How Kyle Shanahan made his 49ers fandom clear in last Super Bowl win

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Twenty-five years ago, Kyle Shanahan was all-in on the 49ers.

Then a 15-year-old, San Francisco's future coach was plenty faithful. His father, Mike, was the 49ers' offensive coordinator at the time, and Kyle closely followed along during the team's run to Super Bowl XXIX. 

Just how closely? Perhaps too closely, at least if you're not a fan of wearing the same thing every day. 

"I remember people making fun of me because I got Deion Sanders' throwback jersey for Christmas, and I didn't take it off until the day after the Super Bowl until my dad became the [Denver] Broncos' head coach," Shanahan told reporters in Santa Clara on Tuesday. "So, I wore it for about ... a month and 10 days. I changed my undershirt, though, I promise."

We'd hope he didn't stop there, considering 38 days passed between Christmas 1994 and the elder Shanahan's hiring in Denver on Jan. 31, 1995. 

A quarter-century later, Kyle Shanahan has a chance to lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since Sanders, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Co. grabbed his undivided attention as a teenager. San Francisco is the NFC's No. 1 seed, hosting the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round Saturday at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers (13-3) have home-field advantage on the path to Super Bowl LIV, and they'll have a chance to punch a ticket to Miami on their home turf if they beat the Vikings on Saturday. 

[RELATED: Bosa explains what makes Vikings' Cook so hard to tackle]

Shanahan has a family of his own now, and he said he sees parallels with how they've enjoyed the 49ers' surprising resurgence to how he did the last time San Francisco lifted the Lombardi Trophy. 

"I was dedicated to [that team]," Shanahan said. "I felt like I couldn't do school for that month because I had to get a good night's sleep before the games, and things like that. I was just so, 100-percent [into] the Niners and the playoffs at that time. I can remember it like it was yesterday, and it's funny to watch my wife be like that kind of right now. My kids aren't as old as I was, but they're getting close."

Here's hoping they're able to mix in a few different jersey options. 

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