Update: The folks at the 49ers Museum Presented by SONY have Kaepernick's PP&K medal (see photo below). You can see it and other artifacts at the museum inside of Levi's® Stadium.
It's hard to think about the Oakland Raiders without also thinking about "The Black Hole," that south end-zone section of the O.co Coliseum where die-hard fans show their dedication by dressing up and making noise.
"I have seen highlights on TV," San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid said on Wednesday.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick played both baseball and football growing up around his siblings.
Colin Kaepernick, meanwhile, has experienced the enraged environs firsthand – as a kid contestant in the NFL's Punt, Pass and Kick contest at halftime of Raiders games.
"I've been there before," the quarterback said on Wednesday, interrupting his preparation for the 49ers quick road trip to the Coliseum on Sunday.
Unlike another quarterback on the roster, Josh Johnson, Kaepernick wasn't always a part of the San Francisco-Oakland rivalry; he has admitted to being a Green Bay Packers fan growing up in Turlock, Calif.
But he went to the Coliseum twice, placing second and third in two different editions of the league's national skills competition, which is for children ages 6 to 15.
Years later, it appeared likely that he'd play professionally in the same building.
Kaepernick confirmed Wednesday that he visited (but didn't work out for) Oakland before the 2011 NFL Draft. He said he came away with a good impression of the franchise and their then-head coach, Hue Jackson.
They came away with a good impression of him, too.
"No question in my mind we wanted it to happen, and no question I thought it could happen," Jackson told *Sports Illustrated's *Peter King last year. "We wanted the kid in the worst way."
The 49ers, of course, traded up to select Kaepernick with the 36th overall pick in the draft. The Raiders ended up with their current starting center, Stefen Wisniewski, at pick number 48.
"Scouting him, I fell in love with the kid," Jackson told King. "Leader, won a ton of games at Nevada, really impressive when you talked to him, strong, all the tools to win in the NFL. No doubt in my mind he was going to be good.''
Jackson has since moved on (as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator), but Kaepernick now goes back to the Coliseum as a fourth-year pro in the NFL. Here's what he told reporters about the game itself.
