SANTA CLARA – Record heat at Levi’s Stadium is prompting the 49ers to proactively seek relief for their players and fans at Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Levi’s Stadium has never hosted a regular-season game with a kickoff temperature above 88 degrees. That record, set in an Oct. 3, 2021 loss to Seattle, will fall if the kickoff temperature indeed hits 95 degrees, as forecast on Weather.com.
The 49ers practiced Friday with temperatures in the high 80s, after temperatures in the 90s baked their workouts the previous two days.
The 49ers petitioned the NFL to switch to their all-white throwback uniform, but coach Kyle Shanahan said they learned such a switch was not allowed once the season was underway. However, the 49ers will instead don white pants instead of gold ones with their red throwback jerseys.
“When I was on the East Coast that was such a big deal. Being in Tampa Bay and places like that, you wanted to wear your whites early,” Shanahan said. “You didn’t have to worry about it that much out here.”
We’ll get as much white on as much as possible, so the white pants, and hopefully it helps.
When the 49ers announced their four uniform looks in July, that “red classic” look was to only be worn in home games against Dallas (Oct. 27) and Detroit (Dec. 30). They’re scheduled to wear their all-white throwbacks only once, in Thursday’s visit to Seattle.
Shanahan said they will make a concerted effort to wear all-whites at the start of future seasons, saying: “We have to make a conscious commitment before the year that we wear all whites until the middle of October and then go to normal. It’s not usually this hot. We’ll probably do that now, just in case.”
“This October heat has stepped up and grabbed us here,” general manager John Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM. “… We appreciate our fans and we will try to do everything to make their experience great. Putting good football out there helps, so if they’re going to be out there in the sun, they’re at least enjoying it.”
Shanahan expects more players than usual to request intravenous fluids before kickoff but that the team still is imploring players to hydrate ahead of time.
“For preventative measure, I’ll probably want to get an IV. I don’t think it’s necessarily the heat,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “It all depends on your hydration level. Sometimes you take caffeine and stuff that can accelerate your sweating and dehydration.”
Williams said this heat still can’t compare to what he endured growing up in Texas.
A hydration table, complete with jugs of water and supplements, was set up outside the 49ers locker room Friday, as was a pallet filled with bottles of water.
“We’ll account for having everything possible out there for our players,” Lynch added. “It is going to be toasty out there on Sunday.”
The only time a Levi’s Stadium kickoff happened in 90-degree weather was in the 2017 preseason finale against the Chargers. Here are the hottest regular-season temperatures at Levi’s Stadium since it opened in 2014:
88 degrees: Oct. 3, 2021 vs. Seahawks, 28-21 loss
87: Sept. 10, 2017 vs. Panthers, 23-3 loss
87: Oct. 7, 2019 vs. Browns, 31-3 win
86: Oct. 18, 2020 vs. LA Rams, 24-16 win
85: Oct. 5, 2014 vs. Chiefs, 22-17 loss
84: Oct. 4, 2020 vs. Eagles, 25-20 loss
82: Nov. 1, 2018 vs. Raiders, 34-3 win
“I feel like every time (at Levi’s), the sun’s hitting, it’s a beautiful green, it’s exciting to be out there,” said Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray told Arizona reporters Wednesday. He hasn’t played in their past three visits after losing his initial appearance in 2019 (36-26, 72 degrees) and winning in 2020 (24-20, 66 degrees).
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, a South Carolina native, is not sweating that heat, saying: “I’m from the South, man. It’s no problem. We’ll be alright. But 90 degrees is still hot.”
Levi’s Stadium’s parking lots are set to open at 9:35 a.m. Sunday. Fans are allowed to enter the stadium at 10:05 a.m. for those with tickets in club and suite sections, 11:05 a.m. for all others.
Aside from drinking fountains throughout the stadium, six water-refill stations are located near sections 101, 110, 120, 125, 127, and 322. Fans are permitted to bring in plastic water bottles (factory sealed) and reusable, transparent bottles that are less than 24 ounces and contain no alcohol. Also allowed in are hand-powered misters, sunscreen and umbrellas that do not obstruct other fans’ view.