2024: Kickoff Premium Edition

Lombardi or no Lombardi, the 49ers are on track for another successful season

STORY BY JERRY MCDONALD

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS SMITH

The popular storyline about the 49ers heading into this season is that it’s “now or never” for this group to finally land the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy.

The story goes that if the 49ers don’t end their 30-year Super Bowl drought in February in New Orleans, the big bad salary cap and the weight of quarterback Brock Purdy’s impending new contract will conspire to slam a window shut on the best-laid plans of coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch.

You’ll hear it all season, both on game day, with the solemn proclamations of on-air talent and during the week from most every analyst, blogger and print reporter.

It’s not true.

It’s incumbent on the 49ers to do what they can to win a championship, not just this season, but every season,

The 49ers celebrate their 34-31 NFC Championship win against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Jan. 28, 2024.

NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

because that’s how the league works. At the same time, falling short doesn’t mean the season was a failure.

Should the 49ers win more than they lose, fill the seats at Levi’s Stadium, entertain their fans, maintain their national profile and make a lot of money, it’s a successful season, no matter what anyone else thinks.

As much as fans and media fixate on “legacies,” in truth, a legacy is in the eye of the beholder. Aside from the Hall of Fame, there are no legacy plaques as much as a constant stream of meaningless debate as to what does and doesn’t constitute a winner.

Even owner Jed York, who back in the day talked about the 49ers raising only championship banners, has come to have a more reasoned perspective on what the NFL is all about.

“I just think you can’t be ashamed of a successful season,” York told reporters last March at

Above

the NFL owner’s meetings.

I said it after the 49ers lost 25-22 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII last February and will reiterate here — the “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing” mentality is a myth. It sounds good, but even the players who went through the pain of defeat will concede that all the work that went toward attempting to achieve a collective goal is rewarding and important.

The 49ers have done a lot of things right, and there’s reason to believe it can be sustained, even after Purdy goes from being paid less than $1 million to $50 million-plus per season and the jigsaw puzzle that is the NFL salary cap is rearranged.

Given that they’ve been to the NFC championship game four of the last five years and to the Super Bowl twice, there’s good reason to think something similar is in the offing for 2024.

You don’t get much closer to

a championship than defending a fourth-and-1 in sudden death overtime at the opponent’s 34yard line, with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. Make a play, win a ring. Patrick Mahomes, the two-time league MVP and three-time Super Bowl MVP, kept the winning drive going with an 8-yard run.

Maybe the 49ers make that play this time in New Orleans. Maybe they don’t. But to expect the 49ers as we know them to shut down operations in the face of a more complicated salary structure isn’t the way to bet.

The biggest reason the window stays open is Purdy, who executes the position to Shanah-

an’s exacting specifications and then some.

The 2023 season was a season-long referendum as to whether it was Purdy who carried the 49ers or the 49ers who carried Purdy. Both were true. All Purdy did was pass for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, complete 69.4 percent of his passes and post a regular season passer rating of 113.0 that was better than the best of 49ers legends — and Super Bowl winning quarterbacks — Steve Young (112.8 in 1994) and Joe Montana (112.4 in 1989). Purdy rallied the 49ers from behind to beat both Green Bay and Detroit in the playoffs, then

Above: Nick Bosa celebrates a fourth-down stop against the Detroit Lions in the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.

NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF

right: Christian McCaffrey scores a touchdown in the second quarter of the 2024 NFC Championship Game.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

brought the 49ers from behind three times in the Super Bowl. He was resilient enough to bounce back from his one bad game (four interceptions against Baltimore) on a Thanksgiving national stage.

Whatever the physical limitations that led to Purdy being the last pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, he showed the ability to strike both short and downfield and to go off schedule and make plays with his legs.

Yes, he’s a system quarterback. One of the best. Yes, he’s a game manager. One of the best. He’s also meticulous about preparation, impervious to criticism and has a healthy perspective on life

under Payton’s guidance, threw for more touchdowns (571) and yards (80,358) than any quarterback not named Brady.

outside of football.

As good as Purdy’s teammates are, he’s made them better, and there’s every reason to think that will continue, as long as he’s paired with Shanahan in a system he fits perfectly.

Think in terms of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. In terms of physical stature and arm strength, Brees was never anyone’s idea of the modern prototype, especially after signing with New Orleans with a damaged shoulder. Yet Payton, Brees and the Saints were consistent winners who won a Super Bowl following the 2009 season.

With a rotating cast of linemen and receivers, Brees, mostly

For all the consternation about the long-term status of Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, there are more good receivers than ever coming out of college, and the 49ers might already have one of them in Ricky Pearsall, their first-round draft pick this spring.

Christian McCaffrey will be around past 2024, after the 49ers wisely extended his contract. The same with defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner. Replacing left tackle Trent Williams, 35, will be necessary in the near future, and tight end George Kittle, 30, has put his body through a lot.

But the 49ers have made a lot of their own breaks with regard to personnel, trading for Williams to replace Joe Staley, trading for McCaffrey and cashing in big time on draft picks

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches the NFC championship game action from the sideline at Levi’s Stadium.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

such as Deommodore Lenoir (sixth round, 2021), Talanoa Hufanga (sixth round, 2021), Jauan Jennings (seventh round, 2020), Dre Greenlaw (fifth round 2019), Fred Warner (third round, 2018) and Kittle (fifth round, 2017). Who’s to say the 49ers can’t add new pieces around Purdy on both sides of the ball and get similar results?

Chances are that among Pearsall, cornerback Renardo Green, safety Malik Mustapha and wide receiver Jacob Cowing, there is a player or two Shanahan and Co. can put to good use to keep the train running with Purdy acting as the engineer. That may or may not be good enough to win another Super Bowl in 2024 and beyond. But to assume the 49ers will fade into a post-Jim Harbaugh/Trent Baalke oblivion because of their salary cap accounting is unwarranted skepticism, based on how they’ve operated over the last five years.

A NEW, NO-SHOWBOAT LINEMAN

East Coast transplant Gross-Matos is eager to make his impact on the Niners’ Super Bowl chances

BY CAM INMAN

Yetur Gross-Matos doesn’t have a sack dance. But the 49ers’ new defensive lineman is ready to bring his game to the NFL’s biggest stage.

In four seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Gross-Matos never got to experience a playoff game. That should change this season.

In fact, the 26-year-old might turn out to be the 49ers’ most important offseason addition, as the franchise chases its third Super Bowl appearance in six years and its first Super Bowl championship in 30 years.

Adding the versatile defensive lineman is similar to the move the 49ers made in 2022 that saw Christian McCaffrey arrive (also from the Panthers) and flourish with the 49ers’ offense.

Gross-Matos might not become the NFL’s next great pass

RUSTY

rusher — he does have 13 in his career, including a career-high 4.5 last season. But his ability to line up at defensive end and then slide inside on third-down passing situations fills a role the 49ers have required in previous playoff runs, which is why the 49ers signed him to a two-year, $18 million contract in free agency this past March.

“I’m definitely excited to play in the playoffs,” Gross-Matos said in an exclusive, one-on-one interview held in training camp. “Yeah, I watched (the 49ers in the playoffs last season). At the time, I had so many things going on, and you never know how things are going to shake out. I wasn’t thinking this would even be a scenario.

“I just had no idea where the arrow was going to point.”

Gross-Matos, who prefers to be called “Yee” (his full first name is pronounced “YEEtour”), has persevered through the tragic events that shook and shaped his family as a youth. His biological father, Michael, drowned saving the life of then2-year-old Yetur after he fell out of a boat. Nine years later, his older brother, Chelal, was fatally struck by lightning while they were playing baseball at a park.

“I carry them with me with everything I do,” said Gross-Matos, the middle child of five siblings, including brothers Chelal and Robby and sisters Qeturah and Cristina. “So I just try to represent in a way that would

Nick Bosa, left, and Yetur Gross-Matos work out during 49ers training camp in Santa Clara July 24.

JEFF CHIU/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady is sacked by Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos Oct. 23, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C.

JONES/ASSOCIATED PRESS

make them both proud. I do my best every day to give everything I’ve got.”

Gross-Matos was plenty busy this summer. Not only was he getting prepared for a new team and new town, he married his college sweetheart, Brianna, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gross-Matos is in good company: Other 49ers newlyweds in-

clude Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.

Making the move west is a huge undertaking for GrossMatos.

Gross-Matos, 26, grew up in Virginia and went to college at Penn State before being picked in the second round of the 2020 draft by the Panthers, so he has spent most of his life on the

East Coast. Moving to the Bay Area comes with a culture shock — and a sticker shock when it comes to prices.

“It’s nice. It’s beautiful. It’s a little bit expensive, but outside of that, it’s been great,” he said. “I’ve been out here with my wife and my two dogs. I like the slower pace.”

That pace will change this

fall as the 49ers chase what they hope will be a Super Bowl championship. That’s fine by Gross-Matos.

“The standards and expectations are not just set, but they’re actually held by the players and the organization,” he said. “Everybody is held to a different standard, and it’s awesome to see and be a part of that. Everybody has the belief that they’re going to win, and this is the place they’re going to do it.”

As for adding a sack dance?

Don’t count on it.

“I’m definitely not a celebration guy,” Gross-Matos said. “I was just taught to celebrate with your teammates. I don’t have any good dances for the cameras or anything like that.”

In some ways, signing with the 49ers is a throwback for Gross-Matos.

During his three seasons at Penn State, Gross-Matos played before crowds of more than 100,000, and he’s eager to play in the spotlight with the 49ers.

He’ll have no shortage of big games. The 49ers open the season on a Monday night against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets and have five primetime games scheduled this season. In four seasons with the Panthers, Gross-Matos played a total of six prime-time games. Does he expect to thrive in that spotlight?

“Absolutely,” Gross-Matos said. “I’m going to embrace everything that comes with playing on this team.”

BY JIM HARRINGTON

Niner Noise drummers rev up San Francisco fans at Levi’s Stadium

Niner Noise members Chris Horobin (left) and Mike Reppucci entertain the crowd with an assist from Sourdough Sam at a 49ers game on Oct. 8, 2023.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL STILL / BD ENTERTAINMENT

NINER NOISE

has brought the beat to San Francisco 49ers games for nearly 20 years now, ever since the Niners began expanding their entertainment offerings and decided to give a drumline a try.

Those vibrant, colorful drummers are a 16-piece troupe run by BD Performing Arts, the same Concord-based entertainment organization that runs the famous Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps. No bugles at Levi’s Stadium, though. It’s the syncopated drum beats that rev up these crowds.

“A drumline is just such a natural element to bring into a football environment,” says Laurie Murphy, executive vice president of e2K, the sports/ entertainment company that works with Levi’s Stadium and helps oversee Niner Noise.

“They are really effective from a performance perspective, a crowd-leading perspective and interactively,” Murphy says. “When they go out and do their performances in the plazas and out in the community, fans just love getting up and close with them. They are just a really vibrant, colorful and fun-to-watch addition to any 49er event.”

That’s certainly true on game days. The group sets up shop at the stadium entrance areas and begins performing for eager fans even before the gates open. They liven up the plazas with their tightly synchronized drumming and perform a short bit on the field prior to kickoff. And once the gridiron action actually gets underway, Niner Noise can still be heard pumping up the fans in the stands with their beats.

The Niner Noise, the 16-piece troupe run by BD Performing Arts, has brought the beat to the 49ers games for nearly 20 years.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL STILL/ BDENTERTAINMENT

“Fans have a variety of ways (to) experience us and interact with us throughout game day,” says Niner Noise director Ryan Odello.

Odello, who has been with the troupe since the very start, says the partnership with the team has been absolutely great.

“We really could not ask for a better situation,” he says. “We are treated really well. From the very start, the fans and the team were really receptive to the drumline and the performances.”

The BD Performing Arts or BDPA umbrella covers multiple youth programs, including the Blue Devils ensembles, founded in 1957, and the BD Winds — formerly the Diablo Wind Symphony. Niner Noise is part of BDEntertainment, the professional entertainment division. And one thing that the BD Performing Arts and the Niners have in common is championships.

Winning the Super Bowl is nice, of course. Winning it five times is great (and winning it a sixth time — this season? — will be even better). But the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps has won the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships a staggering 21 times — with high hopes for a 22nd victory at press time.

“That is the pinnacle premier competition in the world,” Murphy points out. “And they win it every year — pretty much, right?”

Well, not quite. But on the eve of the DCI world championships, held in Indianapolis in August, the Blue Devils were the current title holder, capping off a three-peat of championship wins in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Even the most vastly successful drum corps doesn’t often draw a lot of recognition and attention outside their sizable (and very passionate) fan bases. But Niner Noise has a platform that most drumlines could only

“. . . Fans just love getting up and close with them. They are just a really vibrant, colorful and fun-towatch addition to any 49er event.”

Laurie Murphy, executive vice president of e2K

dream of having.

“Being associated with the 49ers brings great visibility to the organization,” says BDEntertainment director Ben Nadler. “It’s been a really great partnership, and it’s really helped elevate us within the community and beyond.”

One of the coolest things to come out of that partnership, Nadler and Odello say, was the chance for the drumline to accompany the team on a special trip earlier this year.

“We were honored to join the team on the Super Bowl trip to Las Vegas,” Odello says. “It was incredible. The energy from the 49ers fans in Las Vegas was just amazing. It was probably 90 percent 49ers fans on The Strip compared to Chiefs fans. Despite the game not going down as we hoped, it was just an incredible experience for all of us.”

The kind of exposure that comes with partnering with the Niners doesn’t just elevate this particular drumline but the entire art form. And — who knows? — it may even provide the inspiration to fuel future generations.

“When I see little kids at the stadium watching Niner Noise,” Murphy says, “I see kids who want to go pick up and play drums.”

Schedule at a glance

Here is a week-by-week look at the 49ers’ 2024 schedule as reigning NFC and NFC West champions

BY CAM INMAN

Week 1: Monday, Sept. 9 5:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC NEW YORK JETS

The 49ers are 3-0 in season openers on “Monday Night Football,” and their only previous season opener against the Jets was highlighted by Garrison Hearst’s franchise-record 96-yard touchdown run in overtime at Candlestick Park in 1998. NorCal native Aaron Rodgers returns as the Jets’ quarterback after tearing his Achilles in last season’s opener, when he was sacked by Leonard Floyd, who’ll be making his 49ers debut in this game.

Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15 10 a.m., CBS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

The 49ers are seeking their first win in Minnesota since 1992, a drought that spans seven straight defeats, the most recent of which came last October on “Monday Night Football.” Will former 49ers backup Sam Darnold or rookie J.J.

McCarthy be the Vikings’ quarterback for their home opener?

Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22 1:25 p.m., FOX

LOS ANGELES RAMS

A fifth win in five regular-season visits to SoFi Stadium would be a good way for the 49ers to start their NFC West defense. In the Rams’ bullpen will be Jimmy Garoppolo, who quarterbacked the 49ers in their lone loss in five games in that building (2021 season’s NFC championship game).

Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 29 1:05 p.m., FOX

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

This is the Patriots’ first visit to Santa Clara since 2016, when the quarterbacks were Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers lead the all-time series 9-5 (4-2 at home).

The San Francisco 49ers’ Deommodore Lenoir tackles Dallas Cowboys’ Michael Gallup during a game at Levi’s Stadium on Oct. 8, 2023.

Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 6 1:05 p.m., FOX

ARIZONA CARDINALS

The 49ers hold only a 36-29 edge in this series (20-14 at home). Charvarius Ward’s two interceptions in the clubs’ last meeting led to an NFC Westclinching win for the 49ers in the desert.

Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 10 5:15 p.m., Prime Video

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, Pete Carroll’s replacement, welcomes a 49ers team that won last year’s visit to Seattle on a Thursday night (a 31-13 Thanksgiving feast). The 49ers lost eight straight visits to Seattle’s downtown amphitheater before their epic 2019 regular-season finale there, when they clinched the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed with a 26-21 victory.

Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20 1:25 p.m., FOX

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

It’s a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl … and Super Bowl LIV. In fact, Patrick Mahomes is 4-0, including regular-season action against the 49ers since 2018, producing 38, 31, 44 and 25 points in those games. New 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen ought to have his bearings by this matchup.

Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 27 5:20 p.m., NBC

DALLAS COWBOYS

The 49ers look to improve to 5-1 in primetime meetings with Dallas; they were flexed out of that slot in 2020. The Cowboys lost 42-10 in last October’s Week 5 visit, after also losing at Levi’s Stadium in the 2022 season’s wild-card playoffs.

Week 9

BYE

Landing in Week 9 for the third straight season

Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10 10 a.m., FOX

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

A year ago, the 49ers came off their bye to win in Florida (Jacksonville), and this time, they’ll visit Tampa, where they last appeared in a 2019 season-opening win. Kyle Shanahan, who will celebrate his 20th year as an NFL coach this season, returns to where he got his first gig — as the Bucs’ quality-control coach.

Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 17

1:05 p.m., FOX

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

The 49ers have swept the home-andaway series the past two years, so they could have a shot at the three-peat in this showdown at Levi’s Stadium. The familiarity of a rivalry game should be welcomed in the Bay Area a day after Stanford hosts Louisville and Cal hosts Syracuse in Atlantic Coast Conference battles.

Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 24 1:25 p.m., FOX

GREEN BAY PACKERS

The 49ers start Thanksgiving week with a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field, where their last visit was a snow-topped upset of the No. 1-seed Packers in the 2021 season’s divisional playoffs. The 49ers won last season’s divisional matchup 24-21 at Levi’s Stadium, rallying for the final 10 points of the game, including the winning TD with 1:07 remaining in the game.

Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 1 5:20 p.m., NBC

BUFFALO BILLS

The 49ers have not played in Buffalo since 2016, when coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Colin Kaepernick couldn’t prevent a 45-16 defeat. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, a Firebaugh native, is 1-0 against the 49ers, having passed for 320 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 in Arizona, where the 49ers played their final three home games during that COVID-impacted season.

Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 8 1:25 p.m., FOX

CHICAGO BEARS

No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams comes to town with the Bears, who 10 years ago spoiled the 49ers’ christening of Levi’s Stadium with a 28–20 victory before a crowd of 70,799. The Bears won their only other visit in 2018, and they posted a rain-soaked win at Soldier Field to open the 2022 season in their last overall meeting.

Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 12 5:15 p.m., Prime Video

LOS ANGELES RAMS

The 49ers are one of six teams that will play twice this season on a Thursday night. The Rams snapped a nine-game regular-season losing streak to the 49ers by winning at Levi’s Stadium 21-20 in Week 18 last season, when the 49ers already owned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and thus rested most of their starters for the playoffs.

Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 22

1:25 p.m., CBS

MIAMI DOLPHINS

The 49ers will face former offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins in a rare visit to Miami. The last time the 49ers played a regular-season game there was in 2016. The last time the 49ers played at Hard Rock Stadium was the 2019 season’s Super Bowl loss. The only remaining starters from that team are Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Kyle Juzczyk, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, and McDaniel was the 49ers’ run game coordinator.

Week 17: Monday, Dec. 30

5:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC DETROIT LIONS

It’s a rematch of last season’s NFC championship game, when the 49ers overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit

and advanced with a 34-31 triumph. Motivated by that outcome and last year’s breakout campaign, Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters this spring: “We’re the team with the target on our back, but we’ve circled some people too now. We have targets, too.”

Week 18: Saturday or Sunday Jan. 4 or 5

Time/TV TBD

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Can the 49ers repeat last season’s Week 18 scenario and rest their starters with the No. 1 seed already in hand? The 49ers historically cap regular seasons against NFC West foes, but the last time they ended a season as the Cardinals’ guests was the 2013 finale. The 49ers’ final game in 2020 was in Arizona, but that was a “home” game against the Seahawks, because COVID restrictions prevented them from playing in Santa Clara County.

Quarterback Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions will return to Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 30 for a rematch of the 2024 NFC Championship Game.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

How the (NFC) West will be won

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are coming off another close-but-no-coronation season, and their offense returns intact after producing the franchise’s third-most points ever in a season. Brock Purdy enters his second full season as the starting quarterback, having set the franchise record with 4,280 yards en route to the Pro Bowl. Christian McCaffrey looks to mimic Joe “The Jet” Perry in 1953-54 and win a second straight NFL rushing crown. Nick Sorensen takes over as coordinator of a defense still led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, but that unit needs help from its newcomers to reach championship-caliber status.

Predicted finish: 14-3, Super Bowl champions (36-23 over Chargers)

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams overcame a 3-6 start to win seven of eight before bowing out 24-23 in the wild-card round at Detroit. Defensively, the Rams responded to Aaron Donald’s retirement by spending their top two draft picks on Florida State linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. As valuable as Matthew Stafford is as their Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Kyren Williams ran for 1,144 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, and Michigan’s Blake Corum will back him up. The Rams’ receiving corps can be lethal, with Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp and 2023 rookie phenom Puka Nacua.

Predicted finish: 10-7, second place

Seattle Seahawks

Mike Macdonald has big shoes to fill as head coach. Pete Carroll and his white sneakers presided 14 years over the Seahawks’ greatest era, with 10 playoff trips, two Super Bowl appearances and their lone championship (2013). Geno Smith restructured his contract to remain at quarterback, and Washington castoff Sam Howell is the backup, until a likely 2025 QB overhaul. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are a top-notch wide receiver trio. Leonard Williams re-signed (three years, $65 million) to anchor a defensive front that includes Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. The Seahawks’ biggest defensive changes are at linebacker and safety.

Predicted finish: 6-11, third place

Arizona Cardinals

First-round picks WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and DE Darius Robinson headline a 12-player draft class, including seven taken in the top three rounds. It’s a perennial work-inprogress franchise with no playoff wins since the 2015 season. Harrison went No. 4 overall and provides a scintillating target for Kyler Murray, who enters his sixth season with a 28-36-1 record and a 92.2 passer rating. To protect Murray and his surgically repaired ACL, Paris Johnson Jr. takes over at left tackle, and OT Jonah Williams enters at right tackle. Defensively, the Cardinals spent their other first-round pick on Robinson to help Zaven Collins and B.J. Ojulari chase down Brock Purdy & Co.

Predicted finish: 4-13, fourth place

— CAM INMAN

Fearless football forecasts for 2024

BY JERRY M c DONALD

Patrick Mahomes has done it winging the ball downfield, and he’s done it throwing short. He’s done it from the pocket, on scrambles and designed runs.

So there’s no reason to bet against Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs winning the Super Bowl for the third straight year.

And if the Chiefs only look so-so midway through the year — they visit the 49ers in Week 7 — that doesn’t mean they won’t be playing their best football when it matters most.

Here’s a look at what to expect in the NFL this season:

SUPER BOWL WINNER

Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes has proven it doesn’t matter who plays running back or receiver as long as he’s running the offense, and Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo are the best game-planning as well as game-day coordinators in the game.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Derrick Henry, Baltimore. The league’s premier power runner joins the league’s top power running team. Health permitting, 100 yards per game (1,700 yards) and 15 touchdowns seems like a slam dunk for the former Tennessee Titan.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas. There may not be a more respected player in the NFL when it comes to production tied to maximum effort. The 26-yearold defensive end has 27 sacks and 45 tackles for loss in the last two years. Don’t be surprised if he averages a sack per game in 2024.

Kansas City Chiefs’ Trent McDuffie breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers’ Deebo Samuel in the second quarter of the Super Bowl at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love should be on track for a potential MVP-caliber season.

THEARON W. HENDERSON/GETTY IMAGES

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona. Harrison, the No. 4 pick out of Ohio State, is a step-in-and-start wide receiver who ought to be good for 80-plus catches, 1,200-plus yards and double figure touchdowns in Year 1. If Caleb Williams of Chicago can be anywhere near as good as Harrison’s college teammate C.J. Stroud a year ago, the Bears’ new QB will challenge Harrison for ROY honors.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Jared Verse, L.A. Rams. The Rams of late have been the NFL’s best at developing their own talent, even when going without a first-round draft pick. L.A. didn’t have to make much of a reach with Verse, an explosive edge player out of Florida State. He is the Rams’ first pick in the first round (No. 19) since Jared Goff in 2016.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles Chargers. He’s corny and downright strange, but damned if Harbaugh doesn’t get teams to play for him. And play hard. Getting the Chargers in the playoffs will be Step 1 in his return

to the NFL after nine seasons — and a national championship — at his alma mater Michigan.

FEARLESS 49ERS FORECAST

Hard to see the 49ers winning fewer than 11 games, even with the Chiefs on the schedule and road assignments in Buffalo and Green Bay. Of particular interest will be the challenge presented by the Rams within the NFC West.

Expect Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay’s teams to be battling to the end.

FIRST COACH FIRED

Dennis Allen, New Orleans. The Saints overhauled their offensive system, which is seldom a good thing when Derek Carr is the quarterback. Once the Saints get to 10 losses, expect Allen to be out of work and looking over potential defensive coordinator jobs in 2025.

GAME OF THE YEAR

The 49ers host the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20 at Levi’s Stadium. The Chiefs beat the 49ers the last two times they played in the Super Bowl as well as a one-sided win in Santa Clara during the 2023 regular season. Expect the 49ers to be watching Mahomes closely.

OFFSEASON MOVES THAT WILL MEAN THE MOST IN 2024

Atlanta’s decision to go all in on 35-yearold quarterback Kirk Cousins (four years, $180 million) got even more interesting when they hedged their bets and took former University of Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft. Keenan Allen (L.A. Chargers to Chicago) gives Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams an instant reliable target.

PLAYERS UNDER FULLTIME INJURY WATCH

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 40, will be watched as closely for how his repaired Achilles responds as for his eccentric behavior pattern off the field. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, at age 27 and entering

Jim Harbaugh coached the University of Michigan to the national championship in 2024 before returning to the NFL, taking the head coach position with the Los Angeles Chargers.

GODOFREDO A. VASQUEZ/ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Running back Derrick Henry is leaving the Titans to join the Ravens and could be a potential candidate for Offensive Player of the Year.

MADDIE MEYER/ GETTY IMAGES

his fifth season, is already pondering his NFL mortality after ACL, calf and wrist injuries over the past few seasons.

THE TREVOR LAWRENCE GAMBLE

Trevor Lawrence’s production hasn’t come close to what Jacksonville hoped for when they gave him a five-year extension worth a maximum of $275 million. The Jaguars are still rolling with him, and that deal will benefit the Packers’ Jordan Love and the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and in another year, the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, when the Jaguars begin negotiating for multi-year contract extensions.

BRADY, BELICHICK IN THE BOOTH

As successful as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick were with the New England Patriots, they were a total bore when it came to interaction with the media. But fans will be surprised this year when both are very good at their new gigs — Brady as a Fox analyst and Belichick on the Manningcast as well as with Pat McAfee.

How the NFL division and wild-card races shape up in 2024

BY JERRY MCDONALD

NFC West

49ers. Still the most loaded roster in the NFL, in part because star QB Brock Purdy remains for now under his well-below-market original contract, freeing up salary to pay others. Purdy will get a significant bump before next season. He entered camp tied for 67th among NFL quarterbacks with a bargain base salary of $985,000.

NFC North

Detroit Lions. Their second-half collapse in the NFC championship game against the Niners should be motivation enough to keep Jared Goff and Co. striving for the top, but expect the going to be much tougher now that the Lions won’t sneak up on anybody.

Wild cards

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons invested in a solid, no-frills leader at quarterback in Kirk Cousins and just as importantly, made a smart hire in Raheem Morris as head coach. They’ll run the ball well, and it ought to be enough for nine or 10 wins in the NFL’s weakest division.

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles. The defending NFC champs backed down like a disgraced bully after the 49ers punched them in the nose on their home turf last December. Nick Siriani saved his job by dumping his coordinators, and the Eagles added Saquon Barkley in hopes he can be another Christian McCaffrey.

Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys. Matt LaFleur knows how to organize and motivate a winner, and the Packers have the right quarterback in Jordan Love. Expect the Rams to go down to the wire with the 49ers and split with them in the regular season. The Cowboys will surrender the division title to the Eagles, and it will cost Mike McCarthy his job after a quick playoff exit.

On the outside looking in

Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were far better than expected a year ago, and that includes Baker Mayfield following Tom Brady at quarterback. But with them ranked 23rd in the NFL in both offense and defense, the guess here was they overachieved and will find their level.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs. They have won eight straight division titles, and there’s no reason to think they won’t get No. 9 this season. The roster actually looks upgraded from 2023.

AFC South

Houston Texans. The Texans are a trendy Super Bowl pick because of quarterback C.J. Stroud, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and the leadership of DeMeco Ryans and Nick Caserio. Trendy picks are dangerous, but heck, the Lions were one last year and did just fine.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens. Few teams are as good at identifying talent that fits into their vision on both sides of the ball and then coming up short when it matters. But the Ravens are as good as it gets in the regular season.

Wild cards

AFC East

Buffalo Bills. Detractors say the championship window for the Bills, similar to the 49ers, is closing. But they still have Josh Allen at quarterback and got rid of the Stefon Diggs headache when they traded the talented but disgruntled wide receiver to Houston.

Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers. It’s a pretty crowded AFC field, but health permitting, it’s hard to go against Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers and Justin Herbert as playoff quarterbacks.

On the outside looking in

Las Vegas Raiders. Are you buying what Antonio Pierce is selling? When was the last time a coach came in and won on the force of his personality? His quarterbacks are Gardner Minshew and Aiden O’Connell, and he’ll probably have to use both. No chance.

Following in their footsteps

The sons of former 49ers greats are hitting the gridiron this season

BY JOSEPH DYCUS

Niners fans should prepare for a trip down memory lane this NFL season. Rice, Owens and McCaffrey hauling in passes. Gore running the football. Stone battling at the line of scrimmage.

The names may be familiar to the 49ers Faithful, even if the players are not.

Jerry Rice, Frank Gore, Terrell Owens, Ed McCaffrey and Ron Stone are not coming out of retirement. But sons of those former 49ers stars will be getting their first taste of the NFL this fall, as rookies Brenden Rice, Frank Gore Jr., Terique Owens, Luke McCaffrey and Ron Stone Jr. head into training camp.

The fathers all played at least 13 seasons in the NFL and made 28 Pro Bowl appearances among them. Rice and McCaffrey — who is also 49ers star Christian’s dad — won Super Bowls with the 49ers. Stone got two rings with the Cowboys.

But that doesn’t mean the players — or their dads — are setting the bar any lower for this generation.

USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, left, speaks with his father, former NFL player Jerry Rice, at the end of the USC Spring Game at the Los Angeles Coliseum on April 15, 2023.

RAUL ROMERO JR., CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

Jerry Rice, who caught 49 passes for 927 yards and three TDs as a rookie on the way to becoming the greatest receiver in NFL history, was not pleased when Brenden dropped from a projected middle-round pick to the seventh and final round of the draft.

“My dad was hot,” Brenden said. “The first words he said were, ‘Time to go to work. I will be with you every step of the way.’ He said, ‘Now, I’m going to be involved in all of your workouts from now on, and we have a lot of people to prove wrong.’ It’s going to be one hell of a story.”

The Gores might have an even better story after Frank Jr. went undrafted. The eldest son of the NFL’s No. 3 all-time leading rusher was scooped up by the Buffalo Bills as a free agent.

“Tell them they better be ready — trust me,” Frank Sr. told NFL insider Josina Anderson shortly after the draft snub. “I know what I’m raising. Folks slept on my son; they slept on me, too. They’ll see. My bloodline is for real. Our (pre-draft) testing was identical. All the scouts were like you can tell that’s my son… Buffalo got a dog, I promise you that. I don’t give a (expletive) about a draft pick.”

Here’s a look at where the former 49ers’ sons are beginning their NFL careers:

Brenden Rice

WR, Los Angeles Chargers

The former USC receiver landed with the Chargers as the 225th overall pick — 32 spots ahead of the final spot and “Mr. Irrelevant” status, although that situation has worked out pretty well for 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.

Despite his low draft status, Rice could see the field on more than special teams in the first year of the Jim Harbaugh era.

Above: Former NFL running back Frank Gore Sr., left, celebrates with his son Frank Gore Jr. after Southern Miss defeated Rice on December 17, 2022.

JONATHAN BACHMAN/GETTY IMAGES

Right: Terrell Owens, left, and son Terique Owens arrive at the ESPY Awards on July 11, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

DAMIAN DOVARGANES/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Solid but unspectacular veterans

DJ Chark and Joshua Palmer are backed up by unproven second-year pro Quentin Johnston and rookie Ladd McConkey.

Brenden Rice started his career at Colorado before transferring to USC. He was a reliable target for 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and 2024 top draft pick Caleb Williams for two years, piling up 1,255 yards and 15

touchdowns over two years. And Rice has made it clear he wants to make a name for himself.

“I’m in the best position possible to make my own legacy,” Brenden said. “Everything’s upon me. If you guys don’t see me coming on this fall, that’s on me. If you guys see me out there, then I put in the necessary work to put my best foot in the door and go out there and produce.”

Frank Gore Jr.

RB, Buffalo Bills

Like his father, Gore Jr. is short (5-foot-8) but stout (200 pounds) and quicker than he is fast. He rushed for a bowl-record 329 yards for Southern Mississippi in the 2022 LendingTree Bowl against Luke McCaffrey’s Rice Owls. He capped off his college career by being named

Valor Christian take a moment during the 2018 Class 5A state football championship game against Cherry Creek at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.

HYOUNG CHANG/ THE DENVER POST

Offensive MVP at the East-West Shrine Game.

“It pushed me a lot,” Gore Jr. said of going undrafted. “There’s no way 257 people are better than me in this draft, but now that that process is over, I’m a Bill, I’m here to compete, and I’m here to push my teammates and push the running back room and try to do it on special teams.”

Gore Jr. rushed for 4,022 yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons at Southern Miss and will get his NFL start where his dad played the penultimate season of his 16-year career in 2019.

James Cook has the starting spot locked up after rushing for over 1,000 yards and adding 445 yards through the air, but Gore Jr. could take carries from fourth-round rookie Ray Davis and so-so vets Ty Johnson and Darrynton Evans with an impressive preseason.

Terique Owens WR, 49ers

Like his father, a University of Tennessee-Chattanooga graduate, Terique played on the small college stage. Owens graduated from Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd before playing for Contra Costa College (2018), Florida Atlantic (2019-20) and Missouri State (2021-23).

Terique wasn’t drafted, but signed as a free agent with the 49ers. He faces steep competition to make the roster after the 49ers added Ricky Pearsall in the first round and Ronnie Bell shined in limited snaps last season.

The 6-foot-3 receiver has his father’s frame, but his production left much to be desired at Missouri State. Owens had 528 receiving yards and four touchdowns as a senior, his biggest game being a 140-yard, two-touchdown day against Utah Tech.

“He plays similar to me at the beginning of my career,” Terrell said in April, when Terique worked out at the 49ers’ Local Pro Day at Levi’s Stadium. “He’s raw, he’s green, and he hasn’t had a lot of reps and experience. That’s what will help him.”

Ron Stone Jr. DE, Raiders

Stone Jr. is hoping to follow his father as a standout on an NFL line with the Las Vegas Raiders, albeit on the defensive side of the ball. Stone Jr. starred at Valley Christian in San Jose while coached by his father, who spent two seasons with the 49ers as part of a 12-year NFL career.

“I didn’t get the O-lineman genetics, but I got the athlete genetics from him,” Stone Jr. said after the 49ers’ Local Pro Day.

The younger Stone spent six years at Washington State, where he had 16 career sacks and made 11 tackles for loss last season. He was on Washington State’s last bowl-winning team in 2018, a squad led by the late Mike Leach, and was a team captain last season.

Stone will be competing for snaps behind Malcolm Koonce and established All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Vets Adam Butler and Janarius Robinson are listed on the second string, and 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson will see snaps on the edge.

Luke McCaffrey WR, Commanders

Washington selected Christian McCaffrey’s younger brother with the 100th pick of the draft, completing a remarkable college career that saw the onetime highly touted prep quarterback transition to wideout at Rice.

McCaffrey, who started under center at Nebraska before moving out wide for the Owls, had 1,715 receiving yards and caught 19 touchdowns playing the position his father Ed did during a 13-year NFL career. Thirteen of Luke’s TDs came in 2023 during an all-AAC season.

Like Rice, McCaffrey will have an opportunity to shine for a first-year coach (Dan Quinn). Perennial star Terry McLaurin and former first-rounder Jahan Dotson have the top two spots locked down, but ESPN has McCaffrey slotted as the team’s No. 3 receiver.

“It’s awesome to take tips from (Christian), my dad and older brother, and put all that together,” Luke told reporters at the NFL scouting combine. “Being the youngest, I was always the observer, and I got to learn from everybody. That was such an influence.”

Luke McCaffrey, left, and his father and head coach Ed McCaffrey of

WORDS TO THE WISE

Four Niners quarterbacks give advice to a dreamer

BY CAM INMAN

So you want to be an NFL quarterback, maybe even for the 49ers? That dream requires several traits beyond talent, hard work and your unique path.

Receiving advice helps, too.

Riley Leonard got four of the 49ers’ all-time greats to share their wisdom with him this spring, and all the Notre Dame senior quarterback had to do was ask.

Leonard, who transferred to the Irish after three seasons at Duke, stood up in the audience during the Dwight Clark Legacy Series in downtown San Jose in May and posed a question to 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and his predecessors Steve Young, Jeff Garcia and Alex Smith:

What would they tell themselves as NFL rookies?

Leonard, a potential firstround draft pick whose mom famously texts her son the message “you suck” before every game to keep his ego in check, and the rest of the crowd were all ears.

Smith, the 49ers’ No. 1 overall draft pick in 2005, emphasized self-belief and an ability to embrace adversity.

“Be confident in yourself. You’re good enough,” Smith replied. “Enjoy the process. We get caught up so much in the destination. Your daily habits make the most difference. All of us, whether you’re the first pick or the last, the road is not easy.”

Smith had a trying first six seasons with the 49ers, stymied

by coaching turnover; injuries and, especially, a weak supporting cast. Then he led the 2011 49ers to an epic playoff win and got their 2012 team on track to the Super Bowl before his midseason concussion opened the door for Colin Kaepernick to take his job.

Smith made perennial playoff runs with Kansas City, lost his job to Patrick Mahomes and then faced his greatest adversity yet with a life-threatening leg injury in 2018 while in Washington. He returned in 2020 to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, then retired and became a sharp television analyst for ESPN.

“There will be struggles. Embrace the struggles,” Smith said. “You were meant to go through it, and you will be better for having gone through it. Sometimes adversity strikes. I’ve been there — it’s too heavy; you don’t want it; it’s uncomfortable. But you get on the other side of it, and that is where growth happens.”

While Smith was a No. 1 pick, Purdy famously was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 draft, and he surged from a fourth-string camp arm to a playoff-powering rookie. While reaching the Super Bowl with a surgically repaired elbow last season, Purdy put his processing skills on full display.

“As a young player, you jumped on the field against the Dolphins and started processing,” Young said to Purdy. “How would you tell (Leonard) to get ready to do that? To me, that’s

the thing, if you could take that quality and spread it around, we’d be so blessed.”

Purdy knew just what to relay to Leonard, who passed for 4,450 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons at Duke, but missed 11 games as a Blue Devil because of injuries.

Rather than focus on turning into an NFL-bound quarterback, Purdy emphasized the importance of “being where you are right now, playing right now, not trying to jump to a conclusion of getting to the NFL so fast.

“There is a process to life,” Purdy said. “A lot of people nowadays want to skip the process. They want to get to places because they see guys where they’re at. They don’t want to go through the good and bad.”

What helped Purdy make such a stunning transition to the NFL was his vast experience in college. Leonard, like Purdy, is a four-year college quarterback.

“I played four years at Iowa State, so all those reps, defenses, schemes, seeing different safety structures and blitzes, it all added up,” Purdy said, “so when I got in (for his 49ers debut) against Miami, dude, I felt I was back at Iowa State playing 11-on-11.”

Young made it from BYU’s eighth-string quarterback to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though it took stops in the now-defunct USFL and then two miserable years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the 49ers’ 1980s dynasty and ultimately succeeding another Notre Dame quarterback of note, Joe Montana.

In this day and age, when NFL prospects get poked, prodded, measured and quizzed in the months leading up to the draft, Young wished there were a way to test a college quarterback’s adrenaline levels in games.

“Pressure builds, and so do expectations and the crowd yells. What is the reaction that quarterback has? Because 99 percent

of human beings, when the adrenaline flows and pressure builds and expectations grow, your mind narrows, you get tighter, and you’re not performing to your full self,” Young said. “In college, you can get through it without knowing this. But in the NFL, it is the great filter.”

The great ones, Young added, are those who are calm under pressure. His predecessor, four-time Super Bowl champion Montana, remember, went by the nickname of Joe Cool.

“You can watch (a prospect) throw, run around and take tests that translate how that’s important. But in the NFL, when you are on the field and have to process play after play against the best athletes in the world, how does your body respond to the adrenaline?” Young said. “If you play in the NFL long, you pass that test.”

It took Garcia a few years to enter the NFL exam room on game days. The former San Jose State star went undrafted and unsigned before launching his professional career in Canada. Ultimately, he got his shot with the 1999 49ers, replaced an injured Young, became a three-time Pro Bowler over five seasons with the 49ers and ultimately retired from the NFL after the 2011 season.

Garcia emphasized that every young player, regardless of position or age, should embrace the moment at hand.

“You have opportunities in life that we all know are precious and few,” Garcia said. “Are you prepared to take advantage? Have you done the necessary work mentally and physically to be prepared for when that moment strikes to capitalize on it?

“Do that right now. Then you can ask questions like what is it like to be the rookie quarterback because you’re drafted or signed,” Garcia added. “It’s a precious few to be in that position and you still have one more year to show you’re worthy of it.”

Clockwise from top left: Jeff Garcia, Brock Purdy, Alex Smith, Steve Young.

BOOK EXCERPT

The short, spectacular career of linebacker Patrick Willis lives on in San Francisco

BY CAM INMAN ILLUSTRATION BY MARTIN SATI

Patrick Willis’ retirement from the San Francisco 49ers came like one of his signature tackles: a sudden, hard-hitting, ground-shaking impact. “Speed kills, and to have running back speed at 238 pounds is remarkable,” former 49ers linebacker Gary Plummer said upon Willis’ March 2015 retirement. “He was so aggressive. What you want as a linebacker is no wasted steps.”

Willis’ feet cruelly ran out of steps before he could finish his eighth season as one of the NFL’s best-ever linebackers. Even after his toe surgery in November 2014, Willis hoped to prolong his days in a No. 52 jersey. He relayed to his fans via Instagram that he was determined to get back on the field, to be better than ever and that “the road back starts now.”

Alas, that was the end of the road in a career that began with him winning NFL Rookie of the Year honors in 2007, with a league-leading 174 tackles for a 5–11 team. Seven straight Pro Bowl nods came his way, as did six All-Pro selections up until that final 2014 season, which was limited to six games. At age 30, however, he was done. “I always heard [NFL] football was for Not For Long,” Willis said in May 2023. “Whether it ended tomorrow or four years from now, I wanted to be able to evaluate and stop and say,

Longtime sports writer Cam Inman’s upcoming book, “The Franchise: San Francisco 49ers,” looks at past and modernera football stars, with forewords by Frank Gore and George Kittle. This excerpt, shared by Triumph Books, focuses on Patrick Willis and honors his 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.

‘Look at this time. I was giving it everything I had.’ That’s what I was graded on — not what could have been, what I should have done. Take what you see and do what you will with it.”

Various Halls of Fame beckoned. The year he retired from the NFL, his alma mater welcomed him into the Ole Miss Sports Hall of Fame. Four years later, he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2021, the 49ers ushered him into their Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. 49ers Hall of Fame, complete with a statue of him celebrating a tackle. In 2023, Willis entered the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASHOF) alongside San Francisco Giants baseball star Buster Posey, who took the Bay Area by storm alongside Steph Curry in their prime. The Pro Football Hall of Fame passed in his first four years of eligibility, but he earned induction in 2024. “He was a throwback player that could have played in our era, could have played with Ronnie Lott, could have played with Dick Butkus,” said Plummer, a 49ers linebacker from 1994 to 1997 who served as their radio color analyst as Willis helped build a playoff contender. “He wasn’t a showboat. He went out and was a beast on the field.” Mike Singletary, who had a hand in Willis’ development — begrudgingly at first — agreed. While presenting Willis at the 2023 BASHOF ceremony, Singletary recalled scouting Willis in college, how he saw an “OK” linebacker who often played hurt with bandages on his hand and knee and foot. “Then someone told me before his last year, he had a devastating situation where his brother drowned,” Singletary recalled. “Patrick played that year lights out. I didn’t really need to see any film on him after that. I said, ‘Man we have to get this guy.’ ”

Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker with the Chicago

After Patrick Willis’ first practice, linebackers coach Mike Singletary told head coach Mike Nolan:

“This guy is going to be All-Pro this year. ... This guy has the ability to be the best ever.”

Bears in the 1980s, joined the 49ers in 2005 as linebackers coach, eventually replacing Mike Nolan during the 2008 season. Coaching Willis wasn’t a pet project. It was a passion. Willis was drafted No. 11 overall, 17 spots before the 49ers found their franchise left tackle in Joe Staley. Willis would have to abandon his childhood ties rooting for the rival Dallas Cowboys. Two other things crossed his mind when he heard Singletary on a congratulatory call: bag drills in practice and California’s taxes. It was time to leave Tennessee, where his challenging childhood in Bruceton included an abusive, alcoholic father. Willis and his siblings would move in under the guardianship of his high school basketball coach, Chris Finley, and his wife, Julie. “I grew up watching ‘Baywatch’ and ‘Crocodile Dundee’ and being a kid from the South. It’s hot summers with some ponds, but you didn’t see the ocean,” Willis recalled. “I remember as a kid saying, ‘One day I want to live somewhere like that and drive a nice car on a nice open highway.’ Then I got drafted by the 49ers, and it wasn’t long before I had this moment. I walked out on my balcony, the sun was shining and hitting me just right. I said, ‘I’m having a real-time moment. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.’”

He made an instant impact all right. After Willis’ first practice, Singletary told Nolan: “This guy is going to be All-Pro this year.”

“Come on now, don’t overdo it, Mike,” Nolan responded.

“I’m telling you, man. I just came from Baltimore, coaching Ray Lewis, and I’m telling you: This guy has the ability to be the best ever.”

They’d already coached Willis in the Senior Bowl. So his potential wasn’t hidden, and even Nolan suggested on draft day how great it would be if Willis drew comparisons to Lewis “in

Patrick Willis was enshrined in the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame during the Aug. 3 ceremony in Canton, Ohio. NICK CAMMETT/GETTY IMAGES

three or four years.”

Well, four years later, Lewis, the Baltimore Ravens great, told ESPN that Willis “emulates me a lot. I just love the way he plays the game. He plays the game with a fire. He reminds me of myself — a lot, a lot, a lot.”

Willis thrived in a starring role on the 49ers’ defense, eventually forming an All-Pro tandem with NaVorro Bowman as the 49ers reached three consecutive NFC championship games in the 2011–13 seasons. Willis became only the third defensive player in NFL history to earn Pro Bowl berths in each of his first seven seasons. The others were Pro Football Hall of Famers Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas. Ronnie Lott was the

only other 49ers player to make the Pro Bowl in his first four seasons. “When you buckle the chin strap, there are no friends,” Willis said in 2023. “It’s straight business. It’s game time. I’d have to tell Marshawn [Lynch] that, because he’d try to talk between the lines and I’d say, ‘Man, stop talking to me. We’ll talk when the game’s over.’ It’s just about knowing what needs to get done and getting it done.”

Willis’ chatter was limited to pregame huddles. That’s where he would look at his teammates, give them a fierce look, and shout: “THIS! IS! THE! DAY!”

He’d pause, shoot that look again, and continue: “The day that we put an end to all the critics!”

San Francisco 49ers

linebacker

Patrick Willis sacks Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the third quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Jan. 13, 2013.

JIM GENSHEIMER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

The best days, or at least the most meaningful and triumphant ones, came as Willis unknowingly entered the twilight of his career. He’d paid his dues before his first winning season came in 2011 with coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio pulling the strings instead of Nolan and Singletary.

The 49ers were 9–1 when they marched into Baltimore on Thanksgiving night that 2011 season. They lost 16–6 to a Ravens team that didn’t suit up Lewis because —of all things —a toe injury. The following season Willis and the 49ers lost in the Super Bowl to the Ravens in Lewis’ final game as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Willis’ finale unexpectedly

came Oct. 13, 2014, in St. Louis, where his toe got caught in the Edward Jones Dome’s artificial turf amid a 31–17 victory against the Rams. The left toe, he revealed two days later, had bothered him for years, comparing it to the tread wearing thin on a car’s tires and preventing him from going full speed in case of a tire blowout. When it did blow out, and he had to retire, former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart posted on Twitter. “Still have a chipped tooth from [Willis] knocking me out,” he wrote “Congrats on a GREAT career man! Not a nicer guy out there!” Willis indeed got up and on with his life after his career’s abrupt ending. Ole Miss brought him back as a commencement speaker, prompting these inspiring words: “Purpose, vision and passion when aligned creates a force, a will that is hard to stop. So, for the Class of 2020, as you go forward, do it with purpose, do it with vision and do it with passion.”

As Bay Area native Tom Brady headed for his sixth Super Bowl win with the New England Patriots, a retired Willis couldn’t fathom what Brady was doing at age 41 — or envision him winning a seventh ring two years later with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “That’s crazy,” Willis said in a January 2019 interview. “Mentally, when I finished, I felt so old and tired. How can guys play forever like that all those years?”

In the end, it wasn’t about how long he played but rather how he played. With Willis’ blazing speed, brick-wall force and resilience in triumphing over life’s obstacles, his legacy is stamped forever in 49ers lore.

“I saw this young man overcome one thing after another,” Singletary said. “Every time he got punched, every time he got knocked down, he just kept getting back up. I love a man that gets up every time.”

Wives and girlfriends of powerful sports figures share the limelight in the modern era

BY MARTHA ROSS

When Kristin and Kyle Juszczyk appeared at a Women of the Niners fan event late last year, she was the star of the night — not her All-Pro fullback husband.

The up-and-coming DIY fashion designer shared her insights on how to repurpose Levi’s jeans jackets and old team jerseys into chic, sports-themed outfits to display their 49ers team spirit.

“So many amazing women — and we get to inspire each other and be creative,” Kristin told the crowd.

In a few weeks, she would be hailed as one of America’s exciting new fashion talents, after she sewed a red puffer jacket that went viral when mega-star Taylor Swift wore it to the Jan. 13 Kansas City Chiefs game to cheer on her new boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

At the 49ers event in December, it was Kristin who was cheered on by her significant other, a role reversal of sorts in the NFL world. Kyle stood on the sidelines as his wife, dressed in a chic, businesslike houndstooth jacket, did a Q&A with fans and posed for selfies.

“In December, going towards a playoff push, Kyle still put in the time to go out of his way and make sure Kristin felt his support,” said Nick Clarke, 49ers senior manager for fan engagement. “It just shows a great dynamic and a really great, healthy example of how a couple can support each other in a very public-facing way.”

Together, Kristin and Kyle Juszczyk presented the

image of a modern, egalitarian NFL couple, a template that grabbed America’s attention in 2023 with the romance of Swift and tight end Kelce. As Swift embraced her boyfriend’s profession — attending 13 Chiefs games in between performing to sold-out arenas on her blockbuster Eras tour — the NFL hero showed he was perfectly fine dating a woman who was richer and more famous than he was.

The public consumed the “Traylor” coupling on multiple levels: as a once-in-a-generation celebrity story heightened by the intersection of entertainment and sports and as a rich marketing opportunity for Swift, Kelce and the NFL. Deep thinkers also pondered whether America’s fascination with the romance marked a cultural shift in people’s views on gender roles and whether this shift was seeping into the historically patriarchal NFL. However one looks at it, here’s how it continues to play out.

Leading up to the 2024 season, the media breathlessly reported that Kelce went to his 13th Eras concert — 13 famously being Swift’s lucky number — before heading off to training camp and sporting a jaunty new mustache. Ongoing excitement about this couple continues to extend to other players’ wives and girlfriends, from Kristin Juszczyk to former Miss Universe, model Olivia Culpo, whose June wedding to 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey was covered by Vogue magazine. Brittany Mahomes, Swift’s new BFF, also garnered headlines when she announced she’s expecting her third child with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Kristin Juszczyk posed for selfies with fans at the Women of the Niners Fit Check Night in December 2023.

KYM FORTINO/49ERS

Meanwhile, Netflix launched “Receiver,” an eight-part series that tells the stories of five star athletes who play this position. The series notably devotes time to the personal lives of Claire Kittle, Mahogany Jones and Devanne Villareal, the partners, respectively, of George Kittle and Deebo Samuel of the 49ers and Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders. Samuel and Adams also reveal a softer side of their tough-guy personas, as they’re seen sharing in parenting duties and as Adams proudly declares himself a “Girl Dad.”

In recent years, the NFL has sought to shed its reputation as a boys-only club, centered on men’s interest in a combative sport that’s likened to war. The league also has struggled to overcome a succession of sexual assault, sexual harassment and domestic violence scandals.

Teams like the 49ers have been very public about their efforts to better mirror American society by touting initiatives to hire increasing numbers of women, especially in leadership positions. As it stands, some 41 percent of employees in the NFL office are women. The 49ers also are proud that Denise DeBartolo York co-owns the team and more than half its interns are women, added Christina Jefferson, the team’s senior director of inclusion and culture.

“I can say it’s been a really nice place for us to work,” Jefferson said.

Above all, the NFL likes to say that women and girls, ages 8 and up, constitute about 46 percent of the league’s fan base, according to a 2021 survey. Both the 49ers and the league as a whole want women to see that “it’s a great community,” Clarke said.

Certainly, the NFL benefited from last season’s “Taylor Swift effect,” a documented surge in sponsorships, ratings and female viewership across different age demographics. Specifically,

Zeta Insights data showed that Swift’s appearances, including at Super Bowl LVIII, boosted NFL viewership in the ages 12-17 demographic by 8 percent, which is “significant,” said Angeline Close Scheinbaum, an associate professor in sports marketing at Clemson University’s Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business.

“In many ways, Taylor Swift is a role model,” Scheinbaum said. “She’s just really showing how to

Kristin Juszczyk sports one of her own customdesigned jackets on the Levi’s Stadium sideline before a Jan. 7 game.

CAM INMAN/STAFF

truly be boss.”

Ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell agreed that Swift’s attendance attracted young women to watch the sport. He said they wanted to know, “’Why is (Taylor Swift) interested in this game?’ I think that’s great for us.”

With Swift’s enthusiasm for football, the 14-time Grammy winner was said to be entering her “WAG” era, with the media reviving an early 2000s term

that British tabloids once cheekily applied to Victoria Beckham and other female partners of English soccer players.

By celebrating the newly anointed “WAGs” in football, the media highlighted the fashions and personal pursuits of Kristin Juszczyk, Brittany Mahomes, Claire Kittle and others, transforming them into aspirational figures. Stories about them, in turn, brought a windfall of positive press for the NFL.

Mahomes, for example, was featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue before the Super Bowl, with a story that described the former pro soccer player and entrepreneur as a “modern-day powerhouse.” Mahomes used the opportunity to deliver a female empowerment message: “Be confident in who you are, and be unapologetically yourself.”

Lauded for landing a licensing deal with the NFL to produce stylish, sports-themed fashions, Kristin Juszczyk was showcased in a New York Times profile in May in which she talked about turning her DIY hobby into a small but growing business.

“I just have my head down, trying to get this business off the ground and get designs into fans’ hands,” she said.

The public enthusiasm and media coverage of NFL wives and girlfriends is a major departure from seasons past. In the traditional football marriage, a woman’s career is supposed to take a back seat to her husband’s success and the needs of the team, according to the 2020 book, “The Sport Marriage,” by Steven Ortiz, an associate professor of sociology at Oregon State University. Ortiz argues that this model still prevails, largely out of necessity. Players’ “astronomical” salaries mean they have to meet high performance expectations, forcing them to adhere to intense training and travel schedules that leave their wives and girlfriends in subordinate positions.

Ayesha Curry has been credited with helping to pioneer the idea that the wife of a decorated athlete, like Golden State Warriors Steph Curry, can be a successful multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and media personality in her own right. But Curry has been the target of social media criticism claiming her pursuits can be a distraction to the game. Swift faced similar accusations for much of last season, but the grumbling seemed to end with

the Super Bowl, after she jetted in from Japan to watch Kelce and the Chiefs defeat the 49ers and take home their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy. By May, the growing tide in favor of the modern NFL couple left Kelce’s teammate, kicker Harrison Butker, on the receiving end of national backlash for publicly extolling the sexist, “tradwife” view of women and marriage. During a commencement speech at a Catholic liberal arts college in Kansas, Butker lectured young female graduates to not believe the “diabolical lies told to women” about seeking personal fulfillment outside the home.

The NFL notably distanced itself from Butker’s views, saying they “are not those of the NFL as an organization. The NFL is steadfast in our commitment to inclusion, which only makes our league stronger.” Kelce also politely but publicly disagreed with his teammate, saying on his “New Heights” podcast that, “I can’t say I agree with the majority of (his speech) or just about any of it.”

A month later, Kelce created a viral moment that spurred more talk about pro athletes embracing a more enlightened view of relationships. The 6-foot-5 Kelce donned a dapper, Fred Astaire-style top hat and tails to join Swift on stage at one of her London concerts as her backup performer during a song transition, playfully kicking up his heels and pantomiming encouragement to his exhausted girlfriend to get back on her feet to sing.

ESPN analyst Pat McAfee embraced Kelce’s performance as a watershed cultural moment, explaining that he risked looking foolish but instead, created a new, enlightened version of the “football man,” a guy secure in himself that he can unabashedly support his partner and “prove to the world that chivalry is not dead.”

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce embraces singer Taylor Swift after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 during Super Bowl LVIII at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11.

EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey greets Olivia Culpo before an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers Jan. 21, in Santa Clara.

ASHLEY

PRESS

LEVI’S STADIUM MARKS A DECADE

Here are some secrets about the Niners playground

BY JOAN MORRIS

It’s hard to believe, but Levi’s Stadium, home of the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers, turned 10 in July. We might think we know everything there is to know about the Santa Clara stadium, but just like Brock Purdy’s unexpected rise from Mr. Irrelevant to the MVP-caliber QB known to fans as Glock Purdy, Levi’s still has some surprises and some of them are free.

WEAR THE GOLD, SKIP THE RED

Heavy coats were often game day attire at Candlestick, but those chilly Bay winds don’t reach Levi’s, and depending on the start time, it can get very sunny indeed. No need to go home roasted. You’ll find free sunscreen at nine stations throughout the stadium.

VALET, PLEASE

Bay Area traffic can get a bit snarly, and the roads around Levi’s are no exception. Some fans avoid the crush by biking to the game, but as you can’t take your bike to your seat, the stadium offers free bicycle valet service. (There are bike lockers available, too.)

TAY-TAY GETS HER WAY-WAY

Although Taylor Swift might have questionable taste in football teams, there’s no doubt that the mega star pretty much gets what she wants. As a reminder that it’s Taylor’s world, and we just live here, Levi’s lifted its ban on friendship bracelets when the singer brought her Eras tour to the Bay Area. (Still banned at football games, though: confetti, fireworks, projectiles and ... silverware.)

Allison Pan, of San Jose, left, trades bracelets with Roya Amirsheybani, of Modesto, before attending Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour at Levi’s Stadium July 28, 2023.

Above: San Francisco 49ers fan Troy Arias, 10, from Lemoore, tries to get the attention of players before their game against the Los Angeles Rams Nov. 15, 2021.

NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

QUIET, PLEASE

Crowd noise is great for spurring the Niners to victory and making it hard for the opposing quarterback to call out signals. But klaxons, bullhorns, whistles and other noisemakers are on the taboo list. That said, the stadium crew blasts a foghorn before the start of every game, to mark the second half and to celebrate every Niners touchdown.

YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT

No misbehaving! Levi’s has its own jail. OK, technically it’s a holding facility — one of two operated by the Santa Clara Police Department (the other temporary holding facility is at department headquarters). Officers use the facility to process and temporarily house individuals who have been arrested during games and events. (If you were thinking this might be a good way to enjoy a free game or concert, it’s so not.)

CAR TROUBLE?

The stadium also has tow trucks on site, so if you get a flat in the parking lot or your battery goes dead, don’t despair.

START ’EM YOUNG

If this is your child’s first Niners game, your kiddo can pick up a “My First 49ers Game” certificate at the Dignity Health Plaza, Gate C. Certificates are available through halftime every game day.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

Of course a Silicon Valley stadium would be high tech. Whether you need help finding your seat (1,700 high tech beacons are ready to guide you), feel peckish in the third quarter (you can have food and drink delivered to your seat) or want to find the shortest lines to the loo, there’s a stadium app to help.

San Francisco

DID SOMEONE SAY FOOD?

Levi’s has more than 80 places to get food and drinks during the game, from burgers and pizza to lumpia and crab sandwiches. But you just can’t beat a good hot dog, which is the crowd favorite. More than 50,000 hot dogs are consumed each game day.

RECEPTIONS, OFF THE FIELD

There are also 400 miles of data cable and 70 miles of Wi-Fi support cable running through the building. So if you’re avoiding the boss’ calls and ignoring texts, don’t say it was because you didn’t have a signal.

WHERE’S THE LOVE?

Although longtime fans still shed a tear or two for the demise of Candlestick, Niners fans have embraced Levi’s over the years. The rest of the football world has not been as enamored. In the New York Times’ annual rankings of the 30 NFL stadiums, Levi’s consistently is ranked No. 12.

PASS THE GRASS

When Levi’s opened a decade ago, it had a grass problem. The natural turf wasn’t holding up, and complaints of soggy spots, divots and trip-prone areas were heard repeatedly. The field conditions were almost as bad as the practice field the 49ers were forced to navigate at the Super Bowl. It took a couple of years to get things right, but now the all-natural grass field is planted with Tifway II Bermuda grass.

WHO BEAT THE WRESTLERS?

For eight years, WrestleMania held the Levi’s attendance record, attracting 76,796 fans in 2015. That record was shattered in 2023 when 80,000 people showed up to hear Ed Sheeran on his +–=÷× tour. Who said math was hard?

GRIDIRON HEROES

Want to gaze upon Niners history? There’s a Levi’s 49ers Museum at the stadium, where you can see a replica of Coach Bill Walsh’s office, gaze upon Dwight Clark’s furry coat and see a life-size model of Clark’s gravity-defying “The Catch.” The Niner’s five Super Bowl Lombardi Trophies also are on display, with room for many more.

Former

49ers quarterback Joe Montana pushes the button on the foghorn before their game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Oct. 29, 2023.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVE

Fans gather outside Levi’s Stadium before a game on Dec. 23, 2018.

D. ROSS CAMERON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pigskin painter

How a Home Depot employee became an artist for some of the NFL’s biggest stars

BY JASON MASTRODONATO

It’s a story of perseverance that led Napa’s Joe Beland to the part-time job of a lifetime: hand-painting game-used footballs for some of the gridiron’s biggest stars.

But long before he was watching the NFL playoffs with John Madden and bumping elbows with Archie Manning, Beland was just a regular guy working at Home Depot and trying to find his purpose.

He grew up in Napa, then moved to Texas and dabbled in professional soccer, playing for the Dallas Sidekicks of the Major Arena Soccer League, before eventually deciding to move back home and work full-time at the Home Depot.

A people person, Joe loved interacting with customers and colleagues and soon found a job in human resources. He liked his job but still felt a bit lost — and he had forgotten about his childhood talent: art.

That was right about the time he met Monica — they’ve been married for 20 years now. “I pushed him, and I pushed him,” she said. “I was critical.”

Monica was starting her own company, Seasons of Skin Day Spa in Santa Rosa and knew that starting a business required determination to push through failure.

She knew Joe had drawing talent. It ran in the family; his brother, Tom Beland, draws comics for Marvel. Joe preferred drawing sports logos. His ability to craft them by hand had caught the attention of friends in high school.

Artist Joe Beland estimates he’s created artwork on between 3,000 and 4,000 footballs over the past 20 years, including for some of the most famous players and coaches in game history.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOE BELAND

Years later, he was watching Emmitt Smith give a television interview in which he told memorabilia collectors not to trust the game-used footballs for sale on eBay; the Hall of Fame running back had kept all of his gameused footballs and said the ones on eBay were fakes.

That gave Beland an idea: What if he convinced players to send him their game-used balls? He could draw logos, paint them with marvelous detail and send them back to the players to forever commemorate their favorite moments.

“A lot of players score their first NFL touchdown and keep the ball,” Beland said. “The equipment manager marks it — they put a piece of tape on it. But if that tape falls off, it’s just a football. Nobody knows anything about it. A football is just a football until you tell a story on it.”

But how would he get NFL players to send a random guy in Napa their most prized possessions?

Beland figured he’d better show them a free sample.

In 2005, when the Raiders were still doing training camp in Northern California, Beland hand-painted a football for one of the reserve players and went to camp to give it to him. The security guards wouldn’t let him in, so he wrapped up the ball, put his name and phone number

Artist Joe Beland hand-paints gameused footballs for some of the game’s biggest stars at his home in

Santa Rosa.

on the wrapper and threw it over the fence. Three hours later, the player called and said he wanted to order some footballs from him.

Sports broadcaster Vern Glenn, formerly of KRON 4, ran a story on Beland. Suddenly, he started to gain some traction. But he was discouraged with how slowly his business was picking up. He tried going to Pee Wee football games to display his artwork, thinking families might commission painted game balls for their sons. Nobody was interested. “It was embarrassing,” he said. “Just sitting out there in 100-degree heat by myself. But Monica kept pushing me.”

“He wasn’t getting anything in the beginning,” she said. “I told him, ‘Give it time.’”

Beland got his big break when Highland Park High School in Dallas called him up and requested 87 personalized footballs, one for each kid in the program. They needed them in two weeks.

He took a week off work and started painting footballs 14 hours a day. With help from his wife and kids, Beland got the footballs out just before his deadline.

At almost $200 a ball, it was his first big payday and a sign that his artwork was valuable.

“He’s so talented,” Monica said. “He has hands

like a surgeon. And he’s so passionate about it. He really believes in what he does.”

More high schools started calling. College players, too. Soon, coaches and referees were ringing him up with requests.

His big break, though, happened by accident during a trip to New Orleans when he ate some bad food while on a tour. When Beland told the bus driver he was about to get sick, the driver kicked him off, and Beland ran to the nearest establishment, a sports bar across the street.

He had stumbled into Manning’s Sports Bar and Grill — owned by Archie Manning, a 14-year NFL

One of Joe Beland’s most famous clients was football legend John Madden. The former Raiders’ coach liked the ball so much, he invited Beland’s entire family over to his house to watch the NFL playoffs a few years before his death in 2021.

Former NFL wide receiver Demarcus Ayers holds his first touchdown ball, which Joe Beland made into an art piece.

quarterback and the father of Peyton Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and Eli Manning, another star quarterback who will be eligible to join his brother in the Hall of Fame next year.

“I talked to the bartender, told him what I did, he contacted Archie and he called me the next day,” Beland said. “He said, ‘I’d like to get some footballs done. I don’t have anyone doing this.’

“So I did it for Archie, then Peyton’s kids, then Eli. A lot for the grandchildren. The one getting out of college right now, Arch. It’s weird how it all progressed from there. I got sick on a bus, walked off and boom, there I was.”

“Boom” is also John Madden’s catch phrase, which is no

coincidence. Madden, one of the greatest NFL coaches and broadcasters the game has ever seen, became one of Beland’s most famous clients.

When Beland painted a career ball for him, the former Raiders coach liked the ball so much, he invited Beland’s entire family over to his house to watch the NFL playoffs.

“Here’s John Madden, talking to me about the game and showing me his Emmy Awards,” Beland said. “It was bizarre.”

Beland’s painting process has been honed over the last 20 years. Now it takes him about 45 minutes to complete a ball, with the labor spread out over a week. He washes the ball then sands it down to expose the leather, so the first coat of prim-

Joe Beland has painted footballs for everyone from 49ers greats Joe Montana and Dwight Clark to Texas Longhorns college ball player Arch Manning, the grandson of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning.

er will adhere. He uses two coats of a special latex paint. Oil-based paint can make the ball crack and chip; latex allows flexibility for the ball to survive in various temperatures.

Once the paint cures, Beland is ready to draw. Doing it all by hand, he crafts the logos of the teams who used the football during an NFL game. He paints a few sentences to capture the moment and its owner. Then he adds borders and trims and covers the work in a protective UV coating so it can survive for decades.

“I have a case with the balls in them, and they’re still in great shape,” said former NFL defensive back Honor Jackson, who commissioned two footballs from Beland about 10 years ago. “They’re really nice. It’s just a memory you can hold and keep. It’s not like making the play, but something that can remind me of it. My grandkids see them, and they’re like, ‘Oh Grandad, you played?’”

Beland estimates he’s done be-

tween 3,000 and 4,000 footballs over the last 20 years. At about $200 a ball, that’s $600,000 to $800,000 of additional income.

“It’s really helped our family,” Monica said.

Beland has been at Home Depot for 38 years. Right now, he paints on nights and weekends, and every now and then, he’ll paint something for Monica. She’ll gush and wonder why he isn’t painting full-time.

“We’ll go to art shows and I’ll say, ‘You could paint that,’ and he’ll say, ‘Yeah, I can paint that,’” she said.

Meanwhile, he’s eyeing retirement, hoping to free up more time for his art.

“It’s a hobby that’s become something he loves,” Monica says. “It’s so emotional to the players. They’ll send him videos of seeing the ball for the first time, and they’re crying. And Joe is a sensitive guy, so he likes to see that. It makes him feel good.”

It’s given him purpose, too.

“He loves making people happy,” she said.

NEW FORMS

Flag football is flying high on playing fields around the globe

BY JOSEPH DYCUS

Flag football isn’t just for recess anymore.

The non-contact version of American football has long been a staple in backyards and playgrounds — and in some families, a highlight of their Thanksgiving day activities.

It’s also challenging pickleball — and in some ways exceeding it — as the “it” sport in the Bay Area and around the globe.

At the grassroots level, flag football rec leagues for adults as well as kids are popping up all over, and California recently sanctioned girls flag football as a high school sport.

But that’s just the start.

The NFL adopted the version of the sport for the annual Pro Bowl two years ago (49ers tight end George Kittle caught the winning touchdown pass in that game) and broadcasts the 7-on-7 contest live on ESPN. Last year’s game was played before an announced crowd of 55,709 in Orlando.

And in 2028, flag football will make its debut in the Olympics.

Menlo School’s Summer Young celebrates her touchdown with her sister Laila during their flag football scrimmage with Woodside at Menlo School in Atherton on Sept. 6, 2023.

NHAT V. MEYER/ STAFF ARCHIVES

Countries are already planning their best strategies to bring home a gold medal. Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning has even offered to coach the U.S. team, and Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes said he’d like to be the team’s quarterback, if he’s not too old. Katie Sowers, who in 2020 became the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl when she was part of the 49ers’ staff, was hired by Italy to coach its women’s team.

“We want this great feeder system that’s like a funnel,” said USA Football’s executive director Scott Hallenbeck, the person tasked with building the U.S. Olympic flag football program.

“We want the (top) of the funnel to be as wide and as talented as possible to get that influx of diverse talent, where we’re bringing in a great track athlete or a great volleyball player.”

The expanding interest — and participation — in the game doesn’t come as a surprise to longtime flag football supporter Alic Ho, Lincoln-San Jose’s girls flag coach.

Ho first discovered the sport as a college student at UC Irvine in the early 2000s and has been a supporter ever since. His son Andrew, a soon-to-be freshman quarterback at San Jose’s Branham High, has played in NFL-sponsored events for years.

“It’s cheap to play. It’s just flags, a ball and some cones,” Ho said. “That’s all you need. You don’t need a goal post or a hoop, just an empty field and a ball, and you’re good to go.”

The NFL is throwing its support fully behind the version of its sport that calls for “tackles” to be made by ripping a Velcro-attached flag off a ball carrier’s belt, and everyone is

Ehsan Mirzada of Secondhand Smoke searches for an open man during a flag football game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton July 24, 2024.

D. ROSS CAMERON FOR BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

eligible to catch the ball. The NFL is sponsoring leagues and clinics across the country.

“We always thought it was important (to promote flag football), but I think we really feel, at this time, there is strong momentum, strong need, particularly for women, to be able to participate in a sport that they hadn’t had the opportunity to do,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press this spring. “This was a chance for us to do it internationally on a global basis, with young women and young boys, and really build it across different levels, from youth to high school to college and maybe someday a professional league.”

Great flag football players often stand out in other sports. When the California Interscholastic Federation sanctioned girls flag football as a high school sport in 2023, basketball players, volleyball players and softball players suddenly had a sport to play in the summer and fall.

Look no further than Atherton’s Menlo School, where gifted high-jumper and basketball player Summer Young caught touchdowns while being coached by her Hall of Fame father.

“It’s been a little emotional, because the game has meant so much to me,” Steve Young, a threetime Super Bowl champion with the 49ers, said last fall while coaching Summer and her younger sister, Laila. “It teaches incredible values and a sense of teamwork and togetherness. There’s not many games like it.

“Football runs America in a way, and in that way, they’re now included. I can see that sense of inclusion being so meaningful.”

Young is far from the only NFL luminary to become invested in girls flag football. Hall of Famer

Above: Tyler Tate of Riot Squad winds up to throw during a flag football game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton July 24.

Right: John Nguyen of Secondhand Smoke pulls down a reception in front of defender Jonah Ortiz of AFG during a flag football game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton July 24.

D. ROSS CAMERON FOR BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

Top left: Former NFL quarterback Steve Young, right, chats with a referee during Menlo School’s flag football scrimmage with Woodside at Menlo School in Atherton Sept. 6, 2023.

NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF ARCHIVES

Top right: A center readies to snap the ball to the quarterback during a flag football game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton July 24.

A quarterback is pressured by the rush during a flag football game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton July 24.

D. ROSS CAMERON FOR BAY AREA NEWS GROUP

DeMarcus Ware has a child who played flag football, and Russell Wilson started his own league as a Seahawk.

Hallenbeck said the NFL itself has also been all in on promoting flag football, with all 32 teams helping out in some capacity.

“They see it as a great overall addition to the growth of the sport, and adding flag to the Olympics has proven to be probably the best international growth strategy they’ve had in a long, long time,” Hallenbeck said.

Over the next four years, USA Football will do everything it can to find those great players. And unlike in the majority of Olympic sports, an athlete does not need to specialize in the sport as a preschooler to become one of the best. Ho said he wouldn’t be shocked if the best player on the 2028 team isn’t even playing flag football yet.

And he definitely wouldn’t be surprised if that player comes from the Bay Area.

“It’s growing,” Ho said. “It’s getting huge.”

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Season of change

BY LAURENCE MIEDEMA

College football’s game of musical chairs is over, at least for the time being. Now it’s time to see how it all plays out.

Keeping track of player movement is tough enough in the transfer portal era, and coaches are always on the move. But since Michigan won the national championship in January, the traditional college football territories have been completely redrawn.

The Atlantic Coast Conference now stretches to Stanford and Berkeley. USC-Michigan, once a dream Rose Bowl pairing, is just another regular season game on the Big Ten schedule.

But don’t blame all the change on the implosion of the Pac-12, the Cardinal and Golden Bears’ longtime home. All four of the remaining power conferences added at least two new members — the Big Ten has ballooned to 18 teams — and all abandoned the division standings format.

Even the playoff tournament has expanded since last season. It’ll include 12 teams and begin before Christmas.

Here’s a look at some things to watch for during this college football season like no other:

POWER MOVES

When the Pac-12 shattered, it sent all the member schools except Washington State and

Oregon State into conference affiliations that previously were unimaginable. But former Pac-12 teams weren’t the only schools on the move.

Time will tell which of the teams — and the four power conferences — benefited most.

The Southeast Conference didn’t absorb a former Pac-12 team but added former Big 12 powerhouses Oklahoma and Texas. The 16-team SEC appears to still be the deepest conference and could fill as many as five playoff spots.

The Big 12 expanded to 16

Cal offensive

lineman Brian Driscoll lets out a roar while holding the Stanford Axe after defeating the Cardinal during the 126th Big Game at Stanford Stadium Nov. 18, 2023.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES

schools with the addition of Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah from the Pac-12, after losing Oklahoma and Texas.

The arrival of the Utes gives the conference an instant top-10 team, and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders draws a crowd wherever he goes.

Stanford and Cal will still play for The Axe in the annual Big Game rivalry matchup but now as members of the ACC after joining the bi-coastal conference along with SMU.

There are now 17 teams in the new-look ACC, which spans the

Eastern Seaboard from Miami to Boston as well as schools in Kentucky, Virginia and Texas and the two Bay Area schools. Cal will travel around 20,000 miles for its five road games this season; Stanford will log about 14,000 miles — including a Nov. 23 visit to Berkeley.

The Big Ten, now 18 teams strong, got the cream of the former Pac-12 crop by landing Oregon and Washington along with the original defectors — USC, UCLA. Similar to the SEC, the conference figures to dominate the polls all fall and claim multiple spots in the playoff tournament.

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

It’s somewhat appropriate that in a season of change, college football will be without two of its most consistent characters — Nick Saban and Jim Harbaugh — on the sidelines.

Saban, 72, announced in January he was retiring after 17 seasons at Alabama and 28 seasons as a college head coach. Saban will still be around the game but as a commentator for ESPN. Harbaugh, the former Stanford coach who won a national championship at his alma mater in his ninth season at Michigan, is back in the NFL with the Chargers.

The Bay Area also has a new

head coach with Ken Niumatalolo, the winningest coach in Naval Academy history, taking over at San Jose State for Brent Brennan, who left for Arizona after taking the Spartans to bowl games three of the past four seasons.

Here are some coaching moves since last season:

Alabama Kalen DeBoer for Nick Saban Arizona Brent Brennan for Jedd Fisch

Boise State Spencer Danielson for Andy Avalos

Boston College Bill O’Brien for Jeff Hafley

Duke Manny Diaz for Mike Elko

Fresno State Tim Skipper for Jeff Tedford

Houston Willie Fritz for Dana Holgorsen

Michigan Sherrone Moore for Jim Harbaugh

Michigan State Jonathan Smith for Mel Tucker

Mississippi State Jeff Lebby for Zach Arnett

New Mexico Bronco Mendenhall for Danny Gonzales

New Mexico State Tony Sanchez for Jerry Kill

Oregon State Trent Bray for Jonathan Smith

San Diego State Sean Lewis for Brady Hoke

San Jose State Ken Niumatalolo for Brent Brennan

Texas A&M Mike Elko for Jimbo Fisher

Tulane Jon Sumrall for Willie Fritz

UCLA DeShaun Foster for Chip Kelly

Washington Jedd Fisch for Kalen DeBoer

Wyoming Jay Sawvel for Craig Bohl

ON THE MOVE

Like it or not, the transfer portal is a huge tool in college football, and there was no shortage of movement this offseason.

Sanders led the nation by bringing more than 40 transfers to Colorado, but Mississippi’s Lane Kiffin and Oregon’s Dan Lanning might be the big winners and turn their portal additions into a run at the national title.

Mario Cristobal has stockpiled enough talent to possibly make Miami relevant again, but even teams that seemingly have no need are finding ways to squeeze in high-profile transfers. Ohio State, along with Georgia a preseason title favorite, got two-time reigning SEC rushing champion Quinshon Judkins from Mississippi, joining TreVeyon Henderson to form the top rushing tandem in college football.

Alabama experienced the highs and lows of the portal with the same player: star left tackle Kadyn Proctor transferred to Iowa after Saban announced his retirement, but then came back before playing a game with the Hawkeyes.

Here is a look at some of the top players who utilized the portal.

Player Position Transfer

Peny Boone RB UCF from Toledo

Caleb Downs S Ohio St. from Alabama

Dillon Gabriel QB Oregon from Oklahoma

Derrick Harmon DT Oregon from Michigan St.

Will Howard QB Ohio St. from Kansas St.

Quinshon Judkins RB Ohio St. from Mississippi

KeAndre Lambert-Smith WR Auburn from Penn St.

Riley Leonard QB Notre Dame from Duke

Walter Nolen DL Mississippi from Texas A&M

Damien Martinez RB Miami from Oregon St.

Jaden Rashada QB Georgia from Arizona St.

Nic Scourton edge Texas A&M from Purdue

Evan Stewart WR Oregon from Texas A&M

Princely Umanmielen edge Mississippi from Florida

Cam Ward QB Miami from Washington St.

Damonic Williams DT Oklahoma from TCU

HEISMAN HOPEFULS

It’s a wide-open race for the top individual honor in college football. Only Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon are back from last season’s top 10, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively.

The expanded playoff format will raise the visibility of some candidates — maybe even giving a dark horse a serious shot.

The Crimson Tide’s Milroe enters the season as a favorite, along with the quarterbacks of the preseason national championship favorites — Georgia’s Carson Beck, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel and Texas’ Quinn Ewers — if he can hold off the challenge of

Arch Manning, Peyton and Eli’s nephew. Here’s a look at some of the names to watch:

Player Position

School

Carson Beck QB Georgia

Luther Burden III WR Missouri

Jaxson Dart QB Mississippi

Quinn Ewers QB Texas

Dillon Gabriel QB Oregon

Ollie Gordon RB Oklahoma State

Will Howard QB Ohio State

Travis Hunter WE/CB Colorado

Riley Leonard QB Notre Dame

Jalen Milroe QB Alabama

Shedeur Sanders QB Colorado

Nico Iamaleava QB Tennessee

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Despite all the conference restructuring, the biggest traditional game in the Bay Area — The Big Game between Stanford and Cal — will be played for the 127th time. It’s in Berkeley on Nov. 23. Another rivalry game returns: The Bill Walsh Legacy Game between Stanford and San Jose State will be played for the first time since 2013 on Nov. 29 at Spartan Stadium. Walsh, the former 49ers coaching legend, played and got his start in coaching at SJSU in the late 1950s and concluded his coaching career at Stanford from 1992-1994.

Here’s a look at some of the national games of the year:

Aug. 31 Clemson vs. Georgia in Atlanta

Sept. 7 Texas at Michigan

Sept. 14 Alabama at Wisconsin

Sept. 14 West Virginia at Pitt

Sept. 14 Washington vs. Washington State in Seattle

Sept. 14 Oregon at Oregon State

Sept. 28 Georgia at Alabama

Oct. 5 Clemson at Florida Stae

Oct. 12 Ohio State at Oregon

Oct. 12 Mississippi at LSU

Oct. 19 Georgia at Texas

Nov. 2 Oregon at Michigan

Nov. 9 Alabama at LSU

Nov. 9 Georgia at Mississippi

Nov. 9 Florida State at Notre Dame

Nov. 30 Michigan at Ohio State

Nov. 30 Texas at Texas A&M

Dec. 20-21 First-round playoff games

Dec. 31-Jan. 1 Quarterfinals

Jan. 9-10 Semifinals

Jan. 20 National Championship Game

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck enters the 2024 season as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate.

LYNNE SLADKY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Cal’s Justin Wilcox,

a Pac-12 lifer, will guide the Bears into their first season in the ACC

BY JEFF FARAUDO

Justin Wilcox’s annual summer fishing escape in July was a brief one. It’s back to work for Cal’s football coach, whose eighth season will look different than any that preceded it.

The college football landscape has been shifting for several years, with the transfer portal and name, image and likeness financial opportunities creating unprecedented player movement. For Pac-12 Conference schools, change builds to a crescendo this fall with 10 of them departing to three new conference addresses.

Cal and Stanford are headed across the map to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where they will face long road trips and unfamiliar opponents. Including a previously scheduled nonconference game at Auburn, the Bears will play games this season in Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Texas. But for the first time since 1914, not one in Southern California, Oregon or Washington.

“If you try and take it all in at once, it’s kind of overwhelming,” Wilcox said. “We just try to look right in front of us. What do we need to do right now? Collectively, yeah, there’s a massive amount of changes. So much of this is out of our control. What do we need to do to win games this fall?”

Few have deeper Pac-12 roots than the Cal coach, a one-time Oregon ball boy whose father, Dave Wilcox, was a star for the Ducks before a Hall of Fame career with the 49ers. Wilcox stayed home to play at his dad’s alma mater and later served as an assistant coach at Cal, Washington and USC before landing the head coaching job with the Bears. In all, the 47-year-old Wilcox spent 18 seasons as a player or coach in the Pac-12.

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox, center, watches over the first day of practice on July 31

A Pac-12 logo is displayed on the jersey of a Cal player before the start of the 126th Big Game at Stanford Stadium Nov. 18, 2023. Cal and Stanford are headed across the map to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where they will face long road trips and unfamiliar opponents.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARD/STAFF

“I remember being on the sidelines watching the players from all these different schools that would come into town,”

Wilcox told the Oregonian. “I grew up around the conference, have appreciation for it and the rivalries in it.

“It sucks,” he said of the breakup. “It just shouldn’t have happened.”

But Wilcox and his Bears move on. And Cal fans are advised to keep an updated 2024 roster sheet handy.

As many as 14 starters are back, led by All-Pac-12 running back Jaydn Ott and Fernando Mendoza, who will be challenged by North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers after the two dueled in the spring. But the Bears also will try to fold in 43 scholarship newcomers — 20 freshmen and 23 transfers. That accounts for roughly half their scholarship roster.

“I expect us to be a really good football team. I’ve got high expectations, I know (the players) do. Ultimately, it’s about all of us coming together to get it done.”

Cal head coach Justin Wilcox

Last season, the Bears earned their first postseason bid since 2019 but lost 34-14 to Texas Tech in the Independence Bowl to finish 6-7. They closed out their century-long run in the Pac-12 by posting 14 consecutive losing records in conference play. Can a change of scenery make a difference? No one is entirely sure, although projections are modest, at best.

Athlon magazine projects

the Bears to finish 10th in the 17-team ACC. Lindy’s pegs Cal at No. 12, and 247Sports splits the difference at 11th place.

As critical as he’s been of the process that unraveled the Pac-12, Wilcox is now looking forward. “I think it’s exciting,” he said of the move to the ACC. “There’s some great teams and players and coaches — that’s what’s going to be so enjoyable about this process.”

The Bears won’t play perennial ACC power Clemson this season but will open conference play at preseason favorite Florida State on Sept. 21. After a bye, they’re at Memorial Stadium to face Miami, projected by most as the league’s thirdbest team.

Bigger than any of the 43 newcomers the Bears landed was the commitment to return by Ott, who rushed for 1,315 yards last season and needs 1,156 to move past Russell White (1990-92) as the program’s all-time rushing king.

Ott could have taken big NIL money and gone elsewhere. Instead, he will try to become the first back in more than four decades to lead the Bears in rushing yards three straight years.

To climb above mediocrity, the Bears must find a way to win the close ones.

Cal was 15-22 the past three seasons, and 16 of those games were decided by a touchdown or less. The Bears’ record in the close ones: 4-12.

“Let’s just flip that. Let’s say we won 12 and lost four . . . the difference in 12 wins over three years is significant,” Wilcox suggested. “You’ve got to find a way to win close games.

Cal schedule

UC DAVIS

Saturday, Aug. 31, 2 p.m., ACCNW

The Bears are 11-0 all-time vs. the Aggies, outscoring them 406-49.

AUBURN

Saturday, Sept. 7, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2

The Tigers beat Cal 14-10 at Berkeley last year in the schools’ first-ever meeting.

SAN DIEGO STATE

Saturday, Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

The Aztecs won the last meeting in 2016; series tied 4-4

FLORIDA STATE

Saturday, Sept. 21, TBD

Cal’s first-ever ACC game; the Bears’ only football win in the state of Florida was at Miami in 1964

BYE

Quarterbacks take part in a drill during the first day of practice for the Cal Bears July 31 in Berkeley.

ARIC CRABB/STAFF

“If everybody can make up an inch somewhere, and those inches stack up, that’s how you win those close games. You make that one extra play or make that stop on third down that changes the game. That’s the difference.”

Wilcox won’t get lost in the weeds and try to predict his team’s win-loss record or place in the ACC standings. But he’s enthusiastic about the season.

“I expect us to be a really good football team,” he said. “I’ve got high expectations, I know (the players) do. Ultimately, it’s about all of us coming together to get it done.”

Saturday, Sept. 28

Bears are 3-7 after a bye week in Wilxox’s first seven seasons.

MIAMI

Saturday, Oct. 5 vs. Miami, TBD

In an otherwise forgettable 52-24 home loss in 1990, Russell White’s 99-yard kickoff return was Cal’s first return for a TD since ‘The Play’ vs. Stanford in 1982.

PITT

Saturday, Oct. 12 at Pitt, TBD

The Bears are 0-2 at Pitt, most recently falling 35-15 in 1963.

NC STATE

Saturday, Oct. 19, TBD Homecoming

This will be the first time the Bears and Wolfpack have ever met in football.

OREGON STATE

Saturday, Oct. 26, TBD

The Bears’ first non-conference game against the Beavers since 1960, when OSU was an Independent

BYE

Saturday, Nov. 2

WAKE FOREST

Friday, Nov. 8, 5 p.m., ACCNW

The clash at Winston-Salem will be the first between the schools.

SYRACUSE

Saturday, Nov. 16, TBD

Then-No. 10 ranked Cal beat No. 11 Syracuse 43-0 at Berkeley in 1968

STANFORD

Saturday, Nov. 23, TBD

A fourth straight victory would be Cal’s longest Big Game winning streak since it won five in a row from 2002-06

SMU

Saturday, Nov. 30, TBD

A year before Cal’s Rose Bowl season, the Bears opened the 1957 season with a 13-6 home loss to the Mustangs and went 1-9 overall.

AWAY HOME BYE

You can ring around the world of cuisine at restaurants near Berkeley’s Cal Memorial

BY JOHN METCALFE

Set in the foothills, with Berkeley’s riches spread below, California Memorial Stadium sits like the head of an immense banquet table spread with dishes of every flavor and nationality.

A brisk walk from the stadium will take you to anything your heart desires — hot dogs or hoagies, ramen or Japanese curry. And beer, of course, for those who prefer to do their tailgating indoors with frosty mugs and sports TV.

Here are five excellent choices for dining near the stadium on Cal game days — or really any day.

Pizzeria da Laura

If you’ve got some mini-Mitchell Schwartzes in the family, you could stuff them with stadium pretzels and hot dogs. Better yet, take them to downtown’s Pizzeria da Laura, run by Laura Meyer, who has won Italy’s World Pizza Competition and spent two decades at that local gem, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.

The restaurant is in a natural light-filled corner space bursting with Art Deco flair, two floors of dining space and an outdoor patio. Meyer offers four styles of pizza: New York, Sicilian, Grandma and cheese-crusted Detroit. Vegetarians will be happy with their options (including an addictive arugula pesto), as will die-hard meat lovers, who can choose among sausage, bacon, soppressata and thin or thick-cupped pepperoni — and pizzas topped with smoked scamorza, shallot confit and garlic fermented honey.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF ARCHIVES

A Ray J pizza features tomato, mozzarella, thin and thick pepperoni, basil, burrata, fermented honey and shaved parmesan at Pizzeria da Laura in downtown Berkeley. This is award-winning pizzaiola, chef and world champion pizza maker Laura Meyer’s debut restaurant.

The menu offers housemade pastas, too, and if you absolutely must have salad, the asparagus with roasted tomatoes and whipped ricotta is an almost-healthy indulgence. Did we mention the Negronis and build-your-own gin and tonics?

The dish: Meyer’s known for her inventive pizzas — her braised lamb, pomegranate and tzatziki pizza won at 2014’s Pizza Expo in Las Vegas. So trust her when ordering the tasty Chi Town pie, made with mozzarella, sausage, Romano and house giardiniera ($26-$33).

Details: Open for lunch and dinner Wednesday-Sunday at 2049 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; pizzeriadalaura.com.

Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen

There might not be an established dish called “Voodoo Shrimp” in New Orleans, but Angeline’s does things a little differently. The Louisi-

ana-themed restaurant, helmed by Baton Rouge chef Brandon Dubea, is full of delightful twists on French Quarter classics — buttermilk-fried chicken breast with ginger-vanilla sweet potatoes, grilled baby-back ribs with bourbon sauce and, yes, those Voodoo Shrimp, a take on buttery barbecue shrimp with Blue Lake green beans.

Walking into Angeline’s is a delight. There’s gator art, plastic beads and brass instruments on the walls and brass bands on the speakers. Heavy iron chandeliers and lazily swinging fans lend a touch of Southern Gothic class. On any given day, it’s bound to be bustling — especially at brunch — with diners hunkered over massive plates of fried chicken and hush puppies with honey butter.

Sweet tea or “Swamp Water,” a mix of lemonade and ice tea? Abita beer and hurricanes? They’re here. Red beans and rice, catfish po’boys, jambalaya and that olive-and-cured-meat gut bomb known as the muffuletta are all represented. The only thing missing is Kermit Ruffins blowing his trumpet in the corner — perhaps they can get that going soon.

The dish: The house gumbo has a perfect, coffee-colored roux with deep, toasty flavors, accentuated with bay shrimp, okra, andouille and tasso ham ($19). And because New Orleans loves excess, follow it up with bananas Foster bread pudding with rum-caramel sauce ($10).

Details: Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Sunday and weekend brunch at 2261 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; angelineskitchen.com.

Pizzeria da Laura serves non-pizza too, including this arancini starter.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF ARCHIVES

Angeline's Louisiana Kitchen is helmed by a Baton Rouge native. KARL MONDON/STAFF

Chengdu Style Restaurant

Fired up about the game? Match your enthusiasm with truly fiery cuisine at this no-frills restaurant just a long pass away from Memorial Stadium.

Chengdu is named for the capital of Sichuan province and is about as well known in critics’ circles as 1893’s Coach Pudge Heffelfinger is among Cal fans. But it’s worth visiting for its aromatic, fearlessly spiced dishes, which trigger explosions of heat and flavor in your mouth — pow pow pow! — like fireworks after a win.

Chengdu’s dishes are well-spiced, but that doesn’t always mean spicy. There’s a Chinese-American menu section with milder classics like orange chicken and beef and broccoli. But you’ll instantly become a fan of offal with the cold appetizer of beef tendon and ox tripe in chili sauce, gleaming with tongue-numbing Sichuan-peppercorn oil and spiked with sesame and cilantro. The green beans are wok-blistered to an almost buttery flavor. And if you want to eat like Marshawn Lynch, there’s a tender Dongpo pork joint that your server might carve like a Thanksgiving turkey.

The dish: The Toothpick Lamb ($21) is an immense platter of lamb chunks on skewers, fried ‘til crispy and dusted with numbing peppers and cumin and fresh herbs.

Details: Open for lunch and dinner daily at 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley; chengdustylerestaurant.com.

Bottom: Comal’s small plates include a popular grilled corn with chipotle

Top: Buttermilk fried chicken is a mainstay at Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen.

KARL MONDON/STAFF

aioli and cotija.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF

Comal

Owned by local restaurateurs

Andrew Hoffman and John Paluska — who, fun fact, used to be a manager for Phish — this long-time Berkeley hot spot serves California-Oaxacan fare that’s scrumptious, inventive and always in reverence of seasonal bounty.

Matt Gandin, formerly of San Francisco’s Delfina, runs the busy open kitchen. Flame eruptions are frequent, and a stack of firewood reminds diners that Gandin’s all about live-fire cooking. You’ll find more heat in the fire pit in the back covered garden, a chillax space with lush greenery and an outdoor bar. Pretty much everything is made in-house, from the margarita mix to the flaky tortilla chips to the salsas, which range from fiery roja to tangy verde. A chilled soup of chayote and poblano is summer perfection, while the tlayuda (a pizza-sized crunchy tortilla) scattered with smashed garbanzos, queso fresco and squash blossoms might be the prettiest dish in town. Still left with a Matthew Cindric-sized hunger? Try one of the Platos Fuertes meant for two people, like the bone-in 22-ounce ribeye or the spit-roasted whole chicken with fingerling potatoes.

The dish: Does alcohol count as food?

The beverage list at Comal offers more than a hundred mezcals and tequilas, plus samplers, including the Mezcal Flight pa’ el Viajero, a Oaxaca-specific pairing served with sangrita roja and sal de gusano.

Details: Open for dinner Monday-Sunday at 2020 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; comalberkeley.com.

Olfactory Brewing

Football, beer and a big ol’ sandwich — is there any trio more sacrosanct in America? And you can get it all on Cal days by taking a detour to the new Olfactory Brewing taproom, which serves a menu of Chicago-style hot dogs and East Coast Italian hoagies.

Olfactory was founded in 2022 in San Francisco’s Dogpatch neighborhood by owners that include UC Davis grads who have worked at Almanac Beer in Alameda and Sudwerk Brewing in Sacramento. The brewery is known for its sustainable techniques, locally sourced floor-malted grains and collaborations with East Bay fixtures like Oakland’s Ghost Town and Temescal Brewing.

The Berkeley taproom that opened this spring is dark and intimate, a perfect space to reflect before the game. And by reflect, we mean enjoy a beer — a Hana Kolsch with crisp notes of sweet grass or a Celestial Leisure fuzzy pale ale or sour raspberry saison aged in oak foudres for more than a year. Perhaps the best-known offering is — deep breath, now — The Lamp Industry Is Booming During These Dark Days, a naturally carbonated black lager that’s toasty, smooth and chocolaty.

Enjoy those brews with the taproom’s grub — Chicago Dawgs (veggie versions available), German potato-bacon salad and Italian Beef sandos with unapologetically hot giardiniera.

The dish: East Coasters will delight at a new place to devour Italian hoagies ($19). The fillings on these stacked slammers vary: One week, they might include mortadella, halal turkey and soppressata; another might skew mild coppa, jambon de Paris and Calabrian chili-garlic mayo.

Details: Open from 3 to 9 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at 2055D Center St., Berkeley; olfactorybrewing.com.

Above: Bartender Jesus Ayala makes cocktails at Comal, a modern upscale Mexican restaurant on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.

Below: Comal’s chile relleno is topped with queso fresco, salsa ranchera and epazote.

JANE TYSKA/STAFF

Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels and the Cardinal team faced the Cal Golden Bears on Nov. 18, 2023, at Stanford.

EZRA SHAW/GETTY IMAGES

Taylor’s trademark flexibility will help shape the Cardinal into a credible

ACC team

BY NATHAN CANILAO

It is fair to say the past 21 months have been a whirlwind for Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor.

Since November 2022, Taylor’s Sacramento State Hornets completed the school’s first unbeaten regular season, he was named head coach at his collegiate archrival and, in his first season at Stanford, the Pac-12 Conference dissolved after more than 105 years of existence. Taylor prepared this summer to get the Cardinal ready for their debut in the Atlantic Coast Conference — all the while navigating through the ever-growing specter of NILs (name, image and likeness) and transfer portals.

That’s a pretty full plate. But adaptability has always been one of Taylor’s strengths.

“We got some excitement. We’re going to some new places,” Taylor said. “But football is football. It’ll be a challenge (moving to the ACC), but nothing that we’re not prepared for.”

The college football landscape has changed significantly since Taylor, a former Cal quarterback, was hired by Stanford in December 2022 after David Shaw stepped down following 11 years as the Cardinal head coach. But not Taylor’s mission.

Year 1 of the Taylor Era saw the Cardinal go 3-9 overall, but Taylor is encour-

Stanford head coach Troy Taylor keeps an eye on Cardinal practice on July 30. DAI SUGANO/STAFF

aged by the progress he saw as the season played out.

After opening the season with a 37-24 win at Hawaii, the Cardinal dropped four straight, including a 30-23 home loss to Taylor’s former school, Sacramento State.

But they followed that up with a 2-4 stretch that included a 21-20 loss to Arizona and a nine-point loss to No. 5 Washington. The Cardinal produced one of the wildest comebacks of the season when they clawed back from 29 down to beat Colorado in Boulder in double overtime. Stanford also had a gritty defensive win against Washington State, holding the high-powered Cougars to just a touchdown in a 10-7 win in Pullman.

“We knew it was gonna be a challenging year in terms of experience playing with young players,” Taylor said. “The great thing about that is (now) we got a lot of guys with a ton of experience. … I think they came out of that thinking we got some work to do, but we’re on the right track, and we’re super excited about seeing what the next step is.”

The jump to the ACC will be a significant challenge. Not only will the Cardinal travel more, they’ll be facing new conference rivals they have rarely — and in the cases of Florida State, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina State, Syracuse and Virginia — never played.

But adapting to new schemes, opponents, players and coaches is something Taylor has done throughout his coaching career.

Coaching has taken Taylor, a grad of Cordova High just outside of Sacramento, everywhere from Folsom to Berkeley to Salt Lake City to Cheney, Washington, to Boulder, Colorado, and now, to Palo Alto.

Taylor, 56, has had nine different coaching stops in a career that spans 31 years. Those experiences learning how to coach different players year in and year out at every level shaped Taylor’s winning ways.

Kris Richardson has been with Taylor for almost all of it. Richardson, the former Folsom High head football coach and current Sacramento State offensive coordinator, saw first-hand how adaptable Taylor was as an assistant on his staff.

Taylor and Richardson had to mold players of all skill levels to fit the culture they were building. Before every season, the two coaches spent hours creating

new plays and finding ways to make schemes fit the players they had.

Taylor’s philosophy led to immediate success at Folsom. In his second stint as Folsom’s head coach, Taylor won four consecutive Sac-Joaquin section championships and a state title from 2012 to 2015.

“I think it has always been one of our strengths,” Richardson said. “Adaptability has always been one of Troy’s strengths. Manipulating pieces and maximizing each guy and utilizing their players to their strengths in order to help the team be successful.”

In today’s college football landscape, coaches are finding players to fit their style of play through the transfer portal.

But with Stanford’s high academic standards, that’s not much of an option for Taylor.

“We’re just not really built

Stanford had a topsy-turvy 2023, including a home loss to Sacramento State and a wild comeback from a 29-point deficit at Colorado.

The Cardinal must replace several key players this fall, including kicker Joshua Karty, a star of the doubleovertime win, but the team appears on an upswing heading into its ACC debut. MATTHEW STOCKMAN/ GETTY IMAGES

to bring in a ton of guys from the transfer portal,” he said. “You have to be an outstanding student, and then you gotta be an outstanding player, so there’s only a few that we would be interested in. With that combination, we’re gonna bring in maybe two, maybe three at the most, and then the rest are going to be through high school recruiting.”

Even without the portal, Taylor has done a solid job recruiting and developing talent.

Stanford’s quarterback room will be one of its strengths, as last season’s starter Ashton Daniels and his backup Justin Lamson return. Taylor also recruited highly touted SoCal quarterback Elijah Brown from Mater Dei High School, who will be entering his freshman season this year.

“Just the stats he’s put up in the past with the different schools, how he’s changed them

“ We intend to win every single game that we play in. I know we’re going to have a better football team.”

Stanford schedule

AWAY HOME BYE

TCU

Friday, Aug. 30, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

VIRGINIA TECH

Saturday, Oct.5, TBA

completely to a winning school,” Brown told The Athletic in 2023 when asked why he believes in Taylor.

Taylor said the starting quarterback position will be an open competition throughout fall camp, but he likes where each quarterback has progressed.

Stanford will also be bringing back electric wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, who caught 62 passes for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns.

“I think for him, he’s so talented, he’s so hard working, so intelligent and determined, that the sky’s the limit,” Taylor said about Ayomanor. “I think we got a good look at what he’s capable of, but he’s really at the beginning of his growth, so a lot of excitement.”

The Cardinal’s defense will be tested this upcoming season with games against TCU, Clemson, Notre Dame and Louisville.

Stanford was 129th in total defense out of 130 FBS teams in 2023. Returners Gaethan Bernadel, Tristan Sinclair, Scotty Edwards and David Bailey will bring experience to a growing defense.

While the conference switch will take time to adjust to, Taylor said the expectations for his teams won’t change this season.

“We intend to win every single game that we play in,” Taylor said. “I know we’re going to have a better football team. We’ll still be young, but we’ll be more talented. I believe that we have a tough schedule, too. So, the expectations are to compete and have a chance to win every game that we play in.”

The Cardinal is 0-3 all-time vs. the Horned Frogs, including blowing a 21-3 lead in the 2017 Alamo Bowl.

CAL POLY

Saturday, Sept. 7, 4 p.m., ACCNW

Stanford coach Troy Taylor played the Mustangs every season he was at Sacramento State, going 3-0 with an average margin of victory of 28 points.

BYE

Saturday, Sept. 14

Stanford is 24-15 since 2003 coming off a bye.

SYRACUSE

Friday, Sept. 20, 4:30 p.m., ESPN

Stanford will travel more than 2,800 miles — its longest trip of the season, to play its first game as a member of the ACC.

CLEMSON

Saturday, Sept. 28, TBA

Stanford has played Clemson once, losing in the 1986 Gator Bowl. The Jack Elway-led team nearly came back from a 27-point halftime deficit, losing 27-21.

The Andrew Luck-led Cardinal beat the Hokies 40-12 in the 2011 Orange Bowl to complete a 12-1 season.

NOTRE DAME

Saturday, Oct. 12, 12:30 p.m., NBC

The Irish have won four of the last five times in the Legends Trophy Game and lead the all-time series 22-14.

SMU

Saturday, Oct. 19, TBA

The first meeting between the two ACC newcomers since the Cardinal upset SMU in the 1936 Rose Bowl 7-0 in front of an attendance of 87,000.

WAKE FOREST

Saturday, Oct. 26, TBA Homecoming

The Cardinal played a home and away series in the early 2000s, losing at Wake Forest in 2009 before Luck threw five TD passes in a 68-24 home win in 2010.

N.C. STATE

Saturday, Nov. 2, TBA

Since 2020, the Wolfpack are a

combined 23-4 at 56,919-seat CarterFinley Stadium, which recorded a sellout for every game last season.

BYE

Saturday, Nov. 9

LOUISVILLE

Saturday, Nov. 16, TBA

Just the fourth time in the past 10 years, the Cardinal’s final home game of the season isn’t against Cal or Notre Dame.

CAL

Saturday, Nov. 23, TBA

The 127th edition of the Big Game. Taylor is winless in Big Games as both a starting QB and a coach (0-3-1). He had been the starter in 1986 as a true freshman, but missed Cal’s upset win after suffering a broken jaw a week earlier.

SAN JOSE STATE

Saturday, Nov. 30, 1 p.m., CBS

The first Bill Walsh Legacy Game since 2013. Stanford leads the all-time series 52-14-1 and has won six in a row.

Stanford head football coach Troy Taylor

STANFORD

Five hot spots for fueling up before you cheer on the Cardinal

BY KATE BRADSHAW

Scored tickets to a home game at Stanford this year but not sure what to eat? Sure, you could hold out for a meal at the 50,000-seat Stanford Stadium, which serves up concessions in abundance on both tiers. But why settle for stadium food when Palo Alto’s got some great bites just off campus?

From fast casual and healthy options to juicy burgers, diner fare and pizza, here are a few ideas on where to eat well before or after you root for the Cardinal squad.

WHEN YOU’RE CRAVING JUICY BURGERS

Gott’s Roadside

With its location in Palo Alto’s Town & Country Shopping Center, Gott’s Roadside is perhaps the most convenient option near the Stanford Stadium, so it’s likely to be packed on game days. But this Bay Area chain, which got its start in St. Helena in 1999 and won a James Beard award as an American classic in 2006, is a well-oiled machine. You won’t wait long.

It’s hard to go wrong with this menu. The hearty burgers ($11-$19) are adorned with painstakingly paired toppings — gochujang sauce on the Kimchi Burger, for example, and an onion ring and crumbled blue cheese on the Western Bacon Blue. And Gott’s makes what might be the perfect vegetarian burger: The California burger with an Impossible Burger patty substitution ($21), hold the bacon. It’s served on a toasted sesame brioche bun and topped with a fried egg, Cowgirl

A double cheeseburger and sweet potato fries await at Gott’s Roadside in Palo Alto near Stanford Stadium.

SHAE HAMMOND/ STAFF

Creamery’s Wagon Wheel cheese, arugula, balsamic onions and mayo. It’s juicy, satisfying and decadent enough to make one forget they’re not eating a “real” meat burger.

Don’t pass up the fries or cold treats, like one of the hand-spun milkshakes — peanut butter and chocolate, perhaps — or a sorbet freeze.

Details: Opens daily at 10:30 a.m. at 855 El Camino Real #65, Palo Alto; gotts.com.

WHEN YOU WANT THE NOSTALGIA FACTOR

Palo Alto Creamery

Spend time in Palo Alto and you’re bound to hear old-timers talking about how much the city has changed in recent years. One place that hasn’t? The Palo Alto Creamery is still here in all its retro glory, from the vintage jukebox to the soda machine, cozy booths and — most importantly — the display case of enormous pies. The burgers run $18-$22, setting aside the Bubbly Burger option, which adds a bottle of Dom Perignon for $448. And those pies are $9 a slice, whether you go apple, chocolate pecan, cherry crumb or blueberry.

This century-old eatery has served up diner fare, milkshakes and pies since 1923, making it a great spot to eat, whether you’re planning a multi-generational family outing or refueling post-tailgate.

Details: Opens daily at 8 a.m. at 566 Emerson St., Palo Alto; paloaltocreamery. com.

WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE IT SPECIAL

Pizzeria Delfina

Want to make game day extra-special? Head for Pizzeria Delfina downtown, the Palo Alto offshoot of the famous San Francisco restaurant that serves up Neapolitan-style pies and great-for-sharing appetizers. The restaurant’s ivy-lined inner courtyard is a charming place to down a pre- or post-game spritz or local beer — which pair well with the restaurant’s delectably cheesy saffron arancini ($11).

The pizzas here are theoretically shareable, but you probably won’t want to give away even a slice. You can’t go wrong with a classic Margherita ($18 to $24), and a prosciutto pizza ($21) with arugula, caciocavallo and panna, was a hit on a recent visit. But what stood out even more was the stellar tiramisu ($12).

Details: Opens at 5 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and noon Thursday-Sunday at 651 Emerson St., Palo Alto; pizzeriadelfina.com.

WHEN YOU CAN’T AGREE ON WHAT TO EAT

World Wrapps

If you’re running late for the game, the fast-casual World Wrapps offers fusion fare — in wraps and bowls — at its Stanford Shopping Center location. The pioneering fast-casual brand is credited with popularizing the wrap in the Bay Area starting in 1995. It’s now in its 2.0 era, with two of the four founders, Keith Cox and Matt Blair, behind the brand’s revamp.

This rooted-in-the-Bay brand returned to Palo Alto in 2021 and ever since, has been slinging flatbread wraps, burritos, nori wraps and

The Palo Alto Creamery in downtown Palo Alto offers comfort food and diner staples like sweet potato fries and grilled cheese sandwiches.

COURTESY KALI SHILOH

At World Wrapps, one of the signature rolls wraps roasted salmon, sushi rice, garlic aioli, sesame-furikake seasoning, avocado and other fresh produce in nori.

KATE BRADSHAW/STAFF

more, drawing on global flavor profiles to season each bite. Think combos like chimichurri steak with salmon ($18), chicken shawarma on flatbread ($14) or ahi tuna poke wrapped in nori ($16). And yes, you can sub in Beyond Meat on that bulgogi wrap.

Details: Opens daily at 11 a.m. at 180 Stanford Shopping Center Unit 240-C, Palo Alto; worldwrapps.com.

WHEN YOU HAVE GOOD PARKING LOT KARMA

The Alpine Inn

The parking lot is always — always! — crowded, but it’s worth doing a few laps to snag a spot at this incredibly popular beer garden. This Portola Valley mainstay reopened under new owners in 2019, but there has been a tavern on the property since 1852. No doubt, the menu has changed a bit — OK, more than a bit — since the days of Casa De Tableta. These days, the menu leans toward woodfired pizza, including the Heart of Alpine ($21) with artichoke hearts, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes and a lemon oil drizzle, and the Besio ($23), which combines spicy fennel sausage with mascarpone, crushed Calabrian chile and a honey drizzle. They do smashburgers, falafel and four riffs on the hot dog theme, too, including a Zott’s Wurst and a Chili Cheese Wunderdog ($11 each). And the allure of that beer garden cannot be denied.

Details: Opens at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m. Friday and 10 a.m. weekends at 3915 Alpine Road in Portola Valley; www.alpineinnpv.com.

Pizzeria Delfina in Palo Alto is a more formal pre- or post-game dining option. The Italian restaurant has an ivy-lined inner courtyard and dishes like saffron arancini and meatballs with crostini.

COURTESY STEPHANIE AMBERG

SAN JOSE STATE

Longtime Naval Academy head coach Ken Niumatalolo explores uncharted waters with the Spartans

BY JUSTICE DELOS SANTOS

The core quartet of tenets that define new San Jose State head coach Ken Niumatalolo’s coaching philosophy neatly reside in an appropriately named four-letter acronym: L.E.A.D.

E is for example. “It’s hard to teach your players to be good people and good citizens and do the right things, if you’re not,” he said.

A is for accountability. “Right is right, and wrong is wrong.”

D is for develop. “These are young people, so you have to develop them.”

But the most important of the four principles is the first. It doesn’t just serve as the foundation for how Niumatalolo builds culture, but how he operates as a human being.

L is for love. Because to Niumatalolo, the foundation has to be love.

With those principles, Niumatalolo earned no shortage of adoration during his 25 years at the Naval Academy. The last 15 were as head coach, where his 109 wins are the most in program history. The same could

Above: Jeff Konya, director of athletics at San Jose State University, introduces new head football coach Ken Niumatalolo during a press conference on Jan. 23 at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose.

KARL MONDON/STAFF

Right: San Jose State won its final six games of the regular season to end last year in a three-way tie for first place in the Mountain West Conference.

KARL MONDON/STAFF ARCHIVES

be said of his recent gap year at UCLA, where he served as the program’s director of leadership.

Now, as San Jose State’s 30th head coach, Niumatalolo enters his newest chapter.

“Schematics and X’s and O’s are a critical part of coaching,” Niumatalolo said, “but I think people dismiss the leadership component of being a coach, of getting a group of people — not just players, but everybody in your program — going in one direction and believing in that vision.”

Niumatalolo, 59, joins the program at a pivotal juncture. He replaces Brent Brennan, who departed for the head coaching job at Arizona. Brennan led the Spartans to three winning seasons in the last four years and consecutive bowl appearances, something the program hadn’t accomplished since the 1980s. What Brennan built, Niumatalolo must maintain.

Several key assistants — running backs coach Alonzo Carter, offensive line coach Josh Oglesby and tight ends coach Matt Adkins — followed Brennan to the desert. A plethora of key players — including running back Quali Conley, defensive end Tre Smith and middle linebacker Bryun Parham — have transferred. Niumatalolo will run a pro-style offense, but the team has yet to determine the team’s starting quarterback.

A year after finishing in a three-way tie for first and playing in its third bowl game in four years, SJSU is projected to finish 10th in the 12-team Mountain West. Niumatalolo, though, has his sights set on the College Football Playoff. Few people are holding Niumatalolo to that standard, but sustained excellence in the South Bay is the expectation.

Niumatalolo’s unexpected year at UCLA could be the key to keeping the Spartans moving in that direction.

On Dec. 11, 2022, immediately

following Navy’s double-overtime loss to rival Army, Niumatalolo was fired in the locker room by athletic director Chet Gladchuk. The writing for a move had been on the wall — the defeat gave Navy its third straight season of four or fewer wins — but the fashion in which Niumatalolo was let go was especially cruel, given what he had done for the program.

His 109 wins are the most in school history. He led the program to 11 bowl game appearances and won six. On two occasions, Navy finished the season ranked in the AP Top 25. Despite interviewing with various Power 5 programs over the years, he had always decided to remain at the Naval Academy. But before he could process

One of the biggest challenges facing the Spartans is replacing quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, who in two years as a starter threw 43 touchdowns, passed for more than 6,000 yards and led SJSU to consecutive bowl games.

KARL MONDON/ STAFF ARCVHIES

the loss, he was a man without a job. Wounds remain. Time heals.

“I’m happy,” Niumatalolo said.

“I’m at peace.”

In the immediate aftermath of his firing, Niumatalolo took time off. He returned home to Hawaii, where he had spent nearly a decade with the Rainbow Warriors, first as a quarterback, then as a graduate assistant. He briefly contemplated retirement, but knew he wasn’t ready to give up his clipboard. It was during this period that Niumatalolo heard from Chip Kelly and Bryce McDonald, UCLA’s director of football operations.

Niumatalolo has known McDonald for more than two decades, dating back to Niumatalolo’s time as Navy’s offensive line coach. In 2009, three

years after McDonald suffered gruesome injuries to his left leg while on a combat tour in Iraq that ended his time as a service member, Niumatalolo hired McDonald as Navy’s executive administrator and military liaison officer. McDonald’s role grew into director of football operations and offensive line coach, before he went to UCLA in 2018.

McDonald helped return the favor.

“When I ended up coming back (to Navy), it was a match made in heaven,” McDonald said. “I looked up to the man. He taught me a lot about teaching, coaching, organization. I trusted him and loved him and his family — still do. He’s a special human being.”

Kelly, now the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, said, “Ken left an unbelievable impact on our program, our coaching staff, our players. He’s a special man. He’s highly competitive, but he cares very, very deeply about the people that he’s working with and really developing young men. That’s his passion.”

Under Kelly, Niumatalolo learned the intricacies of NIL — name, image and likeness rights — and the transfer portal, two major facets of modern college football that did not much apply at the Naval Academy. Working at a Power 5 school for the first time in his career, Niumatalolo peppered Kelly and his staff with questions.

“He was kind of a sponge and sat there and listened to how the game was changing,” Kelly said. “When you look at the Naval Academy, they don’t deal with transfers. They have a lot of restrictions that other colleges at the FBS (Football Championship Subdivision) level don’t have. I think some of that stuff, although it was new to Ken, he picked up on very quickly. He’s a really intelligent guy.”

Niumatalolo admits that without that time at UCLA, he might not have felt adequately prepared for his time at San Jose State. But while he did his share of coursework at UCLA, his time in Westwood also affirmed a core belief about what it means to be an effective head coach: Leadership matters.

“He’s a very observant guy. He has such a calm spirit,” offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann said. “He’s got that father, uncle, grandfather-type demeanor.”

Many pointed out that Niumatalolo, upon joining San Jose State, would no longer be running the triple option, a scheme he utilized at the Naval Academy due in large part to the program’s incredibly restrictive recruiting policies. But to Niumatalolo, football is just football. While he loves diving into the minutiae of other offenses — Niumatalolo cited Mike Shanahan, Alex Gibbs, Tom Landry, Mike Leach and June Jones as among his inspirations — the ability to lead remains invaluable.

“I feel like there’s a lot of people who are better than me in a lot of places, smarter than me about a lot of things,” Niumatalolo said, “but I think if I have any strengths, it’s bringing people together. If there’s any time you have to bring people together, it’s today’s (landscape) of college football.”

The requirements to create a winner at San Jose State will be different from those of the Naval Academy. But Niumatalolo has built winners in the past by embodying the concepts of love, of example, accountability and development. In the Bay Area, he knows he can do so again.

San Jose State schedule

AWAY HOME BYE

SACRAMENTO STATE

Thursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m., truTV

The Spartans beat the Hornets 24-0 in the first meeting between the schools in 2013.

AIR FORCE

Saturday, Sept. 7, 4 p.m., CBSSN

New SJSU head coach Ken Niumatalolo has faced the cadets 34 times as a player and coach, including a 7-8 record as Navy’s head coach.

KENNESAW STATE

Saturday, Sept. 14, 4 p.m., truTV

The Owls, who didn’t have a football team until 2015, join Conference USA this season after reaching the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs four of the past seven seasons.

WASHINGTON STATE

Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m., CW

The teams met eight times in 10 years from 1955-64, but just just once since 1986, a 31-0 SJSU loss in Pullman in 2018.

BYE

Saturday, Sept. 28

The Spartans are 7-4 coming off a bye week since 2020.

NEVADA

Saturday, Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m., truTV

SJSU has won two of the past three meetings, including 35-28 last season, but hasn’t won consecutive games in the series since 2000-01.

COLORADO STATE

Saturday, Oct. 12, 1:30 p.m., truTV

Never a dull moment between these two teams, who have split eight meetings since 2011, combining to score 60 points per game.

WYOMING

Saturday, Oct. 19, TBD

Homecoming

SJSU has won five of the six meetings between the teams since 2013, but four of those games were decided by a touchdown or less.

FRESNO STATE

Saturday, Oct. 26, 5 p.m., truTV

This will be the 87th Battle for the Valley. SJSU trails 39-443 all-time, but won 42-18 last season and has won two of the past five games played in Fresno.

BYE

Saturday, Nov. 2

OREGON STATE

Saturday, Nov. 9, 12:30 or 7:30 p.m., CW

SJSU has won twice in Corvallis, but that was in 1979 and 1982. The Beavers came to San Jose last fall and won 42-17.

BOISE STATE

Saturday, Nov. 16, 4 p.m., CBSSN

Rematch of last season’s thriller in Boise that saw the Broncos rally from a 20-point first-half deficit for a 35-27 win that loomed large when SJSU, BSU and UNLV finished the regular season tied for first place in the Mountain West standings.

UNLV

Friday, Nov. 22, TBD, FS1

SJSU has won the past four, including a 37-31 victory at at Allegiant Stadium in the final game of the MW Conference regular season.

STANFORD

Friday, Nov. 29, 1 p.m., CBS

The teams have played each other since 1900, but this is the first Bill Walsh Legacy Game since 2013. SJSU has lost 10 of the past 11 meetings, the only win coming when Dick Tomey’s squad upset the Cardinal 35-34 in San Jose.

SAN JOSE STATE

Some savory spots for Spartan fans to chow down near the stadium

BY LINDA ZAVORAL

There could be any number of reasons why you’d leave hungry after a San Jose State Spartans football game. We’ve experienced them all. Maybe the concession lines were way too long, and you didn’t want to miss any of the action on the field. Perhaps the refs threw flags for every little thing, making the game a long day’s journey into night. And there’s no way you could leave your seats at halftime and miss the spectacular Spartan Marching Band. Clearly, you need dining options. The location of SJSU’s CEFCU Stadium on South Campus offers football fans the opportunity to explore the diverse culinary scenes in nearby Little Saigon, East San Jose, the SJSU campus community and downtown San Jose. Here are five recommendations:

FOR VIETNAMESE CRAVINGS

Pho Ha Noi

Little Saigon residents flock to Helen and Harry Nguyen’s original Pho Ha Noi, located in the center of the Vietnam Town complex, for classic cuisine made with top-tier ingredients. Bowls of long-simmered pho (featuring oxtail, chicken, even a 1-pound short rib) are wildly popular here, but don’t overlook the specialties: That savory favorite, Shaking Beef, is made with Harris Ranch ribeye. Roasted free-range birds from Stockton Poultry are featured in the chicken platters. And Bun Cha — grilled pork with

Pho Ha Noi offers a wide ranging menu of Vietnamese favorites in San Jose’s Vietnam Town center.

vermicelli — has been a hit here and across the United States ever since then-President Obama ordered it in Vietnam, the couple says. Their version is made with pork from Yosemite Meats.

The beverage lineup runs the gamut, with Vietnamese salted-cream coffee, ube smoothie, coconut juice with kumquat, salty lemon soda and more supplementing the beer, tea, coffee, soda and juice options.

By the way, if you’re heading home to the East Bay or the Peninsula after the game, check out the couple’s Pho Ha Noi restaurants in Fremont (the newest), Milpitas, Cupertino or Palo Alto.

The dish: Two of us fought over the Vietnamese Sizzling Steak ($21), sliced and sauced prime filet mignon, served with a porkand-chicken-liver pate, fries and sunny-side egg.

Details: Open daily for lunch and dinner starting at 10 a.m. On game days (Friday, Saturday) the restaurant serves until 10 p.m. Vietnam Town, 969 Story Road, No. 6048, San Jose; https:// www.phohanoiusa.com

FOR UPSCALE MEXICAN FARE

Acopio

On South 24th Street, a little more than two miles from the stadium, you’ll find a charming family story and great contemporary Mexican food. Second-generation siblings (and trained chefs) Lorena and Carlos Vidrio of the Taqueria Lorena family redesigned the original space and reopened it as a modern Mexican bistro in 2022. Both inside and outside, geometric Aztec-style elements are set against a palette of colors that evoke Mexico — cactus, molcajete, adobe.

Heritage flavors and practices blend with the contemporary. Soft, supple tortillas — handmade from corn nixtamalized onsite — star in the tacos champinones, camarones al pastor, carnitas de pancita and carne de res. The Tabla de Queso brings a platter of Mexican cheeses, tomatillo jam, chile honey, nuts and fruit dulce. Cool dishes include aguachile, ceviches and a paddle cactus salad. The tequila- and mezcal-centric bar mixes a dozen signature cocktails and several margaritas.

The dish: No question. That Mole Poblano con Pato ($30) is a stunner, beautifully cooked and composed, texturally interesting and Instagram-gorgeous. The preparation style varies throughout the year; currently the duck leg comes with honey-glazed rainbow carrots and carrot-escabeche puree.

Details: Dinner is served from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday, until 10 p.m Saturday. 399 S. 24th St., San Jose; www.acopiosj.com

Top: Acopio is known for its elevated takes on Mexican food, such as Mole de Pato, chile adobo duck confit with a pistachio mole, spiced masa cake and bourbon pomegranate demi. Above: Acopio’s Costillas de Elote showcases fresh summer corn topped with queso, chile salt and salsa macha. NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF

FOR CHOWDER PANGS

Scott’s Seafood

For nearly 40 years, Scott’s has been feeding the seafood cravings of Spartans, first at CityView Plaza in downtown San Jose and since 2020, along South First Street, where this classy spot is expected to help anchor a new restaurant row.

Request a table inside or on the heated patio and start with a cup or bowl of the classic clam chowder or the cognac-tinged lobster bisque. Among the appetizers, the jumbo lump crab cakes with spicy remoulade are a longtime customer favorite.

Are you in the mood for fresh fish — grilled halibut or almond-crusted blue nose bass? Or a Bay Area classic such as Scott’s famous Cioppino or petrale sole dore? The menu offers those, along with pasta-and-seafood dishes, steaks, chops and seafood salads.

It’s a more casual lineup for weekday lunch, with a lobster roll, fish ‘n’ chips, Scott’s burger and a chicken club.

The dish: We’ve always thought the Seafood Saute ($43), with its simple lemon butter sauce, shows off the scallops, prawns and crab to good advantage.

Details: Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Friday, and dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 4:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday at 200 S. First St., San Jose; www.scottsseafoodsj.com.

FOR A NEIGHBORHOOD FAVE

Naglee Park Garage

Located just a block from campus, the Garage is a favorite of neighbors in the SJSU campus community — and it was featured by Guy Fieri on “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” back in 2010.

Chef Mark Ostrowski, the owner for the last decade, adds seasonal touches to a solid lineup of American cuisine. There are four starters, including irresistible bacon-balsamic Brussels sprouts and an ever-evolving burrata appetizer; two meal-size salads, a Caesar and a Naglee Cobb with cranberry, apple, gorgonzola, chicken and a maple vinaigrette; two burgers, including a plant-based version; and two entrees, pan-seared salmon linguine and a bourbon-peppercorn New York strip steak with sides.

The selection of wines and craft beers is thoughtfully curated, and the sangria is housemade.

Top: Sous chef Francisco Salazar cuts a lobster tail at Scott’s Seafood in San Jose. Left: The bar and dining area is well-dressed in wood detail.

RANDY VAZQUEZ/STAFF

Enjoy the food and drinks inside at the bar, at one of the small tables — we love the funky, rustic vintage look of the interior — or outside on the cool, leafy patio.

The dish: It’s hard to pass up the shareable, homemade vanilla bread pudding, crowned with sea-salt caramel, toasted pecans and orange-cardamom whipped cream ($13).

Details: Open from 4 to 9 p.m. FridaySaturday (and until 8 p.m. TuesdayThursday) at 505 E. San Carlos St., San Jose; www.nagleeparkdining.com.

FOR CLASSIC SAMMIES

Togo’s

Back in the day, when little to no food was sold at Spartan Stadium, SJSU students would line up on East William Street to buy deli sandwiches to eat in the stands — while hungry alums nearby stared with jealousy.

That was the original Togo’s. San Jose State student Mike Cobler bought a sandwich joint with a funky wooden exterior in 1971 and set about making sandwiches stuffed the way he liked them — and figured dormitory dwellers and others would go for them, too.

While that Togo’s is long gone, there is a location not far from CEFCU Stadium for a tasty and sentimental stop before or after the game. The good ol’ No. 9, Pastrami, remains the best seller, followed by the No. 24, Turkey & Avocado. (Almost no one had heard of Turkey & Avocado when Togo’s introduced that combo in 1974.) Cheesesteaks are popular now, too, and a BBQ Beef is the summer addition.

The dish: Our go-to is the classic No. 16, The Italian, stacked with Genoa salami, cotto salami, mortadella, capicola and provolone cheese and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette.

Details: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1430 Monterey Road, San Jose. www.togos.com

A Pepper Jack Pastrami Melt is prepared at one of the Togo’s shops owned by Letha Tran in San Jose.

DAI SUGANO/STAFF

At San Jose’s Naglee Park Garage restaurant, bread pudding is topped with sea salt caramel, toasted pecans and orange cardamom whipped cream.

DOUG DURAN/STAFF ARCHIVES

Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice wears a football helmet as a necklace on the sideline at the NFC divisionalround playoff game at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 22, 2023.

JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF ARCHIVES

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