Catherine Tate, a 49ers fan who is the co-founder of the Ladies of the Empire, set up a campaign to get Andrews to a game at Levi's Stadium during the inaugural season. At the time, Andrews was living in homeless shelters. Tate offered her 50-yard line seats to the young man while the GoFundMe campaign paid for airfare, lodging, and other necessities for his trip.
It has been nearly four years since Andrews went viral. He is 19 years old now. On Wednesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area shared his story in Andrews' own words via an Instagram post.
Below is what Andrews had to say.
"I got discovered when I went to the Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl parade in February of 2014. I was wearing all 49ers clothing. I really wasn't recognized at first, but then as I got deeper into Seattle, people started taking pictures. I walked through the parade later on that night, and it was cool. I just thought everything was normal, but then I had random Seahawks fans telling me that I was famous. When I got home, I finally looked online and saw I got blown up on Facebook. At the time I was 15 years old. Everybody saw who I was. I was called 'Niner Waldo.' I was in a homeless shelter at that time, just trying to live and do my thing, go to school and get good grades. I was born in Reno and was raised in Seattle. My parents were 49ers fans. I always grew up liking the Niners, so it runs in the family. With all the Seahawks fans, it made it easier for me to be a 49ers fan in Seattle. I grew into a big Faithful. I was in homeless shelters from the time I was 14. My dad and I didn't have a good relationship. . . abusive, all of that stuff. My mom, we didn't have a relationship, in general. I really didn't have much family, so I left on my own and have been on my own since then. At that time, when 49ers fans started to see who I was, and when they heard my story, they started to recognize what I was going through. I had many, many 49ers and Seahawks fans – all teams, pretty much – help me. My friend Jason (49ers season-ticket holder) was the first one to come into my life and really change it and help make sure that I was going to be stable. All the Niners fans have supported me as much as they could. I'm still in Seattle. Now, I'm into aerospace engineering. I'm trying to go to college and start a career."
49ers sign WR Trent Taylor, reuniting with former draft pick
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
Draft Watch: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley visiting 49ers on Wednesday
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Rapoport: 49ers send clear message to teams inquiring about Brandon Aiyuk
By David Bonilla
Apr 16
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
7-round mock draft from The Athletic sees 49ers fortifying defense early
By David Bonilla
Apr 17
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
