOTTOMS UP

From owning a Jamba Juice chain to feting a milk-based sports drink, football professionals love promoting their favorite bevvies B Y J O H N M E TCA L F E A N D K AT E B R A D S H AW

Professional football players credit many things for their success. Hard work. Determination. Faith in a higher power. A “novel milk permeate solution” that has “better hydration compared to both water and Gatorade” and also a “decreased cumulative urine output.” Wait, what? That would be the scientific research behind GoodSport, a commercial sports drink enjoyed by former San Francisco 49ers player Ronnie Lott. The four time Super Bowl-winning icon has so much love for this beverage that he reportedly invested in the company, gaining a stake in the future of filtering milk into electrolyte-rich, oral-hydration solutions. Lott is far from the only person connected with the 49ers to dabble in the drinks world. Championing one’s favorite beverage seems as natural a part of football as tackles and touchdowns. There are different degrees of involvement, of course. Some people go with endorsements and TV commercials, like current 49ers star George Kittle, who this year starred in an ad for a protein-soda concoction called Mug Brotein. Others invest in a company or even start their own — like 49ers co-owners Jenna and Mara York, who make their own Napa vino under the label JennaMarise Wines. For all-in stakes, it’s hard to beat former 49ers’ player Vernon Davis. At one time the league’s highest-paid tight end, Davis went on to own a chain of brick-and-mortar Jamba Juice stores in Northern California and the Washington, D.C. area. The franchise owner went so far as to go “undercover” at one of his Jamba Juices in Santa Clara for an internet video, asking a customer, “Have you seen Vernon Davis come through here? I heard he was really nice.” 68 KICKOFF BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

In 2014, before later joining the 49ers, cornerback Richard Sherman signed on to endorse BODYARMOR drinks. In 2020, current 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey inked a deal, and a couple of years later, the company released a special Fruit Punch bearing McCaffrey’s likeness and autograph, which was only available in the Bay Area. NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

From Joe Montana’s canned cocktails to caffeinated Gatorade, here are seven beverages with interesting ties to the San Francisco 49ers. M U G B R OT E I N

Would you dare drink a foamy and protein-rich cocktail called Mug Brotein? Maybe that’s why you aren’t in the NFL, and Kittle is a star. This spring the San Francisco 49ers tight end was featured in a commercial for Mug Root Beer, which attempted to go viral by introducing a drink called “Mug Brotein” — a DIY mixture of Mug Zero

Sugar and vanilla-protein shake. Kittle appears as a literally mouse-sized beta male who transforms into a Norse god of the gym, able to pump huge weights with one hand, by chugging some Mug Brotein. Informs the ad: “It’s protein for bros.” This odd concoction seeks to capitalize on the dirty-soda craze — sodas adulterated with cream or syrups — with a “dirty-protein” twist. “Kittle, who is known for his love of root beer, believes this product allows fans to enjoy their workout and their favorite drink simultaneously,” according to Food & Beverage Magazine. Folks who want to try it themselves can mix up a batch at home, or go with kits available at Walmart and the TikTok shop. They cost $25 and come with bottles of the necessary liquids, a gym bag and a towel. But before you purchase one, heed the ad copy: “Warning: This product may result in Big Dawg energy.” FA S T T W I TC H

In 2023, Gatorade launched a smaller version of its classic plastic bottle containing a formula that supposedly boosted athletic performance — B vitamins, electrolytes, zero sugar and an amazing 200 mg of caffeine. Yes, Fast Twitch held as much caffeine as a can of Celsius, the drink that gives you jitters unless you sip it all day. The company billed it as “the first energy drink made for athletes,” and struck a deal with the NFL to advertise it during play on the sidelines. Three years later, it’s almost impossible to find Fast Twitch outside of eBay ($11 per 350 milliliter bottle) or the dust-covered shelves of certain bodegas and gas stations. That must leave a hole in the heart of Kittle, who had signed on as a brand ambassador along with Pro Bowl wide receivers Stefon Diggs and DK Metcalf.

George Kittle starred in advertising in 2026 for “Mug Brotein,” a concoction available at certain stores that’s made from vanilla-protein shake and MUG Root Beer. PEPSICO BEVERAGES U.S.

Former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, left, partnered with Jamba Juice and opened locations in the South Bay when he was playing for the 49ers.

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana poses with a can of Double Gold, a new canned whiskey he made in collaboration with Gold Bar Whiskey on Treasure Island.

COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

COURTESY GOLD BAR WHISKEY

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 69

“With regards to Fast Twitch, what we’re seeing is that more and more athletes are drinking caffeine and then also hydrating during the game or before the game or at the end of the game,” PepsiCo chairman Ramon Laguarta said when the drink first launched, according to MediaPost. That could be so, but they’re not drinking Fast Twitch much anymore. Reddit remains one of the few places to remember this antiquated beverage. “Gatorade screwed up by putting these in a plastic bottle. Energy drinks are 12 or 16 oz. aluminum cans. Had the product been in cans, it might still be with us,” writes one user. Quips another: “If you really want some, there’s plenty at your local dump.”

visionary” Lance Collins — of Fuze and Core Hydration fame — the drink mixes organic coconut water with various nutrients and erythritol, a “naturally occurring sugar alcohol found in some fruits and fermented foods,” according to the company. The beverage comes in flavors like Orange Cream, Tropical Ice and Rocket Pop, a reference to those fun red-white-and-blue Bomb Pops. In 2024, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy officially partnered with the brand and filmed a commercial throwing a football and enjoying a contemplative nip off a bottle. A subsequent ad starring the quarterback riffed on the San Francisco-centric TV intro to “Full House,” with the brand declaring: “In my house we hydrate better!”

B O DYA R M O R

The drink so powerful it MUST BE SPELLED IN CAPS (a fairly common tic in the sports-drink realm), BODYARMOR is a line of Coca-Cola beverages with different formulations for different needs — hydration, energy, electrolyte replenishment and so forth. The company professes to not use artificial colors, dyes or sweeteners, and its flagship sports drink relies on trendy coconut water. “Real ingredients that energize,” reads the product marketing. “Techniques that push limits. Recovery that actually works. Hydration that fuels instead of taking away.” A couple of players with the 49ers have signed on with BODYARMOR. As early as 2014, the Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman — who would go on to become cornerback for the 49ers — struck an endorsement deal that gave him equity in the company, according to Forbes. (Sherman was quite the savvy businessman back then, having already scored endorsements with Nike, Microsoft and the Campbell’s Company, maker of canned soup.) In 2020, future 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey made a large endorsement deal with BODYARMOR. A couple of years later, the company released a special Fruit Punch bearing his likeness and autograph, which was only available in the Bay Area. “It makes it really easy and it benefits my life,” he told Fox Business, “getting BODYARMOR to send me stuff is not only helping me, but also, I get to teach the next generation and endorse a product that I think is going to help, not just other athletes on my team but the future — the kids in high school, the kids in middle school.” R E C OV E R 1 80

Sure, your sports drink has A-to-Z vitamins and enough electrolytes to power a tractor battery. But is it ... organic? With RECOVER 180, athletes can finally say “yes.” Founded by so-called “beverage-industry

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How to stay hydrated, NFL style Purdy appears to have a thing for low-sugar beverages. A few years back, he was named “Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week” for his stunning performance against the Washington Commanders. He’s also an investor in Yerbae, a zero-sugar and plant-based energy drink that he personally declared a “game-changer.” BLK & BOLD COFFEE

Deion Sanders — the only athlete to play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series, a former 49er and the current head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder — now has one more title to add to the list: co-owner of a coffee brand. Since 2024, Sanders, also known as “Coach Prime,” has been a partner and co-owner at BLK & Bold Specialty Beverages, a Black-owned coffee brand with a social mission. The Certified B Corporation pledges 5 percent of gross profits to nonprofits supporting underserved youth in the U.S. These include Acta Non Verba in Oakland, an urban farming nonprofit, and Sunset Youth Services in San Francisco, a youth support agency. The brand, which was founded by Pernell Cezar and Rod Johnson in 2018, started out as a garage operation and online store before expanding into

major chains, including Albertsons, Target, Amazon and Walmart. “Joining BLK & Bold is more than just a business move for me — it’s about making a lasting impact,” Sanders said in a press statement. G .O. A .T. F U E L

Hall-of-Famer and 49ers legend Jerry Rice has teamed up with his daughter Jaqui Rice Gold and son-in-law Trevion Gold to co-found a new energy drink, which launched in January. So what’s in it? Maybe it’s easier to start with what’s not in it: “No artificial sweeteners. No artificial flavors. No artificial colors,” the website says, “JUST GREATNESS.” The beverage so far comes in six flavors: blackcherry ginger ale, tropical mixed berry, watermelon fruit punch, blueberry lemonade, pineapple cream soda and gummy bear, and features electrolytes, 150 milligrams of caffeine from green tea, lion’s mane and beetroot-juice powder, and assorted vitamins and minerals. The beverage was out of stock on a recent online shopping visit but promises on its website to restock “to continue fueling you on your path to greatness.” DOUBLE GOLD

What pairs better with a Niners game than sipping on a whiskey mule twist straight from the mind of Joe Cool himself? The beverage, initially called the Golden Joe, used to only be available at Levi’s Stadium and was the official cocktail of the 49ers. But now, thanks to a partnership between Montana and Gold Bar Distillery, it’s available as a canned cocktail called the Double Gold. Sold in six-packs of 12-ounce cans, each in Niners colors featuring Montana, the 8 percent ABV drink blends Gold Bar whiskey, ginger, lime juice and a splash of orange juice. People can also order a commemorative bottle of 85-proof bourbon made to celebrate the 49ers’ 1985 championship win, which comes with a gold jacket koozie that fits around the cans. Montana has a whole whiskey collection with Gold Bar, including Blend 117, which represents Montana’s total career regular-season wins and is aged for 16 years in recognition of his jersey number; and Blend 273, which represents his career touchdown passes. Opposite: Fireworks explode in the sky during the national anthem before the start of a 49ers game at Levi’s Stadium. JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES

BAY AREA NEWS GROUP KICKOFF 71

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