Breaking: SAN FRANCISCO 49ers officially Hires New Coach…
SANTA CLARA (AP) — More than a month after firing Chip Kelly following just one season, the San Francisco 49ers formally announced Kyle Shanahan, the offensive coordinator for Atlanta, as their next head coach on Monday.
A few weeks ago, the 49ers decided on Shanahan, but they were unable to sign him to a contract until after the Falcons’ Super Bowl victory. Later this week, Shanahan will be formally introduced during a press conference.
Shanahan is the son of Mike Shanahan, the two-time Super Bowl winning head coach who was also named the 1994 offensive coordinator of the year in San Francisco. The younger Shanahan was a ball boy back then, but he’ll now be working with new general manager John Lynch to rebuild a squad that finished with a 2-14 record, which tied the franchise record and forced Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke out.
“As a young man, I had the unique benefit of being exposed to the storied history of the San Francisco 49ers firsthand,” Shanahan stated in a statement. “I gained a lot of respect for people who established a championship-level, world-class standard as a result of that exposure. John Lynch is the ideal partner for us as we start the work of re-establishing that level as a team. He is a man who undoubtedly has firsthand experience with what championship organizations resemble. For the purpose of building this team, John and I are looking forward to creating a solid culture.”
After leading the Falcons to a league-high 33.8 points per game in the regular season and their second-ever Super Bowl appearance, Shanahan was named the NFL’s best assistant coach by the Associated Press this season.
That ended in heartbreak as Atlanta lost 34-28 in overtime after blowing a 28-3 lead over New England. Regarding his play-calling in the fourth quarter, Shanahan faced criticism.
On a third-and-1, he called a deep drop back that resulted in a sack and fumble that set up the Patriots’ comeback. Later, with Atlanta in position to win the game with two possessions remaining, Shanahan once more passed up the chance to run, which resulted in a sack and a holding penalty.
Lynch referred to him as the “catch” of the head coaching cycle because of those infrequent black spots on an otherwise outstanding play-calling season. Six clubs hired coaches this offseason, with San Francisco being the last to do so.
“As an offensive mind, I think he stands alone in the National Football League, as evidenced by the explosive and record-setting offense in Atlanta,” Lynch stated. “Despite having grown up around coaching, Kyle has really amazed me with how independent he has become in the industry. Our approaches to football and our goals for bringing the 49ers back to the title game are completely compatible. Bringing Kyle Shanahan on board makes me very happy.”
Shanahan, 37, is now the third-youngest head coach in the history of the team. Frankie Albert was 36 when he coached his first game in 1956, and Jack Christiansen was 34 when he was appointed in 1963.
In 2004, Shanahan was hired by Tampa Bay as an offensive quality control coach, his first NFL position. Before moving to Atlanta last season, he worked as an offensive coordinator at Cleveland, Houston, and Washington.
The 49ers made their decision evident when Shanahan was the only applicant to receive a second interview and when Lynch was appointed general manager following Shanahan’s recommendation.
“Throughout this process, we learned many things about Kyle that convinced us he is the perfect coach to lead this team,” CEO Jed York stated. “His recent achievement speaks for itself; he has established himself as one of the sport’s sharpest thinkers throughout the years. At every stage of his career, Kyle’s leadership has brought out the best in his players, and we are excited to watch him assemble a talented team to do the same with our players.”
The Niners’ fortunes have declined recently despite visiting the NFC title game three times in a row and making one Super Bowl appearance under head coach Jim Harbaugh from 2011 to 2013.
Conflicts with Baalke contributed to Harbaugh’s dismissal from the team following an 8–8 season in 2014. Jim Tomsula and Kelly took over as coaches for a single season each after that.
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