The Denver Broncos are three time Super Bowl Champs with wins in 1999, 1998 and 2015. The earlier wins came when Denver legend, John Elway rode off into the sunset after winning back-to-back Super Bowl Championships with the help of players like Rod Smith, Terrell Davis and Ed McCaffrey, also legends in the Mile High City.
McCaffrey was a staple in the Denver community for many years after his wins in Denver, but some people are unaware that before he came to the City of Denver, McCaffrey played with the San Francisco 49ers and had one Super Bowl win with the Bay Area team back in 1995. McCaffrey was later named head coach of Valor Christian High School in 2018 and later had a head coaching stint with the University of Northern Colorado.
While a Denver Bronco and under the coaching of Mike Shanahan, McCaffrey was often seen with his son in tote, Christian McCaffrey who everyone knows today. Christian McCaffrey didn’t take the same football path as his father likely because of his height but it didn’t matter because Christian has made a name for himself at running back.
The Carolina Panthers drafted Christian McCaffrey in 2017 in the first round after spending four years in College with the Stanford Cardinals. McCaffrey quickly become a fan favorite in the Carolinas and remained a Panther until the 2022 season when he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a second, third and fourth round picks in the 2023 NFL draft along with a fifth rounder in the 2024 draft.
Despite experiencing some injury setbacks, McCaffrey quickly settled into his spot on the team, becoming a fan favorite in San Francisco.
While McCaffrey’s ties to Denver and the Mile High City are deep, we can also appreciate that 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan is son to one of, if not the greatest head coach in Denver Broncos history, Mike Shanahan.
Mike Shanahan came to the Denver Broncos from (you guessed it) the San Francisco 49ers in 1995 and led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the mid to late 90’s. Mike Shanahan’s son Kyle started his NFL career in the mid 2000’s with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but quickly moved on to the Houston Texans where he worked closely with Gary Kubiak (another Denver Bronco legend) who previously worked with Kyle’s father Mike as the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator.
In San Francisco, both Kyle and Christian have been huge to the success of the 49ers, helping them get to the Super Bowl. The team they are facing, an AFC West rival in the Kansas City Chiefs has been a dominating force over the past several seasons, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes winning Super Bowls LIV and LVII with a loss to the Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
As Denver Bronco fans get ready for this weekend’s Super Bowl, I’m compelled to remind with whom the Broncos have closer ties. I’m not saying you shouldn’t cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs, because you should already know this.
