When the San Francisco 49ers begin playing at the new Santa Clara Stadium in 2014, home games will take place near Marie P. DeBartolo Way and Bill Walsh Drive.
The Santa Clara City Council voted Tuesday night to change the name of the street in front of the new Santa Clara Stadium from Centennial Blvd. in order to honor the franchise's matriarch. The new Santa Clara Stadium will sit at 4900 Marie P. DeBartolo Way and the team's training facility will be located at 4949 Marie P. DeBartolo Way.
CEO Jed York saw this as an opportunity to honor his grandmother's legacy.
"We wanted to make sure the road had family significance to it," York said. "Now, my grandmother's name is going to be on anything that's ever sent to the stadium, or anything that's ever sent to the training facility. I'm very thankful for Santa Clara and the city council for allowing us to change the name of Centennial Blvd. to Marie P. DeBartolo Way.
"It's very special and meaningful to me and my family."
The road that currently serves as the back access road to the 49ers training facility, Stars and Stripes, will be renamed to honor legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh.
That, too, was an easy choice for the 49ers CEO.
"When you can name a street after Bill Walsh, I don't know if that's even enough for everything that Bill has done for the San Francisco 49ers," York said. "It's going to be a great place for fans. It's a testament to Bill and what he was able to accomplish with the San Francisco 49ers and he will always be a piece of the 49ers coming into our new stadium."
