San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey's offseason plans included a stop at his alma mater over the weekend. He was joined by wife, Olivia Culpo, mother, Lisa McCaffrey, and father, Ed McCaffrey at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado for a special jersey retirement ceremony.
The event marked the football program's first-every jersey retirement and will ensure that McCaffrey's No. 5 will not be worn by any future Eagles players. The celebration honored all that McCaffrey "has accomplished on and off the field" from his time at Valor Christian and beyond, the football team wrote on X.
The student body, faculty, staff, and former teammates and coaches of McCaffrey were also in attendance for the ceremony.
"It means the world," McCaffrey said in an interview with Valor Eagle Eye Media. "The biggest thing I've taken from it is seeing all the familiar faces that I used to go to play with, that I used to go to school with - coaches, teammates, classmates - and that to me, is what I remember about high school. I remember the people. Life is about people, and being able to reconvene with all these people has been such a special blessing for me."
The Denver-based television station, 9News, reported that current Valor Christian head football coach, Mike Sanford, helped bring the jersey retirement to life.
The reunion between McCaffrey and Sanford was a full circle moment for the coach and player. Sanford's 20-year coaching career included a three-season stint with Stanford from 2011-13. During his time on the Stanford football staff, he recruited McCaffrey to play for the Cardinal. McCaffrey went on to play three seasons of college ball before being selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Following the ceremony, McCaffrey reflected on the importance of his high school years at Valor Christian High School.
"I think it was probably the most pivotal time in my life because (high school) is such a weird time in somebody's life," McCaffrey said to Valor Eagle Eye Media. "You're going through all these mental changes, physical changes, and you don't really know what you want to do. When you are surrounded by good people in that time, it helps you ease on and stay motivated.
"When you're at this school - I always felt inspired by everybody else. It shaped me in a million different positive ways."
McCaffrey also took the time to share his best advice for current high school students.
"Thank God for every day," McCaffrey responded to the Valor Eagle Eye Media reporter. "Work as hard as you can. Be nice to people and have fun. Life will get complicated, you'll go through adversity, and you'll go through some hardships. But, if you can continue to push and follow your dreams, and not really worry necessarily about your feelings but the job that needs to get done, you'll always be able to look yourself in the mirror and know you gave it everything you got."
