The San Francisco 49ers will make their eighth Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, tying them with three other teams for the second most (behind only the New England Patriots) in history. If the 49ers beat the Kansas City Chiefs (this is a rematch of Super Bowl LIV) in Super Bowl LVIII, it would mark their sixth Super Bowl win, trying them with the Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most all-time.
With the momentous occasion on the brink, we flashback to the summer of 2015, when world football and American football (or soccer and the NFL) coalesced.
Re-publishing from Jul 22, 2015
For the second time this week a group of Manchester United players hung out and had fun with some NFL players.
Just three days after a group of four United players went through some drills and light workouts with the Seattle Seahawks, three different United footballers were given a special greeting from a pair of San Francisco 49ers.
Chris Smalling, (or “Mike” Smalling as Manager Louis van Gaal knows him) Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett were greeted by Lawrence Okoye and Eric Reid.
United will play Barcelona at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Saturday, and that’s the home of the 49ers.
Here’s a photo Tweeted out by the United official club account:
Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett caught up with the San Francisco @49ers today. #MUtour pic.twitter.com/ATwrryd9bd
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 22, 2015
Fun Fact: Okoye competed for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics in discus.
The 49ers representatives showed the Red Devils around the stadium and then taught them how to toss the old pigskin.
United were in the south bay last night, as they beat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 at Avaya Stadium. They began the #MUTour in Seattle, where they beat Club America 1-0 at the home of the Seahawks.
United’s preseason exhibition tour of the United States will conclude on Wednesday night when the Red Devils take on Paris St. Germain in Chicago at Soldier Field.
The 49ers were founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and very coincidentally joined the NFL in 1949 when the leagues merged. The club is named for the fortune seekers who flocked to Northern California during the Gold Rush of 1849.
Here is the list of the five Super Bowl championships won by the 49ers: 1981 (XVI), 1984 (XIX), 1988 (XXIII), 1989 (XXIV), and 1994 (XXIX) seasons.
The 49ers are known for their very rich history, extremely iconic players (Joe Montana and Jerry Rice come to mind first), and contributions to the progression of football, particularly the West Coast offense.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.