Ex-Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan will be in attendance when the San Francisco 49ers practice against his former team in Denver later this week, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. He obviously won't be there for the Broncos, though. His son, Kyle, is the head coach of the 49ers and the elder Shanahan wanted to attend the joint practice sessions between the two teams.
Mike Shanahan felt awkward about returning to his former team for the first time since being fired while visiting with an opponent's squad, even if it is for the preseason. General manager John Elway and the Broncos had been trying to arrange a visit by their former head coach for about a year. Shanahan was fired after the 2008 season after winning two championships during his time in Denver. The last one, however, was following the 1998 season, so 10 years had passed.
Shanahan had dinner with new Broncos head coach Vic Fangio shortly after he got the job. Fangio extended an invite then to return to Denver's facilities and Shanahan finally did so in late July and took in all the changes that have taken place since he was last there, including the upgraded practice facilities.
"It was very impressive to see, the indoor [fields] and everything else," Shanahan told Breer.
So Mike Shanahan will return again when his son, Kyle, and the 49ers take part in practices with the Broncos on Friday and Saturday before the two teams play a preseason game on Monday, August 19.
The 49ers will travel to Denver after Wednesday's practice in Santa Clara.
Click here to read Breer's entire feature over at The MMQB.