“Typically, the teams that are the most successful are the closest in terms of just relationships and brotherhood,” Moss II said. “I try to create opportunities for guys to spend time with each other outside of the work environment. That’s when you can get to know each other and have some shared experiences.
“In this game, you’ve got to be able to trust that your teammate next to you is going to do his job just as much as they’re trusting you to do yours. In order to build that trust, you’ve got to spend time talking and communicating… Close bonds are created from something as simple as a conversation and finding shared interests.”
For the 49ers, the trust that’s built in the locker room extends beyond the walls of Levi’s® Stadium to the team’s alumni network. The engagement department’s mission is rooted in the history of the franchise. Iconic leaders of the late 1980s teams like head coach Bill Walsh and the DeBartolo family ownership that sparked San Francisco’s championship dynasty set the tone for a culture that prized excellence both in the game of football and in personal character.
By valuing discipline, unity and community involvement, the player engagement team upholds a legacy known as the “49ers spirit” that has transcended eras. The department often brings back alumni from the championship winning teams to instill drive and determination in today’s team.
“It’s cool to work for an organization with such great history,” Moss II said. “What Bill Walsh and that group started, is just phenomenal. And it’s a privilege to be able to continue to transfer a lot of those principles. There’s a standard of excellence and performance and how you come here every single day. To have Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, Bryant Young, Keena Turner and all those guys still so much ingrained in the culture, have them so accessible and pour in their experiences and wisdom, that’s the best thing… Players are buying in and we all hold each other accountable.”
“The standard our alumni set is how we approach every day,” Flannigan-Fowles added. “Being on time, no excuses, controlling what you can control, that’s how they built the organization. They worked to win and be great players and that’s how we do it. We want to be great in every aspect of our lives, on and off the field.”