The San Francisco 49ers are entering another NFL season as Super Bowl favorites. They nearly won the Lombardi Trophy last season, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in an incredible overtime finish. Now, they look to finish the job.

With two Super Bowl and three NFC championship appearances over the last five years, the Niners are back at the top of the NFL. It’s the storied franchise’s greatest run of success since the ’80s, when they won five Super Bowl titles.

The 49ers’ Hall of Fame QB, Joe Montana, was the star of the show. But arguably his brightest co-star was Roger Craig, the electric running back who broke records and won rings.

Craig also broke our minds… when he put his full body on display for subscribers of the Bay Area’s two biggest newspapers, the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner. Both publications ran a three-quarter page spread three-time Super Bowl champ wearing nothing but his Calvins.

The ad was for Macy’s, and was apparently approved by Calvin Klein himself.

See you yourself…

😛😛😛

When the spread ran, the reaction was nothing short of a home run (excuse the mixed sports analogy). “Men like it too, but women are crazy about the ad,” a company spokesperson said at time, per the SF Gate.

Though social media wasn’t invented for another 15 years, the ad went viral… in an early ’90s way. A couple of days later, Macy’s announced it would give away a poster-sized version of the shot with any in-store purchase of $50 or more.

As back-to-back champs, the Niners, and Craig, seemed unstoppable. But then he encountered his first brush with football mortality, when he tore a ligament in his right knee that October. The injury kept him out for most of the season.

Yet, the 49ers continued to roll, winning 14 of their 16 regular-season games. With a 1-point lead late in the NFC championship, they were minutes away from returning to their third straight Super Bowl. When Craig gained a crucial first round, the game seemed all but over.

He looked so good, John Madden, the iconic broadcaster, referenced his Calvins ad. “I had a body like [his], I’d be in my underwear too,” he added.

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The hardest part over, the 49ers tried to run out the clock. They called Craig’s number again, for a simple hand-off up the middle. That’s when he met New York Giants nose tackle Erik Howard, whose helmet rammed into the football, and knocked it loose. The Giants recovered the ball, and kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired. The 49ers’ dynastic run was over.

The 49ers released Craig the following April, putting the “underwear curse” in full effect. But that hasn’t stopped fans from reminding Craig of his glistening Calvin’s photo shoot

“People [are] like, you’re the guy from the underwear ad,” he said. “What happened to football?”

The 49ers’ current star running back, Christian McCaffrey, is hoping his Niners career ends with postseason glory. A three-time All-Pro, he’s the 49ers’ best player. He set a Super Bowl record last season, becoming the first player in history with 75 rushing yards and 75 receiving yards in the game, to go along with his touchdown (he also fumbled during the game’s first drive, perhaps a negative omen).

Much like Craig, McCaffrey is dynamic on the field. But the similarities don’t end there. McCaffrey is also rather Adonis-like.

We’re ready for McCaffrey’s Calvin spread, too! Hopefully without an accompanying curse!

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