The San Francisco 49ers’ journey to Santa Clara all started with a simple letter.
Kevin Moore still has one of the coveted golden shovels used in the groundbreaking of Levi’s Stadium back in April 2012.
But the team had a presence in the South Bay long before they started playing in a Santa Clara stadium. The team traditionally held its training camp in Santa Clara.
Moore said when he found out the team was looking for a new stadium, he got an idea.
“So I thought. ‘Wow, have the training camp. What about if we went for the stadium?’ Which people laughed at the time,” Moore said.
Moore hand delivered the now legendary letter to the 49ers, simply saying the team should consider Santa Clara and pointed out advantages of its Great America Parkway site.
This included good road access, a nearby convention center and a lot of high-tech companies with people who would buy up luxury suites. But Moore’s closing argument also scored points and laughs with the team.
“They said, 'Well we’re looking at San Francisco.’ So I said, ‘let me be your ‘backup plan,'" he said. "They said, ‘Explain your backup plan.' I said ‘Well, in my first three years in high school, I couldn’t get a date with a girl. But a lot of the girls were my friends. By my senior year, a couple of girls broke up with their boyfriends and they need a date for the prom. So I said, ‘let me be your backup plan.’”
Moore, a former vice mayor admits he took heat from some San Francisco politicians. But maintained good relations and Santa Clara went from backup to starter when fate stepped in.
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“When the lights, the power generator went out at Candlestick Park on Monday Night Football, Santa Clara was in the front spot because we have the most reliable utilities in the country and the cheapest utilities in the state of California," Moore said.
Years later, after a bond measure, Levi’s Stadium became a reality and while conflicts exist between the city and the team, there have been many benefits.
Ask Alicia Garcia, who interrupted NBC Bay Area's interview to thank Moore on Friday. She’s been a vendor at Levi’s Stadium since it opened. She says it allowed her to keep working despite physical setbacks.
"And I keep going. That’s what it is, you gotta keep going," she said.
Moore is grateful it’s made people happy, including his parents who are also longtime 49ers fans, his patient wife Julie, all of the city people who made it happen and of course, the Niners Faithful in the seats.
While the 49ers the team heads to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas next week, Levi’s Stadium will be ready to host its second Super Bowl in 2026.
