On November 24, 2015, I posted on this blog my impressions of a new star in the firmament of college football. His name: Christian McCaffrey who, at that time, was a sophomore running back on Stanford University’s nationally ranked football team.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
The previous evening, Linda and I were at Stanford Stadium to witness the annual “Big Game,” Stanford’s traditional contest with the University of California for local bragging rights. That evening, we witnessed McCaffrey compile a new, single-game school record for total all-purpose yards – three hundred eighty-nine, to be exact! The performance was memorable, to be sure. On display was a complete football player who could score in multiple ways: rushing, pass-receiving, throwing the football, and kick-off returns. I saw not only raw speed, toughness, and ability on display that evening, but a tangible sense of character and intelligence implicit in the way he carried himself on the field and off.
As for competitive toughness, he was and is the real deal. From an athletic family fathered by former Stanford All-American wide receiver Ed McCaffrey who went on to win three Super Bowl rings with the Denver Broncos, Christian learned about athletic competition at the elite level, first-hand, not only from his dad, but also from Lisa, his mother. Lisa Sime and Ed McCaffrey met during their school years at Stanford University in the late eighties. She was a star soccer player, there, and the daughter of former Duke sprinter and Olympian, Dave Sime who once held world records in both the 100 and 220 yard sprints. Dave Sime was the world’s fastest human in the mid-nineteen-fifties.
Recently, I heard stories about a youngster visiting the McCaffreys with his own family years ago who joined-in to play touch football with the McCaffrey kids. He later reported to his parents that “they were trying to kill each other, out there.” McCaffrey himself recently explained that along with competitiveness in the family came a sense of fair-play and balance. Should any of the clan start to become puffed-up over their own athletic prowess, they were soon whittled-down to size by the other family members. I paraphrase in the telling, but I believe the story says much about the McCaffrey athletic lineage. The story also recalls to mind anecdotes surrounding the spirited touch-football games played long ago by the Kennedy family out at Hyannis Port, Mass. – very competitive.
As for McCaffrey’s performance that night in 2015 against the University of California, I was not mistaken in my impressions. He later went on to be runner-up in the annual vote for the coveted Heisman Trophy signifying the year’s best collegiate football player. If the voting had weighted overall versatility somewhat higher, young McCaffrey would have been the obvious choice.
Christian McCaffrey’s initial stint in the National Football League was with the Carolina Panthers – on the other side of the country. I had hoped he would begin his NFL career with a team closer to us, here, on the west coast. Although he solidified expectations while at Carolina, the Panthers were not able to fully capitalize on McCaffrey’s capabilities during several seasons, and I always felt badly about that.
Then came the big surprise! In late October of last year, Linda and I were in Waco, Texas, at a pre-game tail-gate party for Baylor University’s homecoming game against Kansas; our grand-daughter, Megan, attends Baylor. While talking football with the party’s host, he mentioned, “Did you know that Christian McCaffrey has just been traded to the 49ers?” To which, we replied, “Fantastic: hard to believe!” He was indeed correct. The Niners were loaded with talent (when all were healthy), but the coaches and ownership felt early-on that they needed a “closer” to take the team to the Super Bowl. Their choice was Christian McCaffrey, and they traded important future draft picks to land him.
Since McCaffrey’s arrival and because of his contributions, the 49ers offense has risen to an obvious, new level. Opposing defensive coordinators now face a real problem playing the 49ers because of McCaffrey’s triple-threat capabilities in the backfield.
Brock Purdy…WHO?
Along with McCaffrey’s arrival early in the season, the abrupt rise of the Niner’s third-string rookie quarterback from the University of Iowa to the starting position in early December after season-ending injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo has further galvanized interest in the 49ers. Indeed, they have won their last eleven games and lead the NFL in the won-lost column. Brock Purdy, their twenty-three year old rookie, has displayed unbelievable ability and poise while leading the team to their last seven wins. Saturday’s convincing playoff win over the Seattle Seahawks truly cemented Purdy’s credentials after surviving a difficult first-half of play.
San Jose Mercury News Sports
“Folks, this is not normal!”
Like McCaffrey, Brock Purdy brings something extra to the party. That special attribute is easily glimpsed watching him in the huddle and on the sidelines. Purdy’s demeanor is decidedly low-key and self-effacing – as is McCaffrey’s. Former quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who led the Pittsburgh Steelers to several Super Bowl titles years ago, knows best. As part of the familiar commentary round-table for major NFL games, he turned to the camera and the TV audience after the Niner’s playoff victory Saturday to say: “Folks, this is not normal!” I paraphrase here as he went on to explain that it is inconceivable and unprecedented that a rookie NFL third-string quarterback with no league experience would come off the bench mid-season to do what Brock Purdy has accomplished so far. Like McCaffrey, Purdy is a special player in any number of ways.
I leave you with this: Could not happen to two more deserving players!
Go Niners!!