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March 29, 2024

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Former 49ers kicker Mike Cofer now calls Henderson home, will be rooting for old team in Super Bowl

Cofer, who won a pair of Super Bowls with San Francisco, is the wide receiver coach at Coronado High

Mike Cofer

Steve Marcus

Mike Cofer, an assistant football coach at Coronado High School, poses with memorabilia at his home in Henderson, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Cofer was an NFL kicker and played with the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl wins in 1989 and 1990.

Mike Cofer

Mike Cofer, an assistant football coach at Coronado High School, holds a Super Bowl XXIV game ball at his home in Henderson, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013. Cofer was an NFL kicker and played with the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl wins in 1989 and 1990. The rings are from XXIV, top, and XXIII. Launch slideshow »

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There’s no questioning what team Henderson resident Mike Cofer is rooting for on Super Bowl Sunday.

He’s a San Francisco 49ers fan through and through. It’s only natural considering Cofer played six of his eight NFL seasons with the 49ers, which included back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

“There were a lot of great players and a solid coaching staff,” Cofer said about playing with the 49ers. “We had a lot of good fortune here and there. I’ve always said, ‘I can’t imagine getting there and not winning.’ That’s almost worse than not getting there. I (was) fortunate to play with so many great players.”

While Cofer, who is an assistant football coach at Coronado High, didn’t make any game-winning kicks in the Super Bowl (he only attempted four in two games), there is one extra point that he remembers clearly.

In Super Bowl XXIV against the Denver Broncos, Joe Montana found Brent Jones for a touchdown, putting the 49ers up 13-3. Cofer, who hit 97.6 percent of extra points in his career with the 49ers, missed the point-after try.

It ended up not mattering since the 49ers outscored the Broncos 42-7 the rest of the way en route to a 55-10 victory.

“It was early on,” Cofer said. “I was hoping we could pile up enough points and that it would wash itself away. Fortunately, we did.”

San Francisco parted ways with Cofer following the 1993 season. He sat out the 1994 season before returning for a four-game stint with the Indianapolis Colts in 1995. The time in Indianapolis was his final stop in football.

These days, Cofer, who moved to Southern Nevada in 2001, is focused on running a sports apparel company and helping his two sons, Spencer and Jackson, advance in their athletic careers.

Coronado coach Brad Talich added Cofer to his coaching staff last season, crediting Cofer for playing a significant role in helping the Cougars reach the state semifinals last fall. It was the best season in Coronado history.

“There is not a stone unturned with Coach Cofer on the staff,” Talich said. “He’s very humble when he talks to our kids and doesn’t tell us about his NFL experience. … You get people who are passionate and know what he talks about. We’re blessed to have that.”

Cofer coaches the wide receivers and draws instant respect thanks to his playing days with arguably the greatest wide receiver of all-time, Jerry Rice.

Jackson Cofer said some players were star-struck by his father’s presence. It’s nothing new for Jackson, who for the better part of his life has been asked every question about his father’s playing career and has heard his dad tell locker room stories about legends like Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Roger Craig over and over again.

“I could hear the same stories 10 times and I’d never get tired of them,” Jackson said. “It gives me a sense of pride. I’m proud that he’s my father.”

Talich, who said he is a Broncos fan, also is rooting for the 49ers on Sunday and expects Cofer to be rooting with the same intensity as he did when he was wearing the pads.

“He’s got a place in his heart for San Francisco,” Talich said. “I know he’ll be in his house with the doors closed and locked and phone off.”

Paul Delos Santos can be reached at 990-2416 or [email protected]. Follow Paul on Twitter at twitter.com/pauliedelos.

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