The San Francisco 49ers are off to the Super Bowl once again, but for their star player it is his first trip onto the sport’s biggest stage.
Running back Christian McCaffrey is in his seventh NFL season but first full one in the red and gold of the 9ers after getting traded by the Carolina Panthers.
While fantasy players have long held the star back in high regard, even through all of his injuries, your average NFL fan might not know a whole lot about a guy who has toiled away in one of the league’s secondary markets.
If you want some background on a guy who is probably going to see a lot of the ball this Monday, we’ve got you covered with some good old fashioned pub trivia on the number 23 for San Francisco.
1 – He’s got the good genes
Some NFL players rely on hard work to make their way into the league and while McCaffrey has honed his craft, his genetics gave him a massive leg up on some of the other guys in his cohort.
His Dad Ed McCaffrey played wide receiver in the league for over a decade, spending time with the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos.
Oh and he managed to win three Super Bowl titles so he will be hoping his son can collect his first ring this Monday.
Will this change the dinner conversation when Christian can finally say “yeah Dad you won a Super Bowl, I have one too you know…”
His mother was a college soccer player with Stanford University while his grandfather was an Olympic track star.
Oh and his uncle Billy McCaffrey played college basketball for powerhouse program Duke and also won the 1996 NBL title with the South East Melbourne Magic.
2 – But he’s no daddy’s boy
Even with that genetic head start, McCaffrey really broke out in his college career with Stanford as a dynamic career.
His best performance came in the 2016 Rose Bowl against Iowa where he set a game record with 368 all purpose yards.
Across his college career he earned plenty of accolades including a consensus All-American nomination plus the Pac-12 Player of the year and the Paul Hornung Award in 2015.
3 – He can do it all
Some say that running backs don’t matter as much in the NFL, but when you have a guy like McCaffrey, he definitely does matter.
But that’s because he can do so much more than just take a handoff for three yards and a cloud of dust.
His versatility is one of his biggest assets as he can run the ball, catch it and even fill in on kickoff and punt returns when the team needs a spark.
Last year he even had to take some snaps at quarterback in the NFC Championship when Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson got injured.
4 – His nickname is not the most creative
Out of all the things he could be called… they went with CMC.
I suppose it’s better than Ed Jr or something like that.
5 – He’s kind of smart
In his time at Stanford, McCaffrey was not just there to get a degree in attendance, he nailed his classes too.
Probably wouldn’t have been the most encouraging sight for some of his classmates seeing someone who could run rings around them and got hit in the head every weekend crushing them in the classroom as well.
6 – The personal life gets some attention too
You might not be aware of one of the other power couples at the Super Bowl, but McCaffrey’s partner is none other than model Olivia Culpo whose resume in the fashion world might actually top her fiancé’s.
The Rhode Island native was Miss USA and Miss Universe in 2012, before parlaying that into a career that has featured multiple appearances in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue and partnerships with L’Oreal, Kipling and other major brands.
Prior to McCaffrey she dated former Patriots receiver Danny Amendola and was on the sideline as he won a ring there.
Although that came to a rather eventful conclusion a few years back.
And while her and McCaffrey announced their engagement a while ago, it appears she is still having to win over the future in-laws.
7 – He can carry a tune
McCaffrey has the look of a guy who would break out the acoustic guitar at a barbeque and start belting out the overly emotional ballads Wonderwall, Horses and Time of Your Life.
But he’s actually a decent all rounder on the tunes and specialises in the harmonica and piano.
8 – We can all relate to his guilty pleasure
Because who hasn’t demolished a whole bag of Doritos and Oreos in the one sitting?
9 – The Panthers just wanted to get rid of him
Why?
Who knows, how much would they love to have him helping out Bryce Young now?
It might have been a lot to give up for a running back, but maybe not much for this running back landing in this situation.
And while some within the 49ers might not have loved the move initially, it’s definitely paid off.
10 – He was always destined to go back to San Francisco
Dad played in the Bay Area for a season and won a Super Bowl, his mum went to college in California and he chose to attend her alma mater.
Was he ever not going to play for the team based in that area?