New San Francisco 49ers tackle Mike McGlinchey is passionate about football. He can't remember ever missing a game since his youth. McGlinchey became impassioned about the game during his sophomore year at Notre Dame when he was working hard to crack the starting lineup. That's when he decided to give everything he had to his football career.
McGlinchey, who the 49ers selected with the No. 9 overall pick last Thursday, joined Golic and Wingo on ESPN Radio, explained why he loves the game of football so much, and how important the sport has become in his life.
"I think it's a mixture of two things," McGlinchey said. "I think, first and foremost from a football standpoint, it just challenges you constantly. It's something that you'll never be satisfied with. There's always something to improve on. It's something that, when you get to be at the level we're at now, it's such a fun competition week in and week out, and it's such a battle.
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"I get to play against the best players in the world at what I do and to get to that level and to chase that constantly is a great feat, and it's something that I need to have in my life. It's just why I get up in the morning.
"The other thing of why football is the greatest game in the world is because of the guys it brings along in your life. Football has given me the relationships that have shaped my entire life. And especially my college career so far, I've gotten the best friends, the best teachers, and mentors out of playing the game of football that will last for the rest of my life, and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
"But it's the combination of the challenge that football brings, how fun it is because of that, and then the people that you get to meet along the way."