History of the San Francisco 49ers | Ryan Ranch
Course Description:The San Francisco 49ers are the Bay Area's most popular professional sports team. Television ratings and game attendance prove it. But how did the 49ers get that way? It's a compelling saga involving unforgettable characters who ate raw meat, invented new offenses, sawed cars in half, created last-second miracles, and won five Super Bowls. Northern California likes to think it is too sophisticated and smart to get excited about something as gauche as sports entertainment involving grunting and sweating. But not when it comes to the 49ers. This course will examine why. It will cover every decade of the franchise's journey, from an idea spawned by two Santa Clara University freshmen in 1928, to a startup enterprise that joined the rogue All-America Football Conference in 1946, to today's iconic NFL institution. We'll discuss the great games, great players and great coaches, and connect the dots through the team's various eras. Helmets and shoulder pads are not required. |
Tuition: $30.00 Additional Fees: $0.00 |
Day/Time
Wednesdays, Apr. 16, 23; *1:00 – 3:00 p.m.* (2 sessions)
Location
In Person: CSUMB Ryan Ranch, 8 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Monterey
Facilitator:
Mark Purdy is a retired journalist who spent 43 years writing about high-profile sports events and 33 years as a "San José Mercury News" columnist. He covered 14 Olympics, 26 World Series, 32 Super Bowls, and over 350 NFL games. He has recently completed an illustrated timeline book about 49ers history, published by Reedy Press. Purdy was named one of America's Top 10 sports columnists by The Associated Press Sports Editors on multiple occasions and in 2021, became the first journalist inducted into the San José Sports Hall of Fame.