Surprise Of A Lifetime

It’s definitely not inconceivable to believe that I would be totally speechless when Annie surprised me with San Francisco 49er tickets out of the blue, but that’s a theme that will take us through this next story.

Ever since I was old enough to walk (and quite possibly before that), I’ve been a 49ers fan. I can certainly thank my Mom for that, as she’s probably as big of a fan, if not bigger than I am. She’s the one that taught me about football growing up. I remember watching games on Sunday and learning from her the basics of the game.

I was lucky enough to be raised during the 80’s; the 49ers greatest decade. I watched all the greats like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, and Tom Rathman. I watched Coach Bill Walsh take the team to 3 Super bowl titles (ok, I really only remember watching one, I was too young for the other two). My first real Super bowl memory was the 1989 Cincinnati/San Francisco game. I was dressed out in my full Joe Montana uniform, complete with shoulder pads, jersey, helmet and blue jeans stuffed with toilet paper for thigh pads. I was so into it that I even used up my mom’s mascara for eye black. The game was intense, and I can remember sitting on the floor during Montana’s last drive, glued to the screen and hoping for, and witnessing a miracle. Joe Montana led a 92 yard drive that ended in a touchdown to John Taylor with 34 seconds left on the clock to win it 20-16. I didn’t cheer and holler. I didn’t jump up and down. I was speechless. The utter magic I just witnessed was too much for me to comprehend at the time, and I remember just watching in awe. To this day, it still goes down in my book as the best Super bowl ever. It would also forever seal me as a member of the 49er faithful.

The two subsequent 49er championships were great to watch as well, but they didn’t give me that nail biting finish (55-10 over the Broncos in ‘90, and 49-26 over the Chargers in ’95). I was always proud to say I’m a 49er fan, even through the 90’s, where at the end of the decade I was witnessing a collapse in the organization. Each year brought hope for the next, and then the next. They made it to the playoffs a couple more times, but never returned to the great team I grew up watching. Through all of the good years, and bad years, I’ve never wavered in my support for the team. I proudly claim them as my team in good times and in bad. However, one thing I’ve never been able to do was watch them play live. I’ve never been to the legendary Candlestick Park.

This is where the story really begins.

Two weeks removed from our return from Hawaii, I knew Annie and I were going to take Monday, 11/9 off. We planned to go to Chico on that Saturday, and have a football party on Sunday with all of Mel and Rachel’s friends. It sounded like a lot of fun, and would probably be our last trip anywhere before the baby is here. Saturday we got everything packed, and I packed light. A couple pairs of shorts and my 49er jersey (along with the regular unmentionables) were all I needed. After all, we were going to be hanging out in the house watching football Sunday. This Sunday’s game would be against the 1-6 Tennessee Titans, so I was hoping for a win to get the 49ers back on track. We got packed, and Annie told me to load up our small BBQ, since Mel told her theirs was broken. I didn’t think twice about it, and got it loaded up. We were on our way, and ended up in Chico around 5:00. When we got there, I said hello to everyone and sat down to visit. Arica and Leanne were there to greet us as well, which is always a fun surprise.

As we were visiting, Annie left the room briefly and returned with a plain black long sleeve shirt in her hands. She said “I got you this shirt to go under your jersey”. My first thought was she was embarrassed that my Jersey was a bit see-through (due to the holes in the material), and didn’t want to have to subject everyone else at the football party to that. She then said “Because I hear Candlestick Park can get a bit cold and windy” (as in the wind blows, not curvy). My brain came to a screeching halt. Then she says “Because we’re going to the game!”, as she produced four tickets with Joe Staley on the front. I stared in disbelief at the tickets, and then just looked up at my jubilant wife who was clapping and jumping up and down. “Get out” I say, “When?” She says “Tomorrow!” Then my brain slowly starts back up, and I wonder to myself how we’re going to the game when we have a football party at the house tomorrow. I couldn’t think of anything to say. I just stared at the tickets and let the impact of what I’ve just learned slowly sink in. Apparently, the reaction I’d displayed was subpar, because when I gathered myself enough to look around the room, I just saw a bunch of disappointed faces. That’s when Annie announced “I guess this is Jeff excited”. But I was excited. I was beside myself, but couldn’t express it. I was once again speechless. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to be sitting at Candlestick Park the following day. It just didn’t make sense to me for a while. I think she caught me so off guard, it just confused me. Slowly throughout the night, the excitement began to set in. I knew there was no way I was going to sleep that night, but I didn’t care. I was off to see the 49ers, live, in person. I would be in the same stadium that some of the greatest players in history made some of the most memorable plays in history, including “The Catch”.

We woke up around 5:30 to get ready for the game. It didn’t take much to get me up and going, as I was so excited. We left the house around 6:30 and got to the stadium a little before 10:00 to begin tailgating. Thanks to some friends getting us a preferred parking pass, we were able to park only a few rows away from the entrance to the stadium. I was in a state of awe through much of the pregame. I was standing there looking at the stadium, and it just looked larger than life. We used my little BBQ to cook some sausages, and had a few beers before the game. The atmosphere was amazing, and it a lot like a family gathering. Everyone we encountered were great people that were excited to see the team they love too. We didn’t encounter a single person that was mean spirited or belligerent.

After we tailgated for a couple hours, we made our way into the stadium. Our seats were on the home side near the end zone, on the lower level, row 7. I couldn’t believe how great the seats were. We were close enough to see the players’ numbers without binoculars. The atmosphere in the stadium defies description. It was electric. I can’t even come close to describe it, so I guess I’ll just say go to a game and you’ll know what I mean. I was so full of excitement, I had to put my sun glasses on during player introductions lest I let the emotion welling up in my eyes be seen by the people around me. Especially when they introduced my favorite player, and the place erupted into a frenzy that shook the entire stadium. I couldn’t even hear the announcer say “Number 52, Patrick Willis”, because as soon as they showed his picture on the big screen, the place went nuts.

The game started and promptly ended. I sat there wondering where the last 60 minutes of football went as I saw the Titan’s quarterback taking a knee to run out the final seconds on the clock. It went by entirely too fast. I yelled my lungs out when they were on defense, and didn’t make a sound when they were on offense. I sat in that seat from player introductions until they shook hands and walked off the field. No trips to the concession stands, or to the men ’s room. I wanted to absorb every second of the experience as possible, and I can honestly say I did. The game ended with a 34-27 defeat, but I left that stadium with a smile on my face. I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy after a 49ers loss, but I was still in a state of awe.

As we waited for the traffic to clear out of the parking lot, we hung out for a few more minutes doing a post game tailgate party, and I just kept staring at the stadium. I couldn’t believe I was actually there. It’s something that probably sounds silly to most people, but I grew up seeing that place on T.V., and never imagined I would actually go watch a game there. I don’t know why, we don’t live far away, it was just never something I thought I would do. Annie had a great time too. She’s been getting into football this year, and it’s been so fun to be able to watch it with her. We had one of the most memorable times this weekend, and it’s something I will never forget.

I have to give Annie all the credit in the world, along with Mel and Rachel for being able to pull this off. Annie had planned it back in September, Mel got everything arranged. They were able to keep this secret from me since then, which if you know Annie you know couldn’t have been easy. She’s the one that like to shake the presents under the tree, while I’d rather not even look at them until Christmas morning. The anticipation had to have been killing her. I have never been as surprised as I was that night she showed me the tickets. They fully caught me by surprise.

One last note to close the theme of the blog: The game was on Sunday, and today is my first day at work. I can’t hardly answer the phone because when I try to talk, my voice is gone. I yelled so hard at that game, I think I “left my voice in San Francisco” (that was pretty cheesy, wasn’t it?). So 3 days after the game, and at the moment of this blog, I’m still speechless. Thanks for a most memorable experience, girls!