49ers’ Kyle Shanahan laments young team’s lack of appreciation for Cowboys rivalry

The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys will reignite their epic NFC rivalry when they face each other in the wild card playoffs on Sunday.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan understands how deep the rivalry between the two franchises has been, especially in the 1990s when the teams met three consecutive times in the postseason. 

But when it comes to the players knowing and feeling the rivalry themselves, Shanahan admitted Monday he wasn’t so sure.

“I wish I could say yes, but some of these players were born in the 2000s. So you like to think so, but every day in the quarterback room, when I ask certain questions like, ‘Have you seen Wedding Crashers?’ And they don’t even know that sometimes,” Shanahan said, via Niners Nation. 

“I get very surprised at the difference in some of this stuff, but our guys know how big of a deal the playoffs are, and our guys are pumped for this game, no matter who we’re playing.”

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks after the 49ers defeated the Houston Texans in Santa Clara, California, on Jan. 2, 2022.
(AP Photo/John Hefti)

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Shanahan, a Texas native, said the rivalry was something he lived for in his childhood.

“Oh, I think that’s as cool as it gets. That’s the coolest part of my childhood growing up I feel like. My senior year in high school, my dad was with the Broncos and they were able to beat the Packers in the Super Bowl, which was unbelievable,” he added, via NBC Sports Bay Area.

“But before that, it was seventh grade, eighth grade, ninth grade – ’92, ’93, ’94 – every single year I thought we were the best team in the league.”

Niners QB Steve Young passes against Dallas Cowboys in San Francisco.
(V.J. Lovero/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

The last time the two teams met in the playoffs was on Jan. 15, 1995.

San Francisco won the game, 38-28. Steve Young had two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown. The defense picked off Troy Aikman three times and sacked him four times.