This summer, stay active with the 49ers while learning football skills & drills! The youth football camp takes place at 49ers Headquarters in Santa Clara, CA. The 49ers conduct a three-day camp during the summer designed to teach the fundamentals of football. Boys and girls, ages 7-14, are eligible for participation. This non-contact camp is designed to improve a child's beginning, intermediate or advanced skill level. Fundamentals of all positions on offense and defense are taught in addition to life skills such as respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, teamwork, and the importance of education. Participants are grouped based on age and skill level. July 9, 10, and 11 Register for this year s camp now at: 49ers.com/YouthFootball Follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/49ersYouthFootball
The San Francisco 49ers will host the team s second annual Fan Fest event presented by HP on Sunday, Aug. 12 at Candlestick Park. Tickets will go on sale in July for $5 each with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the 49ers Foundation and its mission to keep kids safe, on track and in school. Further information on the event, as well as the on-sale date, will be announced in the coming weeks on 49ers.com. Last year s Fan Fest, which saw more than 8,000 Faithful fans attend a two-hour 49ers practice, also provided fans the opportunity to tour the stadium and interact with Gold Rush cheerleaders, 49ers alumni and current players. Open to the public, the family-oriented event presented by the 49ers technology partner, HP, will serve as the only time to view an open 2012 training camp practice due to the ongoing new Santa Clara Stadium construction happening near 49ers headquarters. Tickets will be limited so fans are encouraged to purchase as soon as they become available. In addition to viewing practice from the lower bowl seats of Candlestick Park, fans can enjoy food and beverages inside the stadium, as well as 49ers partner booths, 49ers merchandise, live music, Kids Club activities and autograph opportunities with current players and alumni.
You can t miss Jim Harbaugh at a 49ers Organized Team Activity (known as an OTA ). He s the one wearing a black 49ers hat, always accompanied with a long-sleeved black microfleece shirt tucked into dark khaki pants. But if you didn t know Harbaugh s preferred coaching attire, you could certainly see and hear his presence throughout an OTA session. For one, Harbaugh yells out each period of practice, from individuals! to stretch! All the major commands come from the head man. And secondly, perhaps most important of all, Harbaugh, jogs from drill-to-drill, setting the desired tempo for each day on the practice fields. He leads by example, said rookie safety Trenton Robinson, a sixth-round pick who has taken reps with the first-team defense. He wants his players to play fast, go hard and jog to every drill. He s out there doing it, so if your head man is doing it, it just falls down and everybody else is going to be doing it. Movement and tempo are keys to the 49ers offseason program, but so is volume. Instead of going through plays on one practice field, the 49ers coach has split up the team into two groups that go over plays on adjacent fields. Harbaugh, an avid baseball fan, considers it to be like a baseball team s spring training splitsquad games. Harbaugh believes segmenting the drills maximizes everybody s reps because people get better at football by playing football. Robinson agrees.
It s awesome. The only way you can get better is through experience, said the 5-foot-9, 193- pound safety who made four bowl game appearances for Michigan State. It might not be game-time, but it is for us; we re rookies. There s no other way to learn. So far, Harbaugh sees players like Robinson making the most of their opportunities. Furthermore, Harbaugh sees the experimental development of young players as an opportunity for them to gain additional insight on their positions, too. You can gain knowledge by playing the opposite side of the ball, Harbaugh explained. But the greater share of why we re doing that and most of the share is to utilize a guy s talent on the other side of the ball. Possibly find a player that s a three-way player to play defense, offense and special teams. That s the 98 percent of it. According to Harbaugh, cornerback Cory Nelms, defensive back Ben Hannula and defensive tackle Demarcus Dobbs have all worked on offense at times this offseason. Even with players working at unfamiliar positions, the intent to improve upon last year s NFC title game appearance is not lost by any means. It s good to have the whole team here everybody knew how it felt to lose the NFC Championship Game and to be one step from the Super Bowl, Jean Francois said. Now, everybody wants to come in and hit the ground running even though we have a limited time out here. It s a plus, especially with Alex (Smith) having all the weapons to get the timing. When we roll into camp, Alex is just out there playing Madden, basically.
Dear 49ers Kids Club Member, Spring/Summer 2012 While new memberships for siblings and friends are currently on hold for the next few months, we will continue to host contests for all current members to win signed 49ers memorabilia and great 49ers prizes. Each month, we will distribute the Playbook E-Newsletter directly to your parents email inboxes, so you can stay up to date with the happenings of your favorite football team even during the offseason. Sign-ups for the 2012 Kids Club will launch in July and memberships will include a brand new merchandise packet full of exclusive 49ers Kids Club goodies! There will also be newly added events and special invitations for you and your family throughout the football season. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for the 49ers Kids Club, we would love to hear from you! Please email us at: 49erskidsclub@niners.nfl.com or call (408) 562-4949. We wish you all the best as we continue through our busy offseason and can t wait to see everyone next year! Sincerely, Sourdough Sam 49ers Kids Club
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1. Entries must be designed by a 49ers Kids Club member. 2. Limit one entry per member. 3. Scan and email entries to 49erskidsclub@niners.nfl.com with Playbook Contest in the subject line. 4. Or, mail a hard copy to: 49ers Kids Club Playbook Contest at 4949 Centennial Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054. Please photocopy entries; originals will not be returned. 5. All entries must be received by July 31 to be eligible.
As the No. 43 overall player in the game today, according to NFL Network s Top 100 Players of 2012 list, tight end Vernon Davis is pleased to see so many teammates joining him on the list. As last year s No. 88 overall player, Davis made the biggest leap from last year s bunch, climbing 45 spots to his current ranking. You might think Davis is excited with the increased respect from the NFL players who voted, but that s really not the case. I m more excited about my teammates being on the list, Davis told 49ers.com. It s nice, Davis also said. But like anyone, I always want better. In the mind of the versatile 49ers tight end, joining teammates NaVorro Bowman, Carlos Rogers and Joe Staley (so far) on the list is special. To Davis, it s a testament to the improvements made by the 49ers. It says a lot to be on the Top 100 list, said the 6-foot-3, 250-pound tight end who is entering his seventh season in San Francisco. It says a lot about this team and what we have. We have a lot of guys that are hard workers, dedicated, and love football. At the end of the day, that s what it s about. In addition to the nucleus in place, Davis has enjoyed getting to know new teammates like Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and Brandon Jacobs. A veteran like Moss, for example, has plenty of insight to share. Davis makes sure to soak up all of it. Randy Moss, began Davis, he s not just a player, he s a coach. Although the two play different positions, Davis couldn t help but listen intently when Moss began to detail route-running on the practice fields. We were out there today and he was coaching me up on some things, Davis said. And I ll take it; I ll take him up on it because he s been in the game a lot longer than me. I m more than happy to have Randy Moss on the team.
As for Manningham and Jacobs, the two contributors from the Super Bowl-Champion New York Giants, Davis has appreciated the hard-working efforts of his former foes. Davis described Manningham as a play-maker, and also added, He s a big asset to our team. Jacobs, the physically imposing runner, left a similar impression on Davis. He can really get it done, Davis said. If you watch highlights of him in the playoffs and heading into the Super Bowl, he did some wonderful things. I m very happy to have him a part of our family. The family continues to grow bonds with newcomers getting reps in the offensive and defensive systems for their first times. So does the relationships between longtime teammates. For Davis, working with quarterback Alex Smith for an eighth year is a big plus. In previous years, Davis came up with the phrase 11-85 connection to describe the two s on-field relationship. As of 2012, the 11-85 connection remains the same, if not better. I love it, Davis said on his relationship with Smith. I expect it to get even better. I want to capitalize on what we had in the playoffs. I want to be there for Alex and I expect the rest of the receiving core to be there as well. The growing chemistry between Smith, Davis, and the receivers is a big development for a team one win away from a sixth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. But as Davis points out, the team s concentration has to pick up for the 49ers to take greater steps. We have a lot to be excited about around here. We re winning, but we have to keep our focus, stay on the right track and don t forget what it took last year to get where we were. We can t forget that.
Hometown: Bradenton, FL What did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to coach men s college basketball. How long have you been working here? This fall, I ll be entering my fourth season with the 49ers (and seventh in the NFL). What do you do for the 49ers? The public relations (PR) department is responsible for dealing with media requests on a daily basis. We distribute information about the team, and facilitate interview requests. A large focus is to develop and maintain relationships with media; local, national, and even international media outlets included. What did you study in school? I double majored in sport management and business administration with a minor in economics. How did that help you get this job? The sport management program required an internship. I worked at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an intern to start out, and went from there! What s your favorite part about working for the 49ers? The people. I love what I do and that helps tremendously. I m fortunate to work with a great department, locker room personnel and coaching staff. What advice would you give someone who wants to work in sports? Find out what area in which you want to work. You might not even know it exists. Web, PR, coaching, scouting are just a few areas in the sporting industry. Find the area you want to excel and work backwards from that. Volunteering helps when starting out as well. Anything else interesting about your job or 49ers to add? There is a heavy amount of time, work and commitment it takes not only in the sports industry, but any industry. If you re not doing something you love it s going to be a job no matter what, so be prepared to work hard and enjoy it at the same time.
E K E E M T I F R S F P B Y E N N S P S H N S O M C Q A L C D O N Y X N T I X O U O B N L Z I E L F C E O O A T M R R S O S F O R F R F R P U B E E L N S E N K B C T F F A F A A G E E D K Y B E N D O E R O L S H S N A N R P T S R X G T R L C S L W B S T J E T D Q I X A U O C A S Z I E X L C A G L E O P C H M S O R E T U R N X P F K C A B G N I N N U R D U X K C A S L F F O K C I K N P I Q T O U C H D O W N J T S R P R H S L Q I A T J K H R N G X DEFENSE EXTRAPOINT FOOTBALL INTERCEPTION OFFENSE PUNT QUARTERBACK RETURN SACK SNAP ENDZONE FIELDGOAL FUMBLE KICKOFF POSSESSION PYLON REFEREE RUNNINGBACK SCORE TOUCHDOWN