The 49ers' rivalry with the Dallas Cowboys dates back to decades ago when the animosity between teams was real, even after the game clock read zeros.
Players like 49ers linebacker Gary Plummer hated the Cowboys so much that he had NSFW t-shirts made to exemplify the feeling. After all the Cowboys had ended the the 49ers path to the Super Bowl one too many times.
Last year, in an ode to the fiery linebacker, George Kittle wore a shirt with the same exact message during the game. The All-Pro revealed the shirt towards the end of his three-touchdown performance which led him to be fined over $13,000.
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Former head coach for the Cowboys, Jason Garrett was a part of the rivalry as a backup quarterback during those pivotal franchise-changing years in the 1990s.
“I mean, that was a different atmosphere back then, incredible rivalry,” Garrett told NBC Sports Bay Area. “It really was, and it seemed like every game we played was so meaningful. It was, you know, it was a regular season game and somehow it was going to determine, who was going to have home field advantage during the playoffs and then we'd play them in the playoffs and just had these epic games against each other.”
Garrett added it was not only the level of the play, but the players involved, many of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was during those years that Troy Aikman, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice became household names.
But it was also two organizations that really did not like each other. Midfield postgame jersey swaps and photos would never have been thought of and neither would off season workshops or socializing together.
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“I mean, there wasn't that friendliness that you see after games now,” Garrett said. “I mean, these teams really didn't like each other back then. There’s no doubt, there were high stakes, in these games, and they made a big difference in the outcome of the NFL season.”
In two consecutive seasons (1992 and 1993), the Cowboys beat the 49ers in the playoffs to prevent a Super Bowl berth, and Dallas went on to win the title game. During the 1994 season, Young and the 49ers finally beat their rivals in the NFC Championship Game -- which lead to the organization’s fifth Super Bowl win.
“It was an amazing time and when the stakes are that high, there was certainly mutual respect,” Garrett said. “There’s no doubt about that, but there's no question. There was no love lost.”
As for Kittle wearing the shirt a second time? The All-Pro says that will be for everyone to find out Sunday night. Kickoff is at 5:20 p.m. PT.