On “49ers Talk: Christian McCaffrey” San Francisco’s star running back sits down with former Stanford coach David Shaw to discuss the history between the Shanahan and McCaffrey families.
The Shanahan and McCaffrey families have a long-standing connection dating back to the Denver Broncos' dynasty of the late 1990s.
In a recent NBC Sports Bay Area exclusive interview, former Stanford coach David Shaw reunited with one of his collegiate stars -- 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey -- and asked what it's been like playing for coach Kyle Shanahan in the Bay Area, given the connection between those two families.
“We both grew up with our dads being big deals in Denver," McCaffrey said. “I’ve known of Kyle for a really long time, but I don’t know if I ever met him other than when I was in Carolina and we played against him here, just after the game, saying hi. There is this Shanahan and McCaffrey connection. Our parents know each other well."
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While there is plenty of familiarity between the two, McCaffrey has made it a point to keep that connection from interfering with his diligent work ethic.
“I try to kind of push that to the side because I know at the end of the day, I’ve got a job to do and he’s got a job to do,” McCaffrey said. “He’s counting on me to do my job and I don’t have time to be buddy-buddy with anybody really.”
However, McCaffrey’s family ties aren’t limited to just the head coach, as his dad’s time with the Broncos also overlapped with quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and running backs coach Bobby Turner.
He made it clear that despite the familiarity, he does his best to ignore the previous relationships because none of it matters if he isn’t doing his job to the best of his ability.
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“I just wanted to produce; I think that was the biggest thing for me,” McCaffrey told Shaw. “I think trying to push the relationship that we previously had. Guys like Brian Griese, and Bobby Turner Terrell Davis’ running back’s coach when my dad was in Denver. There are just so many familiar faces, I just try and put my nose to the grindstone and not worry about any of that, because nothing matters if I don’t go out there and play well.”
The method McCaffrey has stuck to is working, as he is coming off a stellar performance that saw him record 169 total yards and a touchdown in the 49ers' Week 1 thumping of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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