Granite Bay’s John McVay’s dilemma: Root for the 49ers or his grandson, the Rams’ coach?
John McVay is the ageless treasure that keeps on giving.
San Francisco 49ers fans may remember him as the unsung cog during the dynasty years of the 1980s that stretched well into the 1990s. He was the front-office guru who helped piece together five Super Bowl championship teams with his input on the draft, trades, salary caps and personnel hires. He was even a calm buffer between fuming owners and equally agitated coaches after crushing playoff defeats.
Los Angeles Rams fans may know McVay as the grandfather of Sean McVay, the wunderkind coach for Los Angeles who is a victory shy of reaching a second Super Bowl before his 37th birthday.
The Rams host the 49ers on Sunday in the NFC Championship game, just the second playoff meeting between the forever rivals. The last was in the NFC title game after the 1989 season, when the 49ers rolled 30-3 and then repeated as Super Bowl champions, their fourth under Joe Montana. The fifth Lombardi Trophy came following the 1994 season. John McVay had his fingerprints all over those title teams.
So imagine the strain of allegiance and loyalty for the elder McVay these days. He’s a 49ers fan to the core, a member of the franchise’s Hall of Fame, and he earned this high praise from 49ers Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh: “It’s quite possible that the 49ers would not have won five Super Bowls had it not been for John McVay.”
But McVay’s most-treasured team is his own family, and of all things, his grandson coaches the Rams. One cannot possibly cheer for both clubs on the same day, in the same game, seeking the same Super Bowl entry, right?
Speaking by phone from his Granite Bay home that overlooks Folsom Lake, the 91-year-old McVay’s voice boomed with good cheer. But he did tip his hand, perhaps, if not tipping his hat. Come Sunday, he will be decked in 49ers garb, planted in front of his TV, remote in hand, ready to coach, mentor and yell at the referees. But there will be no Rams scarf, no Rams jersey, no Rams hat, visor, ring, shoes, blanket, button or anything of the sort.
That would be like suggesting San Francisco Giants fans suddenly root for the Dodgers in a playoff game. Cannot happen. Will not happen.
“I’m older but I’m not crazy!” McVay said of embracing any Rams colors. “I can just say that I hope both teams stay injury-free and it turns out to be a spectacular game, which I know it’s going to be. People may be talking about this game for years. It’s a chance to see two great young coaches go head to head, two great franchises. What else could a guy ask for?”
McVay said he will be just fine rooted in his cozy home for this one, though his mind will be in Los Angeles. He limits his travel, mindful of his health and limitations and especially that of his dear wife, Susan, whom he calls, “My queen.”
“We’re going to watch from here,” McVay said. “My wife has some health problems and I wouldn’t want to go to a game without her. I’d fear losing her. I am a very fortunate guy to have such a lovely woman in my life. We’ll be happy to watch from home. No doubt, we’ll be watching.”
McVay reports that he’s in OK health despite some detours common with aging.
“I’ve had a few trips to Kaiser hospital recently, and they’ve been very helpful to me,” McVay said. “I’m feeling pretty good. I’m gaining weight, getting old and cranky.”
He then burst into laughter. One of his last hospital visits included more work under the hood of the football lifer. He had an aortic valve replaced in his heart. Put him in the game, coach.
“They got me all patched up,” he said. “I’m ready to go.”
McVay family roots, football ties
Sean McVay might have landed in the NFL without the influence and name of his grandfather, certainly, but the connection helped accelerate the process.
The younger McVay did not coach in high school or college, but he was well-sourced in the NFL. The elder McVay was a name of royalty in football-mad Ohio before his 49ers success. He played at Miami of Ohio in the early 1950s, a team-captain center competing for Woody Hayes and Ara Parseghian. He lined up next to teammates and eventual big-name coaches Bo Schembechler and Bill Arnsparger in the trenches.
McVay coached high school ball in Ohio and had assistant-coaching stints at Michigan State and then was head coach at Dayton in 1972 and ‘73. At Dayton, he hired an assistant named Jim Gruden, whose sons Jon and Jay Gruden decades later brought kid McVay into the NFL.
Sean McVay was born in Ohio and raised in suburban Atlanta, a quarterback prep star who grew up a 49ers fan. When the 49ers played in Atlanta during Sean McVay’s youth, he would ride the 49ers’ team bus. He played catch with Steve Young.
Football is all about connections. Sean McVay played receiver at Miami of Ohio, connecting the generational gap with his grandfather.
Arnsparger wound up as the head coach of the New York Giants in the 1970s, and he brought McVay into that fold. When Arnsparger was fired, McVay then succeeded him as head coach. The elder McVay over the years got to know Eddie DeBortolo Jr., a real estate mogul who bought the 49ers in 1977, hired Walsh in 1979 and brought McVay aboard as the director of football operations in 1980. Then it was on.
The 49ers ruled the NFL in the 1980s, often plowing over the Rams. McVay was named NFL executive of the year in 1989.
Of late, the 49ers have done the plowing. They have won six straight over the Rams. And yes, the elder McVay is keeping score.
Both teams are ‘in great hands’
The younger McVay interviewed for the Rams and 49ers jobs before the 2017 season. He landed the Rams gig at 30, making him the youngest NFL head coach. He then became the youngest head coach to lead a Super Bowl team at 33.
Kyle Shanahan at 37 was hired by the 49ers weeks after McVay took the LA job, ushering in a new era of young coaches.
More connections: Shanahan’s father, Mike, was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers when the club won its last Super Bowl, capping the 1994 season.
The younger McVay and Kyle Shanahan were NFL assistant coaches in Washington under Mike Shanahan, extending that tree.
Sean McVay uses elements of the West Coast offense created and nurtured by Walsh. He also has studied books that Walsh authored, including “The Score Takes Care Of Itself.”
It all ties together. Sean McVay once said, “If I’m even a little bit as successful as my grandfather, it’ll be a great career.”
The kid has already made his impact, grandfather McVay said.
“I’m so impressed with both teams,” John McVay said. “They’re both in good hands. Those coaches have put together excellent teams. Incredible.”
McVay jokes that he reminds people, especially Rams fans, that he’s the grandfather of the young coach working wonders in LA. But he doesn’t blow up his grandson’s phone, doesn’t offer coaching input. He cheers from afar.
“I try not to bother him,” McVay said. “He’s got enough on his mind to not have grandpa calling. But I’m so proud of him. He’s such a wonderful guy, a great young man and coach. But now he’s getting old. He’s in his late 30s now. How about that?”
This story was originally published January 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.