Fathers of Super Bowl QBs Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes Share Wild MLB Draft History
The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are set to face off in Super Bowl LVIII after winning the AFC and NFC Championship Games on Sunday, respectively.
But beyond the matchup being a repeat of Super Bowl LIV in 2020, the two teams' star quarterbacks share some unique family history.
Patrick Mahomes II's father, Pat Mahomes, was an MLB pitcher for 11 years. Brock Purdy's father, Shawn Purdy, may not have ever reached the big leagues, but the right-handed pitcher did spend eight seasons in the minors.
As pointed out by MLB analyst Ryan M. Spaeder, there were five consecutive MLB Drafts from 1987 to 1991 that featured either Mahomes or Purdy coming off the board.
The Pittsburgh Pirates picked Purdy out of Valencia Community College in the 46th round in 1987, but he elected not to go pro at the time. In 1989, the Kansas City Royals took Purdy in the 44th round out of Indian River State College, only for Purdy to once again return to school.
After transferring to the University of Miami, Purdy turned down the Oakland Athletics, who nabbed him in the 26th round of the 1990 MLB Draft. A year later, he finally signed with the California Angels after they picked him in the 16th round.
Mahomes, meanwhile, went to the Minnesota Twins in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB Draft.
Mahomes went 42-39 over the course of his MLB career, posting a 5.47 ERA, 1.594 WHIP and 0.1 WAR with the Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Pirates. He spent part of 15 seasons in the minors as well, going 102-75 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.373 WHIP before retiring at the age of 39 in 2009.
Purdy went 58-37 with a 3.91 ERA and 1.353 WHIP in the minors, suiting up for the Angels, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves' respective affiliates along the way. He pitched his final professional innings in 1998, right after he turned 30 years old.
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