His grandfather sprinted for Olympic gold with Armin Hary in Rome in 1960. His father won the Super Bowl three times. Now Christian McCaffrey wants to continue the successful family story in the NFL final.
The 27-year-old didn’t have to think long. His answer was quick and convincing. The San Francisco 49ers running back was asked on Wednesday during his 45-minute press conference at the team hotel what other sport he would like to win in if he wasn’t a professional football player. “Gold in the 100 meter sprint. You are the fastest man in the world. That would be great” said McCaffrey.
For the football professional, this goal will probably remain pure utopia. His 100-meter best time was 10.50 seconds, said McCaffrey. And who knows how fast he would be by now if he hadn’t focused entirely on American football after high school. On the other hand: If Christian Jackson McCaffrey were to win the Super Bowl of the US football league NFL with the 49ers against defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on the night from Sunday to Monday in Las Vegas, then, as he himself says, that would already be the case anyway.the fulfillment of a childhood dream.“
Photo finish decides in favor of Armin “Härry”
But his affinity for sprinting is also obvious. Because there is someone in his family who came very close to winning gold in the 100 meter sprint: his grandfather, Dave Sime.
Armin Hary crosses the finish line as the winner. The American Dave Sime (l.) comes second.
The father of McCaffrey’s mother Lisa had a fantastic duel with Armin Hary at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. The German had already competed in the same heat with the then 24-year-old American in the quarterfinals and semifinals – and defeated him in each case.
In the final of the top six, both started on the outside lanes – Sime on one, Hary on six – and at the same time sprinted across the finish line first in a new Olympic record of 10.2 seconds. The photo finish had to decide.
Sime’s left foot passed the white chalk line first, but his upper body was the deciding factor. And Hary had just stretched his chest forward so much over the last few centimeters that it was just enough for him to win the Olympics. McCaffrey said he often heard that “Härry” won.
Christian McCaffrey: entry into the NFL record books
His grandfather Dave died in January 2016 at the age of 79. Christian McCaffrey played at Standford University at the time and was considered one of the most talented running backs in college sports. Dave Sime watched all the games on television. He often called his grandson “Snowball” – because once he was in motion, he could no longer be stopped and continued to burrow and scurry his way through the opposing defensive lines.
The “snowball” has now turned into an avalanche. McCaffrey is one of the best attackers in the league. Never in NFL history has a running back caught as many passes in a season as he did (116). And two seasons in a row with more than 100 receptions each – no one but him has achieved that either.
Club record broken by Jerry Rice
This season, the 1.80 meter tall and 95 kilogram athlete even broke the 49ers club record of probably the best attacker the “Goldhosen” ever had: Jerry Rice. The wide receiver once scored a touchdown in twelve consecutive games.
McCaffrey improved the record to 13 on October 1st in a 35:16 home win against the Arizona Cardinals. McCaffrey was “absolutely crazy!!!!“, wrote basketball superstar LeBron James immediately at “X” – and added another “Oh my goodness” after.
McCaffrey says he has wanted to play American football since he was seven years old. Who can blame him? Like so many children, he looked up to his father. And Ed McCaffrey can look back on a great NFL career. The former wide receiver won his first Super Bowl with the 49ers in January 1995, and two more championships with the Denver Broncos in 1998 and 1999.
“Huge influence” of the father
His father has a “huge influence” had on his career, taught him and his three brothers the game, says McCaffrey. And he gave him a few tips for the Super Bowl. For example: “Pay attention to your body and get as much rest as you can.” Something else? “Yes, very important. Approach this game like any other game. Just don’t change that much.“
McCaffrey also attributes the fact that he is one of the fastest players in his position to his father. Sprint training, he says, was always a special concern for Ed McCaffrey. On the other hand, he never studied his grandfather’s running mechanisms intensively, says the man with the number 23 on his shirt. But of course he knows one thing: “To be fast, you have to train for speed every day – and have good genes.”