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San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and running back Christian McCaffrey go back quite a ways.
As a high school student in Colorado, Shanahan had the chance to babysit McCaffrey as a baby since their fathers were both part of the Denver Broncos in the late 1990s when Christian was born in 1996. Mike Shanahan coached the team, and Ed McCaffrey played wide receiver for back-to-back Super Bowl championship squads.
“Everyone acts like I babysat them, but that was my sister,” Kyle Shanahan told reporters at Super Bowl Opening Night on Monday. “By that time, I saw what I was dealing with.”
“I know Ed and Lisa very well and to have Christian here the last year and a half, it has been really cool because his parents are awesome people,” Shanahan added. “His dad was a hero of mine. His mom is as cool of a person as there is. And to get Christian and just watch the similarities of both his mom and dad is not a surprise how special he is and it’s really cool to be around him.”
The younger Shanahan went on to play at Duke and Texas followed by his coaching career, primarily in the NFL since 20024. Christian McCaffrey grew up in Colorado and became a star at Castle Rock followed by a standout career at Stanford before his NFL career, which started with the Carolina Panthers.
As the 49ers head coach in 2022, Shanahan pulled a trade for McCaffrey, which took the team’s offense to a new level. The two now look to do what their fathers did together — win a Super Bowl on Sunday.
Kyle Shanahan: ‘My Dad’s the Best Coach I’ve Ever Been Around’
Shanahan credits his father for much of his success. Mike Shanahan, 71, excelled as an NFL head coach with a 170-138 career record and two Super Bowl wins 1988 and 2013.
“Being a coach’s son, I’m very fortunate to just be around it so much, especially at the NFL level. You know, my dad went to the NFL when I was 4 years old,” Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday.
“You don’t realize how much it helps you until you get in it, and you just realize that a lot of the stuff you’ve been around and it makes it a little easier. But I mean, I think not only was I the son of a coach, but my dad’s the best coach I’ve ever been around,” Shanahan added.
“And so to be around that good of one, I think also was a huge advantage for me. And I mean, he never was really training me to be a coach. He was just being my dad,” Shanahan continued.
Kyle Shanahan Recalls Memories of Ed McCaffrey as a Player
Shanahan got to know McCaffrey the football player back in the 1990s, and the future coach at the time imitated what the star receiver did.
“I cut my shoes like him. I wore my shoulder pads like him. I had tourettes like him,” Shanahan said on Monday . “Every time he caught a pass he shook his head. So, I’ve always loved Ed and I just knew he had a bunch of crazy boys. And they all just played tackle football outside the games together and killed each other. It was hard to tell each one apart.”
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