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SEEING GREATNESS
I won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers – Brock Purdy playing like Joe Montana will lead to a championship
Jesse Sapolu was drafted with the No. 289 pick in 1983, 27 spots later than Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy
JESSE Sapolu won four Super Bowl with the San Francisco 49ers in the 80s and 90s, and he sees the same greatness in this year's team.
In the 80s and 90s, the San Francisco 49ers were the greatest team in football. From 1981 to 1994 they won five Super Bowls, giving them the second-most of all time.
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Jesse Sapolu had a front row seat for that greatness, anchoring the offensive line in front of two legendary quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young, in four of those wins.
With the 49ers heading back to the Super Bowl this year, 30 years after their last win, Sapolu sees some of that greatness in quarterback Brock Purdy.
"From what I see, there are similarities between him and Joe, certain things he does that reminds me of Joe Montana," Sapolu said.
“A lot of fans outside of the 49ers jumped all over my social media and said 'are you kidding me?'
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“And I’m thinking, ‘Okay, I think I had the best seat in the house, so I think I had a little bit of knowledge to make a comment like that.”
Sapolu was a starting lineman in front of Joe Montana from 1987 to 1990. They won two Super Bowls in that stretch and Montana won two NFL MVP awards.
In those MVP seasons, Montana never threw over 4,000 yards or hit the 30 touchdown mark. Purdy crossed both of those thresholds in 2023.
The two quarterbacks share the experience of not being highly-touted prospects as well. While Montana didn't fall to the last pick of the draft, he was a third rounder in 1987.
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Sapolu credits the experience of falling in the draft to Purdy's rise in the NFL. As a fellow late round pick, the lineman understands what it feels like to be doubted.
When Sapolu was drafted in 1983, the NFL Draft had 12 rounds. He was taken with pick No. 289 in the 11th round. Purdy was selected with the No. 262 and final pick in 2022.
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Sapolu was even present at the Lowsman Banquet after Purdy was drafted. The event honors the last pick in the NFL Draft and there he shared some wisdom with the young quarterback.
"I just reminded him that I won four Super Bowl rings as an 11th-round draft choice and played 15 years. That chip never left my shoulder for 15 years," Sapolu said.
"I kept it out there because I remember how hurt I was during draft night, when you kept waiting and waiting and you see names that you thought you were better than go off the board.
"In a quiet way you say to yourself, ‘Somebody is gonna pay for this.’”
Purdy is notably softspoken, not drawing much attention to himself, but Sapolu sees the same drive to win that he had inside of the young quarterback.
“I think in Brock’s own little humble way it’s in there, it’s there for him," Sapolu said.
Sapolu is confident that drive will lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl win in 30 years behind Purdy's strong play. He is hoping for a blowout victory like some of his Super Bowl wins.
“I hope it’s comfortable for my sake," Sapolu said.
“I wanna enjoy a blowout, you know? I wanna relax by halftime. Three of my Super Bowls were blowouts.”
Sapolo won against the Miami Dolphins 38-16 in the 1984 season, against the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 in the 1988 season, against the Denver Broncos 55-10 in the 1989 season, and against the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in the 1994 season.
However, he knows the Kansas City Chiefs are built for the big game and will be a tough task.
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“I think Kansas City and who they have at the helm has a reputation that deserves respect," Sapolu said.
He doesn't think they will do enough to beat his 49ers though. Sapolu predicts a 28-24 49ers Super Bowl victory.
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