Bobb McKittrick
Encyclopedia
Bobb McKittrick was an American football
offensive line coach in the National Football League
who coached in five Super Bowl
s.
(then known as Baker), McKittrick attended Oregon State University, and was a member of the Acacia Fraternity played college football for the Oregon State Beavers
, helping them to a Pacific Coast Conference
championship in 1956, playing in the 1957 Rose Bowl. Following graduation from Oregon State, he served as an officer in the United States Marines Corps for three years.
and tight end
coach at Oregon State, helping the team reach the 1962 Liberty Bowl
and the 1965 Rose Bowl
. He followed Beaver head coach Tommy Prothro
to UCLA
in 1965, where he coached in his second straight Rose Bowl with the Bruins in 1966
. From 1971 to 1972, he was on the offensive line coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. From 1974 to 1978, he was an offensive coach with the San Diego Chargers
.
From 1979 to 1999, he coached the San Francisco 49ers
offensive line. During his 21 years with the 49ers, the team won five Super Bowls (Super Bowl XVI
, Super Bowl XIX
, Super Bowl XXIII
, Super Bowl XXIV
, and Super Bowl XXIX
) and 13 NFC West championships. McKittrick is one of only four coaches, the others being George Seifert
, Ray Rhodes
and Bill McPherson, to be a part of all five of the 49ers' Super Bowl
-winning teams.
McKittrick's success derived from his ability to get the most effect out of unheralded talent. The 49er's offensive line that won the various Super Bowls consisted of only one player drafted in the first round.
(cancer of the bile duct
) and died 14 months later. Later that same year, he was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
for his excellence in coaching.
The Bobb McKittrick Award
This award is given annually to the 49ers offensive lineman who best exemplifies the dedication, excellence and commitment of offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, a five-time Super Bowl Champion.
In 1999, the San Francisco 49ers, under the direction of Bill Walsh, established the Bobb McKittrick Award. The award is meant to honor those offensive linemen who have best represented the courage, intensity and sacrifice displayed by the late Coach McKittrick during his 21 years of service with the 49ers.
“Bobb gave distinguished service to the organization since our renaissance in 1979. He was a vital factor in five Super Bowl Championships, the evolution of a dynasty and in the production of some of the finest offensive linemen in football. Offensive linemen don’t receive the recognition they so richly deserve. This gives us a venue to honor their sacrifices and achievements,” Walsh said.
A bronze plaque of McKittrick hangs in the 49ers locker room surrounded by the photographs of the McKittrick Award winners.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive line coach in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who coached in five Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s.
Playing career
Born in Baker City, OregonBaker City, Oregon
Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker. The population was 9,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
(then known as Baker), McKittrick attended Oregon State University, and was a member of the Acacia Fraternity played college football for the Oregon State Beavers
Oregon State Beavers
The Oregon State Beavers is a name shared by all sports teams at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The Beavers are part of the Pacific-12 Conference . Oregon State's mascot is Benny the Beaver...
, helping them to a Pacific Coast Conference
Pacific Coast Conference
The Pacific Coast Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States which existed from 1915 to 1959. Though the Pacific-12 Conference claims the PCC's history as part of its own, the older league had a completely different charter and was disbanded in 1959 due to a major crisis...
championship in 1956, playing in the 1957 Rose Bowl. Following graduation from Oregon State, he served as an officer in the United States Marines Corps for three years.
Coaching career
From 1961 to 1964, McKittrick was a linebackerLinebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
coach at Oregon State, helping the team reach the 1962 Liberty Bowl
Liberty Bowl
The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...
and the 1965 Rose Bowl
1965 Rose Bowl
The 1965 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1965 was the 51st Rose Bowl Game. The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Oregon State Beavers by a score of 34–7...
. He followed Beaver head coach Tommy Prothro
Tommy Prothro
James Thompson "Tommy" Prothro, Jr. was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Oregon State University from 1955 to 1964 and at the University of California, Los Angeles from 1965 to 1970, compiling a career college football record of 104–55–5...
to UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
in 1965, where he coached in his second straight Rose Bowl with the Bruins in 1966
1966 Rose Bowl
The 1966 Rose Bowl, played on January 1, 1966 was the 52nd Rose Bowl Game. The UCLA Bruins defeated the #1 ranked Michigan State Spartans by a score of 14–12. UCLA defensive back Bob Stiles was named the Rose Bowl Player Of The Game.-Teams:...
. From 1971 to 1972, he was on the offensive line coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams. From 1974 to 1978, he was an offensive coach with the San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
From 1979 to 1999, he coached the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
offensive line. During his 21 years with the 49ers, the team won five Super Bowls (Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
, Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX
Super Bowl XIX was an American football game played on January 20, 1985 at Stanford Stadium, on the campus of Stanford University in Stanford, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1984 regular season...
, Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII
Super Bowl XXIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1989 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1988 regular season. This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held...
, Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
, and Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX
Super Bowl XXIX was an American football game played on January 29, 1995 at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1994 regular season...
) and 13 NFC West championships. McKittrick is one of only four coaches, the others being George Seifert
George Seifert
George Seifert is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished...
, Ray Rhodes
Ray Rhodes
Raymond Earl Rhodes is currently a defensive assistant for the Cleveland Browns. He is also the former American football head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. He is the former assistant defensive backs coach of the Houston Texans...
and Bill McPherson, to be a part of all five of the 49ers' Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
-winning teams.
McKittrick's success derived from his ability to get the most effect out of unheralded talent. The 49er's offensive line that won the various Super Bowls consisted of only one player drafted in the first round.
Death and legacy
In January of 1999, McKittrick was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinomaCholangiocarcinoma
Cholangiocarcinoma is a cancer of the bile ducts which drain bile from the liver into the small intestine. Other biliary tract cancers include pancreatic cancer, gallbladder cancer, and cancer of the ampulla of Vater...
(cancer of the bile duct
Bile duct
A bile duct is any of a number of long tube-like structures that carry bile.Bile, required for the digestion of food, is excreted by the liver into passages that carry bile toward the hepatic duct, which joins with the cystic duct to form the common bile duct, which opens into the intestine.The...
) and died 14 months later. Later that same year, he was named to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
The Oregon Sports Hall of Fame honors Oregon athletes, teams, coaches, and others who have made a significant contribution to sports in Oregon. The first class was inducted in 1980, with new inductees added in the fall...
for his excellence in coaching.
The Bobb McKittrick Award
This award is given annually to the 49ers offensive lineman who best exemplifies the dedication, excellence and commitment of offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, a five-time Super Bowl Champion.
In 1999, the San Francisco 49ers, under the direction of Bill Walsh, established the Bobb McKittrick Award. The award is meant to honor those offensive linemen who have best represented the courage, intensity and sacrifice displayed by the late Coach McKittrick during his 21 years of service with the 49ers.
“Bobb gave distinguished service to the organization since our renaissance in 1979. He was a vital factor in five Super Bowl Championships, the evolution of a dynasty and in the production of some of the finest offensive linemen in football. Offensive linemen don’t receive the recognition they so richly deserve. This gives us a venue to honor their sacrifices and achievements,” Walsh said.
A bronze plaque of McKittrick hangs in the 49ers locker room surrounded by the photographs of the McKittrick Award winners.