I was very lucky to briefly speak to one of the "rare unselfish" 49er teammates that Quarterback Brock Purdy spoke about in an interview with NBC Bay Area's Myles Simmons.
Now when you think of some elite athletes, you might think of them as being egotistical or unapproachable.
Purdy, who is himself a humble leader, often shows his humility and appreciation in how he conducts himself on the field. For instance, you will see him waiting to high-five Special Teams when they come off the field. His teammates have commented that this is unusual, as most quarterbacks are sitting down and studying the plays.
The 49ers have a tradition of having captains who are elected by other players to be leaders of the team. Purdy, because of his superb leadership skills, has been elected to be a captain in 2023!
Let's find out about the play that Purdy referred to, when he called his teammates "rare and unselfish."
The Play
The play that Purdy refers to is one that immediately caught my eye when watching the 49ers' opening game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers come from Pennsylvania, the same state as the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles were the only team to stop the 49ers from reaching the Super Bowl earlier this year, when Purdy experienced an arm injury. Surely there was trepidation about playing in Pennsylvania against Quarterback Kenny Pickett, who had a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating after three pre-season games! The higher the rating, the better the quarterback!
The 49ers came in with their usual work ethic: put your ego aside, work as a team, and win the game!
Early in the third quarter, Christian McCaffrey ran 65 yards for a touchdown in a running play. This was made possible because two wide-receivers, Ray Ray McCloud and Brandon Aiyuk, both tackled Steeler defenders who may have stopped McCaffrey from making the touchdown.
Normally, wide receivers catch the ball during passing plays, but because this was a running play, they worked as a team to ensure that McCaffrey's path was clear to the endzone.
I personally experienced this rare and unselfish characteristic of the 49ers team!
Brief Meeting
I was very lucky to catch a flight with one of Purdy's teammates, who I shall not name, in the interest of privacy.
When you perform in public each week, it can be startling when you are in your everyday clothes and you are recognized. There is a brief instant where one might feel like a spotlight is on and one might have to be worried for their safety. After that brief instant, however, it is fun to talk to the person briefly.
Keeping this in mind, when I recognized the player on an airline flight, I nudged the person who was with me, who said, "That can't be him! Why is he flying coach?"
I thought that maybe I was mistaken.
However, once the passengers started to disembark, one of the flight attendants started talking to this player about the 49ers and I realized that it was indeed a 49er!
Keeping in mind my own concerns about safety, I briefly wished him good luck for the 2023-24 season and yelled my head off when I was out of earshot!
What struck me was how humble he was, though he is a very big Bay Area celebrity!
Learn about 49er players in the Biography in Context Database!
Biography in Context Database
To learn more about your favorite 49er player (or other Bay Area personality,) check out the Library's Biography in Context Database!
Though Brock Purdy is a fairly new 49er, you can find articles and pictures about him.
Find the Biography in Context database under the 'History and Genealogy' eResources subject category.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below!
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