49ers star Joe Staley on Super Bowl LIV... and Spurs

A Spurs fan will step out in one of sport’s greatest showpiece events on Sunday.

Joe Staley is a vital cog in the offensive machine of the San Francisco 49ers, who take on Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in Miami on Sunday (11.30pm UK).

Now 35 and a 49er since 2007, Joe, Offensive Tackle #74, is lauded for his longevity, a 13-year ‘veteran’ in one of the toughest positions of one of the toughest sports around.

Six times a Pro Bowler, this is Joe’s second Super Bowl with the 49ers. They narrowly lost out to Baltimore Ravens 34–31 in Super Bowl XLVII back in 2013. There is certainly a feeling in the 49ers camp of ‘do it for Joe’ this time around. “I just want to win for these guys,” said Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. “Guys like Joe Staley. He’s been through everything you could be through in a career with one team. Guys like that, that’s who you play for.”

Joe nailed his colours to the Spurs mast back in 2010. We were in San Jose, California, on the first leg of our summer tour. Joe visited training with then QB, Alex Smith.

Speaking this week, he takes up the story... “My wife (Carrie Dew) played professional soccer here and when I started dating her, I didn’t know anything about soccer. I wanted to learn about it.

“Spurs were here in the States playing San Jose Earthquakes in an exhibition game and as a representative of the 49ers I went to the practice and went to meet the team. I met the team, had a kick around and it was one of those moments where I said ‘okay, this is going to be my team now’. That was back in 2010.”

Joe paid a visit with Carrie to our former training ground, Spurs Lodge, in March, 2012, and took in a game at White Hart Lane. Eighteen months later he was back, this time at newly opened Hotspur Way, with his 49ers team-mates, who hammered the Jaguars 42-10 at Wembley. “I’ve been a Spurs fan for a while, so it was great to be there (in 2013),” he said. “I got to meet Jan Vertonghen, that was cool.

“The new stadium looks unbelievable. I haven’t been able to get over there yet, but I want to. I was hoping we’d be able to play there but the schedule was announced, and we weren’t there, so that was a bit of a pity.”

🏈 🇺🇸 @jstaley74 is Spurs!

Good luck on Sunday 👊 https://t.co/q6Iced0eiy

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 30, 2020

Like the members of many of our official Supporters’ Clubs in America, keeping up with our games Stateside means early mornings for Joe. “It kind of works out when they play the later game, which is on over here as we’re waking up. If they play an early game over the weekend, it’s usually like four o’clock in the morning Western time. I won’t watch that (live) but I will tape it and watch it later. It’s mainly in the off season when we watch a lot of the games, that’s when I have more time to lounge in bed on a Saturday!”

Joe doesn’t Tweet a lot, but look at his timeline, and one stands out. Dated 8 May, it just says ‘COYS!!! Wowwwwwww! @LucasMoura7’. “Last season was unbelievable, it was so cool to watch the journey all the way to the Champions League Final,” he added, before roaring: “I believe in you guys! Come On You Spurs! Let's go!”