Who is Mike Shanahan, Kyle Shanahan's dad? Get to know the former NFL head coach

Kyle Shanahan is renowned for being a gifted offensive mind. His playcalling at the helm of the San Francisco 49ers is often regarded as the NFL’s best and is a big reason why San Francisco won its second NFC title in five seasons.

But the San Francisco head coach probably never gets to this Sunday’s Super Bowl stage without his dad, Mike Shanahan, who you’ll likely hear a lot about during CBS’s broadcast.

Here’s what you need to know about the elder Shanahan, who ironically has a lot of similar pro football connections to his son.

Mike Shanahan first rose to real prominence in the NFL as the 49ers’ offensive coordinator. He was the maestro behind the scenes of Steve Young’s offense during the 49ers’ last Super Bowl win in 1994. That dynamite coaching job eventually led Shanahan to Colorado, where he led the Denver Broncos to back-to-back championships in 1997 and 1998.

Shanahan would stay on in that role until his ouster in 2008. After a two-year hiatus, he took the helm of the Washington Commanders from 2010 to 2013. Here, he brought his son along with him as Washington’s offensive coordinator. Mike Shanahan never officially retired but has not coached in the NFL since 2013. Meanwhile, Kyle Shanahan took that initial Washington role and eventually parlayed it into success with the Atlanta Falcons (insert 28-3 jokes here) before heading to the Bay Area to channel his father.

Needless to say, Kyle Shanahan would not, once again, be on the edge of Super Bowl glory if not for his legendary NFL coaching dad.

Former NFL coach Mike Shanahan @CoachShanahan_ and wide receiver Ed McCaffrey @87ed join TODAY as proud dads to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and star player Christian McCaffrey to talk about their hopes of becoming historic father-son duos at the #SuperBowl. pic.twitter.com/6BJiiiugul

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 9, 2024