Kyle Shanahan, a former Texas receiver, is passionate about Longhorns football.

joined the illustrious Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys, who coached in five games and won two of them.
With a strip sack of Lamar Jackson in the AFC championship game, former Texas player Charles Omenihu—now with the Kansas City Chiefs—made a crucial play. His ACL is torn, so he will miss the Super Bowl.
With Shanahan’s Super Bowl attendance, a Texas ex-player will take part in the NFL’s biggest showcase for the 19th consecutive year.

Three days prior to San Francisco’s NFC championship game against Detroit, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked an intriguing question concerning the 49ers’ home field advantage by a reporter: “How significant will Sunday’s 12th Man be?”

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Although coaches are asked this question in a variety of ways prior to almost every football game played worldwide, Shanahan took issue with the way it was phrased.

He responded, “We don’t call them the 12th guy here.”

Shanahan is a seasoned Texas Longhorn. The hairs on the back of his neck would definitely stand out if the 12th Man were mentioned. Even though he’s one of the top coaches in the NFL, the former Texas wideout will undoubtedly respond sharply to any mention of anything connected to A&M.

Knowing his past, the reporters laughed at his response.

His team, the Niners, defeated the upset-minded Lions 34–31 on Sunday, rallying from a 24–7 halftime hole to secure their second Super Bowl berth in five years. Strangely, the victory was achieved in a coaching clash with Dan Campbell, a former tight end for A&M.

Shanahan and defensive end Charles Omenihu made it 19 seasons in a row that Texas grads had appeared in the Super Bowl.

During the early 2000s, Shanahan played reserve receiver at Texas under head coach Mack Brown. During that time, he collected extensive notes, much like standout pass catchers Roy Williams, Sloane Thomas, and B.J. Johnson. In 2001 and 2002, he caught 14 passes for 127 yards. In 2003, he accepted a position as a graduate assistant at UCLA.

Twenty years, six jobs later, and the guy they called “Shanno” in college now leads the Niners to their eighth Super Bowl appearance, which is matched with four other teams for second most in league history behind New England’s eleven.

Shanahan made enduring connections with teammates Bo Scaife, Rod Babers, Chris Simms, and Montrell Flowers while he was in Texas. They established a fraternity known as “The Wood,” which was inspired by the same-titled romantic film from 1999. To make it official, they even got matching tattoos of the letter “W.”

Following the game, Scaife, who spent six seasons with the Tennessee Titans, was at Shanahan’s side to offer congratulations.