Niners win again13-0 over the Saints!! 

Now at 7-4 and riding a 4-game win streak, on top of the NFC West with no losses in the division. Last Sunday we watched an unbelievable performance by Niner defense in a shut out of the Saints (which makes 4 straight games with 2nd half shutouts!). Terrific goal line stands with turnovers caused by hard hitting tackles and great team defense.  Niner D is ranked #1 in NFL in every significant defensive category. Offense was a bit sluggish but got it done and give some credit to Saints defense who had both starting DE’s back in the lineup. This is always a very physical matchup and this game lived up to that mark as well.   

This week we host the Miami Dolphins with our good friend and former run game coordinator Mike McDaniel at the helm. Miami enters WK 13 at 8-3 and tied for 1st in the AFC East with Buffalo and playing great football.  Should be a great game as McDaniel and Kyle know each other very well (McDaniel started as an intern under Mike Shanahan in Denver back in 2005). Lot’s of scheming and planning going into this one as well as seeing some former Niner players who are now on the Miami roster, including WR Trent Sherfield, RB Raheem Mostert, and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. In addition, former Niners Tight Ends Coach John Embry is now on the staff at Miami. And you have QB Tua Tagovailoa, as well as former Chief’s standout WR Tyreek Hill to contend with. Should be a great matchup all over and I am excited to watch it all play out.    

 This week we have another great show for you as we sit down with Andy and Curtis Hayes (father and son) to tell the story of Ed Hayes (Andy’s father and Curtis’s grandfather). This story has a lot of overlap for us personally as Ed and the Hayes family all hail from Mt Pleasant Iowa in Henry County (SE Iowa), which is where George’s mom Jan and all her family are from. In addition, Ed graduated from the University of Iowa as an undergrad but also from the UI Law School (which I also graduated from). Helping us with the Iowa Connections is retired Army Colonel (and my brother-in-law) Pat Coen.   

While all of that is cool enough, we offer it to you this week in honor and remembrance of Pearl Harbor Day, which is next week on December 7. The Pearl Harbor attack was on Dec 7, 1941, which was right smack in the middle of Ed’s first semester in law school at Iowa. As a result, Ed immediately was drafted, left law school, reported and shortly thereafter left on what would be a 4+ year deployment overseas as part of the WW II war effort. He was stationed in North Africa, and later in Italy after the front moved, attached to a MASH unit. Finally coming home in 1945 to marry the love of his life Cora.   

You will hear of that journey as well as his lifelong tenure at Drake University Law School in Des Moines Iowa, where he served and taught until 1990 when he retired. This is a story of humility, engagement, sacrifice, loyalty, and service, which are all a common theme of that generation. I found this story inspiring and hopeful, as it connects us to each other in powerful ways, and affirms the need to always have a lookout for the welfare of our neighbor and the common good.   

We also hear from Curtis (grandson to Ed) who is Command Sargent Major and served in the Army and was also the Recruiting Battalion commander in California who we have worked with for the past 2 years to help us bring more than 150 veterans to Niner games, both at Levis and on the road. He shares his journey into the military, lessons learned, deployments, and transitions home. He also explains how his grandfather Ed shaped and formed him, directly and indirectly through his father Andy. This is a great family military story and one I know you will enjoy.   Happy holidays as we enter into December. 

Encouragement to all of us to use self-care during these times, know that it is OK to say no and to set boundaries. Be safe, be kind, love each other, and let’s celebrate the wonderful gift that is this life through unity and compassion.  

 - Bruce  

REMINDERS:  It is OK TO NOT BE OK (and to tell someone!!) - YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!  It is OK TO ASK FOR HELP – that is why YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!  CANCER/ILLNESS SUCKS –YOU ARE NOT ALONE! – WE ARE THINKING OF YOU! HATE IS NOT OK – WE STAND WITH THE VICTIMS OF THE Q NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING AND THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY!