John Brodie speaks in halting sentences. His right arm hangs limp, and his fist is uncontrollably clenched, effects from a stroke in 2000.

But Saturday night, no amount of physical limitations, tossed gear or sea of cameras in a chaotic 49ers locker room could speed-bump Brodie's rout to Colin Kaepernick. The San Francisco quarterback of the 1960s and the 1970 NFL MVP reached over to congratulate the 49ers' star of today.

"Wow, great game," Brodie, 77, said, patting Kaepernick on the back. "Nice to meet you."

Brodie, Kaepernick and Alex Smith then shared a moment, punctuated with laughter, not far from Brodie's retired jersey No. 12.

Old and new

Joe Cattolico didn't just rescind his resignation as the Pleasant Grove High School football coach last week. He plucked his father out of retirement.

Cattolico solved his concern of not having enough family time, the impetus for his stepping down last month, by announcing that he will have his father join him on the sideline. Butch Cattolico retired at Los Gatos last month with 264 career victories.

Musselman or Theus to USC?

With USC firing men's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill on Monday, names immediately linked to the opening included former Kings coaches Eric Musselman and Reggie Theus.

Musselman, an assistant coach at Arizona State, admitted via text the job intrigues him, adding he will, in the meantime, "keep working hard here." He coached the NBA Development League Los Angeles D-Fenders last season, going 38-12 and garnering D-League Coach of the Year honors.

Theus, a Southern California native, is now the D-Fenders' coach.

Around the region

• After a strong season in the Canadian Football League that included a Grey Cup championship with the Toronto Argonauts, defensive lineman Armond Armstead of Pleasant Grove and USC had workouts last week with the Patriots, Colts and Eagles.

• Sacramento State football secured local verbal commitments from Nevada Union linebacker Cole Hannum and Del Campo lineman Kyle Evanski. Hannum did not play last season after his transfer from Marysville was deemed by the Sac-Joaquin Section as a first-contact violation.

• When Mike McIntyre left San Jose State's football team to coach at Colorado, he took six assistants, including Northern California recruiting ace Klayton Adams of Sheldon and American River College. The fallout includes Folsom wide receiver-defensive back Phillip Carter switching his verbal commitment from the Spartans to Duke.

• If there's a tug of war in Southern California brewing for the services of Placer defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes, it could come down to the wire. He had a home visit with UCLA position coach and former Sac State assistant Angus McClure last week, and this weekend, he will visit USC, where he has long been charmed by position coach Ed Orgeron.

• Nate Iese of Sheldon regularly declined to take home calls from friends last winter and spring as he focused on his studies. Now a tight end and linebacker at UCLA, the freshman earned a 3.25 grade-point average and a spot on UCLA's athletic director's honors list.

• Antelope lineman Daren Echeveria has a recruiting trip this weekend to Air Force. The eternally hungry Echeveria, 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, joked he'll "order up room service" once he checks into his room.

• Jesuit lineman Garrett Strohmaier took a recruiting trip to Dartmouth last week and also hosted new UC Davis coach Ron Gould on Sunday. He is weighing offers.

• Tailback Don Jackson of Laguna Creek and Iowa Western Community College has signed with Nevada.

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