Kyle Shanahan lost his first Super Bowl appearance as the Falcons’ offensive coordinator after the 2016 season. And he has now lost two Super Bowls as the 49ers‘ head coach. And that 0-3 start in Super Bowls is something no head coach or coordinator before him has overcome to win a Super Bowl.
Shanahan is the fifth head coach or coordinator in NFL history to start his career 0-3 in Super Bowls, and none of the others ever won a Super Bowl, according to NFL Research.
Marv Levy went 0-4 in Super Bowls as the Bills’ head coach.
Bud Grant went 0-4 in Super Bowls as the Vikings’ head coach.
Jerry Burns went 0-4 under Grant as offensive coordinator of the Vikings and never got to a Super Bowl as a head coach after that.
Ted Marchibroda lost a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator in Washington and lost two more as offensive coordinator in Buffalo, and went on to become a head coach for two different teams but never got back to a Super Bowl.
Shanahan’s well-documented Super Bowl struggles include his team blowing double-digit leads in all three of the Super Bowls he has coached in. With an impressive 49ers roster heading into this season, Shanahan’s team may return to the Super Bowl again in seven months, but his history may cast a dark cloud over any future Super Bowl appearance.
