Most 49ers fans believe it’s only a matter of time before Kyle Shanahan wins a Super Bowl.
He’s not even 45 yet, and he’s already been to three Super Bowls, but according to NFL.com, he lost every one of them and has since joined a group of coaches who have never won a Super Bowl.
“Following the 49ers’ overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 53, Shanahan became just the fifth coach in NFL history to lose his first three Super Bowl appearances as a head coach or coordinator, according to NFL Research. None of the previous four coaches have won a Super Bowl. In that respect, Shanahan joins hallowed league with Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills, Bud Grant of the Minnesota Vikings, Washington and Buffalo offensive coordinator Ted Marchibroda and longtime Vikings defensive coordinator Jerry Barnes. Levy and Grant are Hall of Famers, and Marchibroda and Barnes are highly regarded, but they still fell short of Lombardi’s glory.”
– Grant Gordon, NFL.com
Good news for Shanahan’s legacy. Bad news for the 49ers.
Shanahan is so highly regarded that he may one day be inducted even if he never wins a Super Bowl — his father is a three-time Lombardi Trophy winner but has yet to be inducted — and Levy and Grant have each won four conference championships as head coaches; Shanahan has two.
A big part of Kyle Shanahan’s legacy is that he’s lost three Super Bowls. In each one, he had an elite offensive line that got shut down. His offensive line has never scored more than 22 points in a Super Bowl, and it took overtime to get there.
Shanahan’s offense has scored a staggering nine points in the fourth quarter in each of his three Super Bowls, which will likely be his greatest accomplishment unless he wins a Super Bowl.
