Shortly after departing San Jose Airport amid much fanfare, the team learned of the passing of beloved sports icon Kobe Bryant, a former Los Angeles Lakers player, and his daughter, Gianna. Several 49ers players shared their shock and grief via social media while on the Miami-bound flight.
The 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The Chiefs, who have been designated the home team at the neutral site, enter the game with a 14-4 record, including the playoffs, while the 49ers are 15-3.
San Francisco is playing for its sixth Super Bowl championship and first since the 1994 season. Kansas City's only Super Bowl victory came during the 1969 season but the organization won three AFL Championships before the AFL-NFL merger.
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The Chiefs arrived at Miami International Airport shortly before 5:00 p.m. ET. The Hunt family will fly in and host nearly 2,000 Chiefs staffers and family during Super Bowl LIV, with most of those individuals arriving later. Meanwhile, the York family will host around 1,500 staff members and spouses for the big game.
"We're taking a lot of people," 49ers CEO Jed York told Bay Area News Group. "We wanted to make sure that our entire staff had the opportunity to go — everybody from Kyle (Shanahan) and John (Lynch), all the way down to interns. Everyone's been a part of this, and we wanted to make sure they're there to help and also celebrate the moment that hopefully gets us over the hump."
This post will be updated with more photos and video of the team's arrival as they become available.
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