For any football fan growing up in Northern California, tailgating at a San Francisco 49ers game is a rite of passage. The regular season starts in September, marking the beginning of fall, which means no rain or fog — a perfect opportunity for football fans to gather and chirp away for hours, in and out. And Josh Allen was no different.
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Yes, Allen was a big 49ers fan, having grown up in Firebaugh, California. This is probably why the future NFL quarterback had an affinity for those tailgates, often attending with his father, Joel Allen. And it turns out that his football journey also began at one of those tailgates.
During his conversation with Jason Garrett (via NFL on NBC), Allen rewound the clock and recalled the time he was playing catch with his father at one of those tailgates. He was no older than four or five at the time. Yet, the catches his father was making weren’t impressing him, so Josh quickly asked his father to really throw it, putting the pressure on him.
“I told my dad like throw it this time, I really want you to throw it as far as you can,” the Bills QB recalled.
Josh’s dad did exactly that. He threw the ball hard, putting as much pressure as he could; however, Allen still caught it — and in dramatic fashion, leaving the audience in awe.
“It hit my forearms so hard and they were red and basically bruised up for a week,” he added. “But when I caught that ball everybody that was in the tailgate area started clapping and cheering for me and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.'”
It was right then when the little boy who grew up on a farm, dreamt of playing in front of the entire stadium. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Rooting for Josh Allen, the boy hood Niner fan today #FTTB | #49ers
: @BuffaloBillsPR pic.twitter.com/0qNx3ksr6j— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers_) January 16, 2021
Although the 49ers have a legacy etched in NFL history, Josh admitted that the team didn’t quite woo the fans when he was growing up. “My entire life they (49ers) weren’t very good,” he said.
And when asked about his favorite Niner player, Allen proudly said, “I got to play with him Frank Gore, which was a dream come true to me. I had his jerseys growing up.”
Coincidentally, Josh and his Bills are set to host the 49ers in their Week 13 matchup at Highmark Stadium.
