Kyle Shanahan’s love for football came from his father, Mike. That love made Kyle want to be a coach, like Mike, and now Kyle is leading the San Francisco 49ers to his second Super Bowl as a head coach. Will Kyle pass that love of football down to his children: Carter, Stella, and Lexi?
Kyle has an accomplished coaching career but has lost two Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator and head coach. Shanahan has led the 49ers to four playoff runs, three division titles, four NFC Championship Games, and their second Super Bowl appearance since becoming their head coach.
Kyle became a graduate assistant at UCLA in 2003. He spent one year coaching in college before beginning his NFL career in Tampa Bay. Kyle was the offensive quality-control coach from 2004 to 2005.
In 2006, Gary Kubiak brought Kyle in to be the wide receivers coach for the Houston Texans. Kubiak learned about Kyle after serving under Mike Shanahan in Denver.
On Jan. 11, 2008, Kubiak promoted Kyle to youngest offensive coordinator. With the move, Kyle became the youngest offensive coordinator in the NFL.
Kyle spent four seasons as offensive coordinator under his father with the Washington Redskins and then for one season with the Cleveland Browns. Kyle moved on to the Atlanta Falcons and won Coordinator of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year in his second season. This resulted in his first head-coaching opportunity with the 49ers.
Kyle led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019 but fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-20. He won Coach of the Year from the Sporting News but finished second to John Harbaugh in the AP NFL Coach of the Year ballot. Harbaugh hopes to avenge his Super Bowl loss this season with a victory over the Chiefs.
Who are Kyle Shanahan’s children?
Kyle Shanahan is married to Mandy Shanahan. She was born in Colorado and met Kyle while Mike coached the Denver Broncos.
The couple were high school sweethearts but went to different colleges. After the terrible news that Mandy’s mother had Stage 4 cancer, Mandy wrote Kyle for emotional support.
The pair came back together, and Kyle was integral in Mandy getting through the tragedy. Kyle changed his stance on marrying young and tied the knot with Mandy in 2005.
After getting married, Kyle and Mandy welcomed their first child, a daughter named Stella. Carter came soon after in 2008, and they finally had their third child in 2012 when Lexi was born. Let’s learn more about the children that the couple share.
Stella Shanahan
Stella was the firstborn Shanahan child. She was born in 2007 and is often seen cheering for her father alongside her mother.
Carter Shanahan
Carter has been seen around the facility with Kyle, showing he may be the frontrunner to carry on the Shanahan football legacy. Kyle allows Carter to interact with the players in their downtime, much like Mike did for Kyle when he was Carter’s age. Carter’s Instagram is a compilation of his young football career, and he recently added a highlight tape from the previous season.
Carter was famously named in honor of Kyle’s favorite rapper, Lil Wayne. When Lil Wayne heard about the tribute, he sent the family a care package that included autographed Carter III and IV albums.
Lexi Shanahan
Lexi was born in 2012 and is also a mainstay at 49ers games. Women are rightfully beginning to break through in the football world, and would it surprise anyone if a Shanahan daughter was one day working at the NFL level?
Nevertheless, this is all we know about Kyle Shanahan’s children.
More must-reads: