Super Bowl super fans share their stories

The San Francisco 49ers first offered me a vision with The Catch some 31 years ago. I watched and learned as a young team overcame six turnovers and sent America's Team down a forlorn trail.

That connection cleared a run to dominance defined in equal parts by clutch play and cool swagger. Four times in nine years, I saw the Niners grab the grand prize, not once disappointing upon reaching the Super Bowl during the 1980s.

Then, after a four-year... more 

The San Francisco 49ers first offered me a vision with The Catch some 31 years ago. I watched and learned as a young team overcame six turnovers and sent America's Team down a forlorn trail.

That connection cleared a run to dominance defined in equal parts by clutch play and cool swagger. Four times in nine years, I saw the Niners grab the grand prize, not once disappointing upon reaching the Super Bowl during the 1980s.

Then, after a four-year leave forced by stubbornly tough counterparts from the NFC East, Joe ceded to Steve, and Bill to George, setting up one more image of glory, Lombardi-etched with a 49-26 carving of the San Diego Chargers on Jan. 29, 1995. I never thought in such an instant that 17 seasons would transpire before the reunion of the 49ers and championship football.

True, last year offered more than a glimpse, but it painfully dribbled away. Now that the team has scratched its way back, I picture a sealing of the deal, a regeneration of the get-there-and-get-it-done identity that spells trouble for the rest of the NFL, which is now on notice. I've seen this before.

— Frank Irving less