Looking at it from a distance, nine years really isn’t that long.
Sure it’s a little less that a third of my life – yeah, I’m 24 – and nearly an entire decade. But nine years is a lot less than, let’s say, 50.
But in sports, and with a franchise that saw nearly 20 years of constant success, nine years could easily be called a lifetime.
And Saturday, watching from the comfort of my home, those nine years sure built up a lot of pent-up emotion from the “49er Faithful.” Yes, the story of Saturday’s come-from-behind-not-once-but-twice win was about – and should be – the redemption of Alex Smith and Vernon Davis, but the side story is all about the fans who returned from a decade of dormancy to turn Candlestick Park into a whirlwind of excitement and pure emotion.
“Man, it was loud. It’s the loudest I’ve ever heard our stadium,” Patrick Willis said in front of the media after Saturday’s win. “I’m thankful for the fans that came out on our behalf. All the fans that were there turned on a great ball game. Hopefully we get to come back here again, but if not, I thank all of the fans out there tonight cheering the way they did.”
For all the talk about Justin Smith, Frank Gore and the job of Jim Harbaugh, what’s been forgotten is the rush of the fans.
For years, going to the 49er game was never actually about going to the game, season-ticket holder Bill Mifsud Jr. told me last week. Instead of looking for a win and basking in the San Francisco sun, all fans could cared about was tailgating and trying to find a way to enjoy the pathetic excuse for a team. And maybe if the stars aligned, the Niners could bottle up the energy of two decades ago and win.
Sadly, more often than not they didn’t. But fans like Mifsud still kept coming. They still believed.
“You used to go for the tailgate, now the tailgate is the after effect,” he said last week. “We are there for the game. Can we win? Sure we can.”
Just one year ago, the 49ers were also-rans, but the stadium was always sold out. National media considered the Niners an afterthought, and just a relic of the past.
Through those entire nine years, with constant booing – mostly directed to the embattled Alex Smith – the Niner fans kept coming. Unlike Raider fans, who until this year struggled selling out O.co Coliseum, 49er fans supported the team through its down whirl spiral.
The hope was this: What happened Saturday, was right around the corner.
The 49er win Saturday, was more than just a football game for those nearly 70,000 people that stuffed the 52-year-old stadium. It was validation of their care and support.
It was proof that if you stuck through the hard times, the good means so much more.
Personally, I grew up a 49ers fan. I remember the tail end of the glory days, and what it was like to support a winning team. Today, after a decade of supporting a team that lost more than it won, Saturday was wonderful to watch.
It was edge of your seat entertainment. It was everything you want in a football game. And this upcoming Sunday, I’ll I can hope for is another one. Because regardless of the job I carry, watching the 49ers win will always bring back those childhood memories.
“Can you feel Candlestick?” 49ers play-by-play broadcaster Ted Robinson asked on the radio near the end of Saturday’s game.
From my couch, the answer was easily yes.
