Seize the moment
By Lee Gowland
The following blog was written back in 2013 and covers my one and only trip to Candlestick.
I think the natural beginning to this blog would be to explain how I came to be a 49ers fan. A long time ago, in a galaxy far away….
Back in the late seventies and early eighties, a long time before Channel 4 and Transworld Sport, there was an afternoon sport show on ITV (Tyne Tees in my region) around about lunchtime on a Saturday and presented by Dickie Davies, who to the trained eye of a six year old looked remarkably like Des Lynam (that’s right, I was only six at the time so please bear with me, it gets funnier). It was very unusual to show any form of American Sport on TV at this time and the clip I saw will have lasted no longer than a minute (although at the time it seemed like I’d been watching a 10-minute highlight reel).
Coming from the North East of England my allegiance was only ever going to lie with either Sunderland or Newcastle when it came to “real football”, not this American form of Rugby or as a friend once told me “it should be called Hand Egg”; therefore in my mind it was a simple case of red or black, that’s how we as kids back in the seventies differentiated between who belonged where, although I did fight this natural urge for years proclaiming instead that my team were the mighty Spurs, while secretly knowing Sunderland were my team and that I’d always be red and white. I bet you’re thinking where is he going with this. It’s strange how a colour can have a profound effect on choices you make during life, would I have a red car? Sure I would, would I have a black car, not if I could help it; basically what I’m trying to say is red was my favourite colour when I was growing up and anything I saw in red was looked upon very favourably and conversely anything in black was shunned as in my eyes it represented the dreaded enemy Newcastle United.
So back to Dickie Davies and the 1 minute clip all those years ago in September ’79, as I recall and please bear with me as it was a long time ago and six year olds aren’t really renowned for their ability to recall anything after the last bag of ket (sweets/candy), I believe the only reason the clip was shown was because Dallas the TV show was popular at the time. What I saw as a six-year-old was a team in red win a strange game which at the time I thought was rugby! wearing what I thought was…. Actual gold helmets, imagine what that meant to a six-year-old, I was like “wow, they’ve got gold helmets and they are wearing red” …sold!
Unfortunately I never saw another clip until the mid eighties, by which time the 49ers had gone from the worst team in football to two time Super Bowl winners, so although I’d like to say I’ve been a fan since 79, realistically I was only afforded the opportunity to actually follow them with the publication of First Down, Gridiron and the start of coverage on Channel 4 with both the Sunday hour highlights from the previous week and the 5 minute highlight reel which featured as part of Transworld Sport which as I recall aired on a Saturday morning about 07:30. On a slightly different note, the books First & Ten, Second & Five, Third & Goal and Touchdown cemented my love of San Francisco and the legend that is Joe Montana.
My parents bought me my first American Football jersey back in 86, imagine my disgust when I opened the wrapping paper and it was a Patriots shirt! At the end of the day, it was a jersey and there were only two of us in the entire school had one, so it was worn but only because it attracted a lot of attention, and as a 13 year old boy you kind of wanted to be noticed.
I suppose I was lucky enough that during my comprehensive years there was another lad that followed the NFL and more importantly the New England Patriots (the whole Patriots shirt thing had him ripping me for years), and as such I like to see the 49ers open a can of whup ass every time we play them (sadly my eldest son decided he was going to follow the Pats years ago and my celebrations are muted in comparison to previous years and it gets worse, my youngest is a Packers fan). So, it was good to have someone else to talk NFL with during those years.
I never got to go to any of the American Bowl games, the eighties were a tough decade for my parents. I’m the middle of 3 sons they had, and my father was a miner and spent a year on the picket lines in the mid eighties, it was the type of climate which ripped families apart and can still be felt in the North East, especially the village where I live which was the center piece of Thatchers attack on the miners via the heavy handedness of the Police.
Obviously, it goes without saying that the eighties was a fantastic time to be a 49ers fan and I spent an inordinate amount of time lording it over my New England supporting friend. We were blessed with truly great quarterbacks in Joe Montana & Steve Young, also with a 3rd string quarterback who could have probably started for quite a few other teams; shout out to Steve Bono who always delivered when both Montana & Young were injured. As with any other UK fan during the eighties, I lived for Sunday afternoon and the hope that they would show a little bit more of the Niners than any other team, recording each week on VHS tape to watch over and over again; one of the first “American Football” themed films I saw as a child was the remake of Heaven Can Wait starring Warren Beatty as the Quarterback of the Los Angeles Rams who is mistakenly taken to heaven without actually dying (if you haven’t seen it, I would definitely recommend it, it’s a funny film). Every Saturday morning would be the same routine, get up early, watch Transworld Sport, watch Heaven Can Wait and then sort through the tapes to find my favourite recording of highlights.
I kept a scrapbook during the eighties with cuttings from both First Down and Gridiron along with the Superbowl programmes from both ’88 & ’89 games; sadly, they were thrown away when my parents moved house back in 2005ish, it was stored in a box in my parents loft. It would have been good to read through them now that all the players are retired and see just what the writers at the time thought of them without the benefit of hindsight.
Up until the 2010 International Series game I’d never seen any of the 49er players in real life and it was a thrill to finally see them with my own eyes. This was the first game I took my wife too, we had to drop the kids off at her parents on the Saturday morning which meant we didn’t get to the Fan Rally until 15:00 and therefore I’d missed the players and coach. I remember it was misty rain on the Sunday, but nothing could dampen my spirits at finally getting to see the 49ers live. I know a lot of fans don’t particularly like the Tailgate Party, but I must admit I do; that year in particular was the best, not just because it was the 49ers home game. I thought the range of activities and attractions were by far the best compared with all the other years, you had the 49ers Hall of Fame tent, a large EA sports tent with 6 or 7 consoles to play Madden on, there was enough food and drink points that meant you didn’t have to queue very long at all, the mini arena with the seating on both sides to make it feel like a stadium and a large tent which showcased every team in the league, not just the two which were playing on the day. I continue to go to the Tailgate Party every year, as I’m now bringing my kids to the games; I even convinced my older brother, his wife and kids to come to the 2013 49ers game, we travelled back to the North East with an additional 4 NFL fans in the family, all of them choosing different teams for different reasons (Vikings, Patriots, Jags & 49ers). I think that is proof that the international series games are doing what Roger Goodell hoped they would and that is expanding the NFL brand in the UK.
My father died from lung cancer in October 2012 and in his last couple of days he told me he had no regrets and was happy with his life; what has this got to do with the 49ers?? Well I knew I’d always regret not seizing the opportunity to visit Candlestick Park and watch my beloved Niners play on the hallowed turf where legends were born, this bothered me deeply and therefore I’m writing this blog 33,000 feet in the air somewhere over Greenland, travelling 6000 miles onboard a KLM Boeing 777 headed for San Francisco for what will amount to a two and a half day “city break”. This brings me up to this weekend, 1st December 2013 Week 14 and a showdown against Division rivals the St Louis Rams at Candlestick Park, a game of immense importance since the emergence of Arizona as a real threat to the Niners clinching a playoff berth.
My first sight of Candlestick was from the 101 on the way to the hotel from the airport, from a distance it looked like a battle-weary fortress, the scene of many great victories and some heartbreaking defeats. It would be another two days before I saw her again.
With my stay in San Francisco being so brief (landing 12:35 Friday and flying out 14:35 on the Monday), I pretty much planned everything I was going to do before I landed. With Friday being essentially a short day and my hotel being next to the Westfield Mall, which is home of the 49ers Team Store, it was logical to do any shopping for 49ers gear then, this allowed me to have an early night!! (Early for San Francisco time 20:00, 04:00 Saturday morning UK time which meant I’d been up for 25hrs), but only after sampling Anchor Steam Beer for the first time in the hotel bar (instant favourite).
Saturday was sightseeing day and I’d planned on seeing as much as possible. The plan was to go straight to AT&T Park, walk along South Beach past the Bay Bridge towards Pier 39, then onto the Golden Gate bridge, back along to Pier 39 to visit the NFL Shop, hop on a cable car/tram to Alamo Square to see the 5 sisters, walk back towards Union Square through Chinatown and then back to the hotel. Wow was I kidding myself….
In reality I managed everything up to getting back to Pier 39 and the NFL Shop; the day started as planned, I went straight to AT&T Park where I met a family on their way to the Stadium tour! I got talking to Neil, Joel & Sam who were all local to San Francisco and they convinced me I had to do the stadium tour which was only $20 and would last about an hour. I was over the moon I did as it was one of the highlights of my brief time over there and one which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone visiting the Bay Area. Be aware that the stadium tour actually lasted 2 hours, not 1.
Next stop was Pier 39 via South Beach past the Bay Bridge and onto North Waterfront; this took me longer than I was lead to believe (a guy at AT&T told me it was about 45 minutes walk), so after spending an additional hour at AT&T Park than I was expecting and the walk to Pier 39 being 90 minutes rather than 45 minutes, I decided to buy a ticket for one of the open top bus tours which would take me to Vista Point at the North end of the Golden Gate and then back to the Fishermans Wharf area.
Words simply cannot describe the Golden Gate Bridge, the temperature drops by about 20 degrees F when you are driving across it due to the cold air from the Pacific and the incredibly thick fog engulfing the steel giant, but once across it as you move out of the fog, the heat from the sun warms you up once more. The vistas of San Francisco afforded from both the bridge and Vista Point are absolutely stunning, breathtaking. The driver would park up for 30 minutes to give you plenty of time to get those all-important photos of the bridge and the city before embarking on the return journey.
This brought me back to Pier 39 so I could visit the NFL Shop. What you have to understand is what it was like being inside the NFL Shop in San Francisco. The place was filled with all sorts of 49ers merchandise, I must have spent about an hour just wandering round looking gawp jawed at everything that was on offer, the decision wasn’t “was I going to buy something?” it was more “I want it all but can’t afford it all, so what don’t I buy?”. I eventually managed to drag myself out of the NFL Shop several hundred dollars lighter than when I went in, and infinitely happier I may add. It was starting to get dark by the time I came out of the NFL Shop and therefore naturally decided it was that time of day and therefore time for a pint, as luck would have it there was a nice little bar on the Pier selling Anchor Steam on tap… Result. Got talking to a couple that had flown in from San Diego for the game, she was a 49ers fan, he was a Rams fan! Go figure, obviously I told her that I hope she enjoys the game and told him I hope he enjoys it a little less haha.
Saturday evening was spent watching college football in The Chieftain, which was packed full of Brits on holiday and was on the corner of 5th & Howard. Nice Irish bar with great food, great beer and really friendly staff; however the memory of the night had to be watching Alabama argue to get a second put back on the clock so they could attempt a field goal in the 4th with the scores tied and 1 second left on the clock, only for the kick to fall short and Auburn run it back for a touchdown #failinsomanyways #pmsl
I’d been messaging Alan Bales during the week leading up to the game, Alan was on my friends list on Facebook due to both of us being a member of 49ers Faithful UK, however what Alan didn’t know was that I worked with his cousin. We had arranged to meet up on the morning of the game and share a taxi to Candlestick with David Ellicott, another 49ers Faithful UK member, who was staying at Hotel Bijou on the corner of Mason & Eddy.
So, we set off for Candlestick at 08:30 game day morning, with me expecting us to arrive and be the only people there for a couple of hours, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Imagine my surprise when we reached our destination just before 09:00 to find thousands of fans already there and already setup with grills and portable bars. Once we arrived at the stadium we did the obligatory photo in front of Candlestick which I posted into the group on the day; I’ll take this opportunity to explain I’m 6 foot tall, I know I don’t look it from the photo, but Alan and David were giants and made me look like a midget to the amusement of my family and friends; in fact one friend thought I’d photoshopped a picture of myself onto someone else’s photo and that I hadn’t really been to San Francisco, they found it hard to believe I was with someone so tall haha.
Both Alan & David had arranged to go tailgating once at the stadium whereas I just wanted walk around taking everything in, I know tailgating is as much part of the game day as the game itself, however I knew this was my one and only trip to “The Stick” and was prepared to sacrifice tailgating to make sure I saw everything. We had arranged to meet up at gate 4 after the game to share a taxi back into the city, we said our good lucks and went our separate ways.
As soon as the gates opened at 11:00 I was on my way into the stadium; I quickly stopped by the museum, which turned out to be exactly the same as what they shipped over to Wembley for the 2010 game, and then preceded to walk around the whole of the inside of the stadium, getting pictures from as many different viewpoints as possible, with the best shot of the day being taken by one of the stewards with myself in the fore ground and the scoreboard over my left shoulder.
I was sat in LR02 (lower reserve section 2) row 11 seat 3, behind the South endzone under the cover and in line with the sideline.
About an hour before the game a man dressed in a gold 49ers jacket sat down in seat 1, introduced himself as Fred and started to explain how overjoyed his wife would be that I was a 49ers fan! It turned out that the ticket I bought on NFL Ticket Exchange was his wife’s (Peggy) spare season ticket (she was on her way and sat in seat 2) and she sold the 3rd seat game by game. Peggy was a tad concerned that the ticket may have been picked up by a Rams fan. Fred and Peggy had been season ticket holders at Candlestick for 30 years, as had most people around them and they introduced me to a few of them. I had the pleasure of sitting in-between Fred & Peggy and their friends Red & Yvonne, who all made me the centre of attention once they found out I’d flown over purely for this game.
The game itself seemed to go in a flash, as you’ll be aware it was a pretty comprehensive beating of the Rams who could only manage a TD in garbage time. After the game was finished the stadium emptied fairly quickly apart from the fans that had stayed behind to watch the recording of NFL Network in the south east corner. I had a walk down to the front to see if I could get onto the field before I left, but the security team weren’t having any of it, so I made my way over to where David Ellicott had been sitting. It was a peculiar feeling after the game, even though it was my first visit I felt like I was saying goodbye to an old friend, it was quite a melancholy atmosphere… I’d longed to go there for over 30 years and it was getting close to the time I would have to leave, I stood with David for a while neither one of us talking, just staring around the stadium trying to take in as much as possible! the sights! sounds and even smells of the stadium as the kiosks were closing up.
About an hour or so after the game had finished we made our way out of Candlestick, headed for gate 4 where we’d agreed to meet up with Alan and his dad to share a taxi back into the city; however there was no sign of either and as we had been one of the last to leave the stadium we assumed they had already gone back to the city. Time to get in line for the taxi… As luck would have it a limo pulled up and asked whether we wanted a lift into the city, only $60 each! You could guess our answer, however shortly after another turned up and asked the same question, again we asked how much and this driver said $50 for the two of us, David tried his luck and said $40 and you’ve got a deal, bingo we’re travelling back into the city in style after fulfilling a childhood dream… Only one thing left now, and that was to find a bar and celebrate both a fantastic win and a great weekend.
We ended up in Lefty O’Doul’s just off Union Square for a few drinks and a bite to eat, I’d messaged Alan again and he was getting a taxi up to the bar to meet up for a drink. I think we were in the bar a couple of hours; we watched a couple of quarters of the Redskins Giants game and talked about what an experience it had been and that none of us could believe we’d done it. It was getting late and the beers were flowing well, I knew I had a 14:25 flight back to the UK the morning after and I didn’t fancy a 10 hour flight with a hangover (I know, I’m a lightweight lol), so said my farewells and safe journeys home and made for my hotel.
I was up and in Denny’s by 07:00 the next morning to fill up for the journey home, before visiting the Westfield Mall again to make a couple of final purchases in the 49ers Team Store and SF Sports Shop. Before I knew it, It was time to leave for the airport and the long journey home, a journey which gave me plenty of time to reflect on what I’d seen and done and the friends I made. I had resigned myself before the trip to being there on my own and effectively not having anyone to share the experience, however I never expected to meet two people who were there for exactly the same reason as me, and who understood without having to be told what it meant to me to be there, for that I’m really thankful that I met both David and Alan, two fantastic and freakishly tall friends who I look forward to meeting up with again at a 49er Faithful UK organized event, hopefully 2nd Feb 2014 to cheer on the Niners in the Superbowl 🙂
At the time I wrote this, I wasn’t consciously aware of why I was doing it, I didn’t keep a diary, I wasn’t a contributor to a blog, it fascinated me why I did it for some years. Overtime, I started to realise, I didn’t write it for you or myself, I wrote it for my father who couldn’t be there to share in the experience. John William Gowland will always be my hero, and it was his words in the final week of his life that motivated me to make the journey, and for that I will be eternally grateful.
So many stories left untold, so many amazing moments I couldn’t share with him, I’m sure in some alternate universe we shared a beer and told the story. RIP dad.
…I’m not crying, you’re crying, now where’s the Fireball!