What’s a playoff rivalry without a fight? 49ers owner decked fan following 1997 loss
Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was known for his loyalty to all things 49ers, to the point he’d fight for his franchise.
Literally.
Following the Green Bay Packers’ 35-14 playoff rout of the 49ers on Jan. 4, 1997, the one-time franchise owner DeBartolo reacted to jeers, sneers and taunts in the Lambeau Field parking lot the best way he knew how then. He punched. DeBartolo decked a Packers heckler and a companion head-butted another. Among the tamest thing Green Bay fans hissed to a seething DeBartolo was “40-whiners!”
A Green Bay city prosecutor agreed to drop battery charges if DeBartolo donated an otherwise $2,500 fine to charity. He did, in the name of Vince Lombardi, the most famed Packer of them all.
’Spoon ’tude
One of the reasons the 49ers are so united is the selfless attitude of players such as Ahkello Witherspoon.
The cornerback with deep Sacramento roots was benched early in last week’s divisional playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings in place of Emmanuel Moseley after he was burned on a touchdown play. But he didn’t lose his perspective.
Witherspoon immediately urged coaches to let him take over Moseley’s special teams reps to keep involved. He did not start on defense against the Packers in Sunday’s NFC championship at Levi’s Stadium.
Witherspoon said earlier this week, “Just doing the next thing, which is going and helping to contribute on special teams. I wish it wasn’t a media thing, honestly, because it’s just something I do humbly from the grace of my heart. I believe that type of commitment to your craft and respect for one another will return to you in life. And that’s how I operate.
“That’s the way I was raised. That starts at my household. You want to strive for your own personal desires, everything selfishly and you want to get what you want. But if it’s not your time, you take the next best role, which is helping to commit for the greater good of the team. You talk about the quality of our team, it’s the quality of the people in this locker room that also happen to play football well.”
Honorable mentions
A week after Joe Montana was cheered as an honorary game captain before kickoff, more cheers rained down for these captains: Steve Young and Mike Shanahan.
Young is a familiar name here, the Hall of Famer having quarterbacked San Francisco to its last Super Bowl triumph following the 1994 season.
Shanahan is the father of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. The elder Shanahan was the 49ers offensive coordinator from 1992-94. The Super Bowl rout of the San Diego Chargers led to his hiring as head coach with the Denver Broncos, where he won two Super Bowls at the end of John Elway’s decorated quarterback career. Mike Shanahan attended last week’s game in a suite.
Ticket flash
Tickets to the first NFC championship at the end of the 1970 season at Kezar Stadium went for $12. The Dallas Cowboys won that game 17-10. That was the last 49ers game played at that venue.
Tickets for the 1982 NFC title game at Candlestick Park against Dallas went anywhere from $35 to $150, which outraged fans then. It’d be a steal now. San Francisco won 28-27 on “The Catch.”
The average price for Sunday’s game at Levi’s was $585.95, according to TickPick.
Quick hits
▪ 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel had a qualified warm-up partner of sorts some 90 minutes before kickoff: Jerry Rice. Perhaps the greatest 49er not named Montana did his work in a suit and sneakers.
Rice, like he did last weekend, signed dozens of autographs and took selfies with season-ticket holders before the game on the sideline. He even held babies for photos.
▪ Groundskeepers for Levi’s Stadium added 50 additional gallons of red paint to the end zones and the midfield 49ers logo for a sparkling red look.
▪ With the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1969 season, the longest big-game droughts include two teams that have not reached it in the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions.
The New York Jets last made during the 1968 season, the Vikings during the 1977 season and the Miami Dolphins following the 1984 season.
▪ The police chiefs in Green Bay and San Francisco placed friendly bets. The chief representing the losing team must wear a replica winning jersey and post to social media. They must also make a personal donation to a charity.
▪ The Packers came into Sunday leading the all-time series with the 49ers 36-31-1, including 4-3 in the playoffs. The first meeting was in 1950, a 25-21 home win for Green Bay.
▪ Sunday was the first NFC championship game in which both teams fielded losing records the previous season. Green Bay went 6-9-1 in 2018 and the 49ers went 4-12. The only times this happened in the AFC were in 1988, when the Cincinnati Bengals downed the Buffalo Bills, and in 1996, when the New England Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars.
▪ The 49ers had the same inactive list as last week: quarterback C.J. Beathard, receiver Jordan Matthews, running back Jeff Wilson Jr., cornerback Dontae Johnson, tight end Daniel Helm and defensive lineman Kevin Givens.
▪ Other Bay Area sports figures of note on hand at Levi’s were Barry Bonds, Klay Thompson, Rickey Watters and Patrick Willis.
▪ Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers came in needing 300 yards passing to become sixth man in history to eclipse the 5,000-yard playoff passing mark. The others: Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and Ben Roethlisberger.
