The San Francisco 49ers are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida for Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2. This game is projected to be one of the tightest Super Bowl matchups in recent memory, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has a secret weapon going into the big game: the support of his parents Mike and Peggy Shanahan.
When Super Bowl 54 kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET, expect FOX to float the camera toward Kyle Shanahan’s parents numerous times as he leads his team against superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Kyle’s father Mike Shanahan is a former NFL head coach with three Super Bowl championships under his belt and he’ll help his son strategize for what will be the biggest game of Kyle’s career.
Mike Shanahan and his beautiful wife, Peggy (And no, she’s not his daughter!) spotted at #49ers #NFLPlayoffs game.
During the playoffs, Mike and Peggy Shanahan sat in the VIP box to cheer on the 49ers alongside their daughter Krystal, Kyle’s wife, Mandy Shanahan, and their grandchildren, Stella, Lexi, and Carter, the latter of whom was adorably wearing the same red hat his father sports on the sidelines.
As to whether or not Shanahan was more nervous coaching a team in Super Bowl versus now watching his son lead a franchise in the big game, he told The Team 980: “Oh, there’s no question. It’s much more nerve-racking being in this seat than it was in the other seat.”
Here what you need to know about Peggy and Mike Shanahan:
1. Kyle Shanahan’s Parents Married On Valentine’s Day In 1976
Mike and Peggy Shanahan have officially arrived in #Miami
Micahel Edward Shanahan, born on August 24, 1952, grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. He was the star quarterback of high school’s football team and earned a scholarship to play at Eastern Illinois University in 1970. Two years later, a terrifying big hit on the field caused a ruptured kidney and his heart to stop for 30 seconds. This near-death experience caused his career as a player came to an abrupt end.
However, Shanahan loved the game of football, and after graduating, started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Northern Arizona University. While it’s unknown how Mike first met Peggy, it was during his college coaching years that he tied the know with the woman he’s now been married to for nearly 45 years.
While Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Peggy gave birth to Kyle on December 14, 1979, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2. Peggy Shanahan Designed Their $22 Million Home In Colorado
Mike, Peggy Shanahan host kickoff party for Denver’s 2017 Carousel Ball starring Lenny Kravitz. t.co/MJaQzH7OZb
The Shanahan’s custom-designed mansion in Englewood, Colorado, first went up for sale in 2016, but as of April 2019, it was back on the market, according to Mansion Global. The 30,000 square foot home, which is only 15 minutes outside Denver, includes a golf simulator and a bowling alley.
Mike and Peggy hosted numerous fundraisers and events at this spatial property, which they lived in since 2008. The multi-level home includes six bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a pool, a garage that can hold at least seven cars, and over four acres of property.
Shanahan said, “The reason I enjoyed the house is you can use it and you don’t have to go anyplace else. It’s great for entertainment. We’ve got the room and we have people over. It relates well to us.”
Peggy pulled inspiration from all over the world to design the home, which is located about 15 minutes outside Denver. She designed the tile floor which was created in Italy and shipped in to be installed in their Grand Atrium.
3. The Shanahans Attended Jenna Bush’s Wedding To Henry Hager
Mike Shanahan and Jenna Bush
The Shanahans had one more child after Kyle, a daughter named Krystal. Krystal studied at the University of Texas where she was roommates with Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush.
The two families were already friends, as Shanahan endorsed Bush for president in Colorado in 2004. Krystal was a guest at the wedding of Jenna Bush and Henry Chase Hager on May 10, 2008, at the Bush’s private ranch in Texas, as were her parents.
Krystal married husband Michael Sachs a year later on Independence Day in 2009, at the Montview Presbyterian Church.
4. Mike Shanahan Earned 3 Super Bowl Rings His NFL Coaching Career
Mike Shanahan
While Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, he earned a Super Bowl ring and when Kyle’s father was head coach of the Denver Broncos, he led to the franchise to two consecutive Super Bowl wins. With John Elway at quarterback, the Broncos took the title in 1998 and 1999.
After 14 seasons with the Broncos, Shanahan was fired in 2008, and after a year away from the field, went on to coach for the Washington Redskins in 2010, where he signed a five-year $35 million contract under team owner, Dan Snyder.
5. Peggy Thought It Was ‘Crazy’ For Mike & Kyle Shanahan To Work Together For The Same Team
Mike and Kyle Shanahan
After Shanahan was named head coach for the Washington Redskins in 2010, he hired his son to be the team’s offensive coordinator. While Kyle had wanted to work under his father since the beginning of his coaching career, Shanahan insisted he works for other franchises before joining him on the sidelines.
“I actually thought they were both crazy when they wanted to do it,” Peggy told The Washington Times of her husband and son working together. She knew all too well NFL coaches work a grueling schedule of 16-hour days and worried that the stress of game day could possibly cause irreparable damage to their close father and son bond.
“It was obviously so different than that. It’s really a treat for both of them,” Peggy said. “Mike, I know, has learned a lot of things from Kyle, being so young but having the ear of players and just new things and different ways to do things.”
Even though the Redskins went 6-11 in their first season working together, it became clear to Peggy that her husband and son thrived sharing a work environment. Shanahan went 24-10 in his four seasons with Washington and was fired at the end of 2013. Kyle also left the Redskins that year and went on to join the Cleveland Browns as an offensive coordinator.
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