49ers QB Brock Purdy has interesting familial tie to SF Giants organization

It should come as no surprise that many of today's athletes come from athletic families. That is especially true of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, whose father, Shawn, briefly played for the SF Giants organization in the late 1990's.

49ers QB Brock Purdy has interesting familial tie to SF Giants organization

Shoutout to David Lomardi of The Athletic, who covers the 49ers for making that connection:

Some of today's top quarterbacks come from baseball families as well. For example, Patrick Mahomes' father, Pat Mahomes, pitched for over a decade in the majors. Similarly, Jared Goff's father, Jerry Goff, appeared in parts of six seasons as a catcher for the Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Houston Astros.

Hey, did you know that seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady was drafted by the Expos in the 18th round of the 1996 draft? Though, he did not sign, Apparently, having a baseball connection carries some weight in football.

And, that appears to be the case for Brock Purdy as well. The 2022 draftee is undefeated for the 49ers in five starts and will be leading San Francisco in a pivotal playoff matchup against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday.

Brock's father, Shawn, was drafted four times in his career before agreeing to sign with the California Angels out of the 16th round of the 1991 draft. It was not uncommon back then to be drafted a handful of times. In fact, Giants play-by-play announcer Duane Kuiper was selected six(!) times before signing.

Shawn appeared in eight minor league seasons. Three of those years came with the Giants near the end of his pro career in the late 1990's. He pitched for the Giants' Double-A affiliate, the Shreveport Captains, in 1995 and 1996. He threw for their Triple-A affiliate, the Phoenix Firebirds, in 1997 before finishing his career with the Atlanta Braves organization in 1998.

In 1997, Purdy was teammates with Rich Aurilia, Keith Foulke, and Russ Ortiz. He posted a 10-3 record with a 4.37 ERA in 56 appearances for the Firebirds that season. In total, the right-handed hurler tallied a 58-37 record with a 3.91 ERA across eight pro seasons.

His son will face off in a heated rivalry against Seattle, but it is a cool wrinkle in history that the 49ers quarterback of today has ties to the Giants organization. In addition to his wildly impressive rookie season, there is yet another reason to cheer for Purdy.