Kyle Shanahan reveals story behind his ‘weird’ college tattoo with Chris Simms
Kyle Shanahan is a man of his word — that’s why he got a tattoo.
The 49ers head coach has a tattoo strategically placed on his lower ankle, which dates back to his college days with the Texas Longhorns. Shanahan, NFL analyst Chris Simms and three other teammates got matching tattoos of each other’s initials.
“That’s the worst thing ever because I didn’t want a tattoo ever,” Shanahan said. “And we had three friends in our group who were tatted up everywhere and just looking for excuses to get a tat every day. And I thought Simms is way too pale-skinned and he should not have a big tattoo on him.
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll get one if Chris gets one.’ I’m thinking he wouldn’t get one, and the next day he showed up with one. I was just like, ‘Oh my God. Now I have to be a man of my word.’”
Shanahan recounted the story on the Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast, calling the mark their “weird tattoos.” Each of the five men, freshmen in college at the time, included each other’s initials in the design.
Decades later, Shanahan and Simms remain in football landscape as team personnel and media.
The 49ers have Super Bowl aspirations in 2026 and Shanahan is in the midst of what could be his best season with the franchise.
While there’s no guarantee he’ll get a Super Bowl ring, he’ll always have a tattoo.
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