Klint Kubiak and the improvement of the NFL’s maximum overlooked teaching tree

The roots of the NFL’s maximum influential favorite-day teaching tree had been planted in a brush closet. That’s where Gary Kubiak spent the 1st 5 days of his 2d occupation, poring by the use of a stack of scratchy VHS tapes inside a windowless room on the abet of the San Francisco 49ers’ notice facility.

“I didn’t ogle the sunshine of day for every week,” he says now.

It became spring 1994, and after a nine-year roam as one amongst the league’s maximum anonymous avid gamers — that’s existence while you happen to’re John Elway’s backup — Kubiak had signed on since the 49ers’ new quarterbacks trainer. He assumed the tapes had been stout of Joe Montana and Steve Younger notice pictures, or, on the very least, Bill Walsh calling his properly-known West Flow offense someday of one amongst his 3 Giant Bowl triumphs. He became mistaken.

When he hit play, he noticed coaches status in entrance of chalkboards.

It became a rite of passage for 49ers assistants underneath offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan, Kubiak’s new boss: Inside that broom closet, they watched how 3 diverse coaches taught the similar process. First became Walsh, the pioneer; next became Mike Holmgren, the feeble 49ers OC who became now primary the Packers; finally, it became Shanahan himself, who after two stops as a Broncos assistant and a failed roam as Raiders head trainer had with regards to San Francisco two years prior.

“Ahead of that you’ll be able to trainer,” Shanahan knowledgeable Kubiak, “you need to study simple pointers on the best way to train.”

It grew to broaden to be known since the Shanahan offense, and the Shanahan teaching tree, with precise purpose. It became Mike Shanahan who helped Elway exorcise Giant Bowl demons in Denver, Shanahan who cultivated a tender group in Washington a decade later that may produce a couple of of essentially the most inventive offensive minds of at this time time’s era: his son Kyle, now the 49ers trainer, Rams trainer Sean McVay, Packers trainer Matt LaFleur and Chargers OC Mike McDaniel, who led the Dolphins from 2022 to 2025, amongst others.

Gary Kubiak’s label became simple to fail to keep in mind. For years he became the egoless confidant to each a large identify quarterback and a large identify trainer, in no process dating the attention that followed. After the 49ers gained the Giant Bowl in January 1995, he followed Shanahan to Denver to paintings as his offensive coordinator, and at the side of offensive line guru Alex Gibbs, the trio reimagined the favourite roam recreation. The massive zone became born. Two titles followed.

When Shanahan knowledgeable his actual No. 2 that he became going to starting up getting calls about head-coaching interviews, Kubiak shrugged him off. “The completely factor I’m all for is operating my ass off at this task,” he stated.

The other were given right here in Houston in 2006, and someday of 8 seasons Kubiak led the franchise to its first two playoff wins. He mixed Walsh’s West Flow rules with Holmgren’s play-motion characteristics and Shanahan’s massive zone, then save his experience tag on it, calling performs for a unit that performed inside the Most sensible 10 5 occasions.

He became fired in 2013, then after a yr calling performs for the Ravens, his used teammate lured him abet to Denver. Elway, through this level the Broncos’ stylish supervisor, felt the group’s championship window with Peyton Manning ultimate. He wanted a brand new dispute. In Year 1, Kubiak navigated Manning’s midseason foot damage and a quarterback controversy with Brock Osweiler to raise the franchise’s 3rd championship.

Elway later known as it “one amongst essentially the most eye-catching teaching jobs I’ve ever considered.”

Shanahan’s completely son in no process fought future the gadget Kubiak’s boys did.

Kyle Shanahan became making cutups of Jerry Rice’s direction tree by the point he became in junior over the top and working towards next to Ed McCaffrey as a over the top schooler. Someday Mike discovered his early droop became mistaken — “Kyle argued so correctly my precious different and I thought he’d broaden to be a authorized authentic,” he says. The son became moral as driven since the daddy.

Kyle performed at Texas within the early days of the Mack Brown era then immediately jumped into teaching, losing the nepo infant tag with each passing discontinuance. By way of 27 he became an NFL area trainer, through 29 a coordinator, through 38 a head trainer. Since his 2017 hiring the 49ers have made 4 NFC Championship Video video games and two Giant Bowls.

He has thrived whilst wearing the load of his ultimate identify however remains tormented through the lone hole on his résumé, the similar one his father battled early in his occupation: He’s essentially the most performed trainer within the league now to not experience a hoop.

Klint Kubiak became diverse. He in no process sought the teaching existence the gadget Kyle Shanahan did — in any case, he resented it.

“I noticed the hours my dad labored,” the first-year Raiders trainer says. Plus, he had a conception: “I became going to play within the NFL for 20 years.”

However after a shoulder damage soured his senior season at Colorado Disclose, he gave it a attempt. 3 years later he became slightly making considerable — $17,000 — to have enough money an apartment. The will to grind his method to higher jobs merely wasn’t there. Now not at first. “He became asking himself, ‘Discontinue I really wanna elevate out this?’” Gary says. Klint ditched soccer and went to paintings within the oil fields.

His younger brother Klay became even additional defiant, swearing to any person who requested that he became in no process going to be a trainer. He followed his brother to Colorado Disclose however performed in exactly 4 video video games in 4 years and vowed after graduation to depart the sport within the abet of. He earned a grasp’s point from TCU and, quickly considerable, became operating the English department at a Jesuit over the top faculty in Houston.

Easiest when the primary knowledgeable him he needed to once more with an extracurricular task did he fetch his process abet to a soccer self-control. Inside a couple of months he became calling performs for the varsity group. Inside a yr he became the highest trainer. Gary watched from the bleachers.

“Guy, he’s unquestionably precise,” he knowledgeable his precious different, Rhonda.

Beautiful quickly Klay became at the telephone, telling his parents he wanted to opinion them. “Now we have been scared to loss of life,” Gary recalls. “We didn’t know what the hell this became about.”

They met for dinner. Klay purchased lawful to it.

“Dad, I mediate I wanna attempt,” he stated.

“Take a look at what?” Gary requested.

“I wanna ogle if I am able to trainer within the NFL.”

Klint Kubiak sat inside the locker room at Levi’s Stadium the evening Gary’s Broncos gained it all, soaking within the birthday celebration. By way of February 2016 he’d hand over the oil change and poured himself abet into teaching. Now, he wanted it. “I kinda felt handle I became letting the family down,” he stated.

He became a graduate assistant on the College of Kansas, decided for a crack on the NFL. It were given right here the next season when Gary added him to his Broncos group as an offensive assistant, and within the years that followed, Klint earned a name as one amongst without equal grinders in a league stout of them. “In case you happen to fetch something you’re ,” he says, “you’ll workout all day and evening making an attempt to be large at it.”

Maximum mornings, he’d pull into paintings at 4:30 a.m. When he didn’t, it’s as a result of he in no process made it place of abode. “One in every of the toughest group of workers I’ve ever been round,” Kyle Shanahan calls him.

By way of ultimate drop Klint became on his 7th discontinuance in 12 years, together with one as Shanahan’s passing recreation coordinator in San Francisco. The 2025 season ended with him walking into the similar locker room at Levi’s Stadium his father had a decade prior. He’d moral known as performs for the Giant Bowl-champion Seahawks.

And within the method, earned the likelihood to broaden to be a head trainer.

“I handle Klint’s memoir because it’s a large lesson for all coaches,” a feeble mentor, Norv Turner, says. “He’s been in each unmarried location. He’s been on staffs that purchased fired. He’s known as performs within the Giant Bowl. He’s been in 3 diverse places in 3 years. You study so indispensable additional from that than moral being an assistant on a precise group handle the Rams that wins annually.”

His younger brother can be next. Klay Kubiak became 30 when he left his task at Strake Jesuit School Preparatory in Houston. Fifteen years after Gary hired his feeble boss’s son as an assistant in Houston, Kyle Shanahan gave Klay the overall catch 22 situation he had on his group: defensive high quality give protection to an eye fixed on. Klay has earned 3 promotions in 4 years and is now the 49ers’ OC.

“I know Kyle loves him, and I really bid Klay would possibly possibly possibly moreover’ve gotten a head task this yr,” Mike Shanahan says. “However he wanted one different yr within the scheme. He stated, ‘I moral wanna grasp infant steps. I wanna bring together all of the items.’

“That sounds quite a bit handle what his dad used to copy me.”

Higher than process or scheme, there became a self-awareness Gary Kubiak handed right down to his sons, an come to the task constructed on used-fashioned humility. He felt he owed it to his avid gamers to copy the why within the abet of all of the items. It required have faith and tenacity. Endurance, too. A complete bunch persistence.

Instructing takes time.

“I mediate that’s one amongst the problems that’s out of place in soccer on the 2d,” Gary says.

It’s what his mentor taught him. A chronic time previous than it grew to broaden to be normal notice someday of the league, Mike Shanahan had cameras save in in each area room. He wanted to skedaddle making an attempt for his coaches train. Every evening, he’d evaluation the tapes, then skedaddle over them along together with his assistants, serving to them hone their classes in sharper, simpler techniques.

The Kubiak boys didn’t consume the finer sides in their father’s career at first. They completely noticed the hours and the tension, the latter of which — plus a couple of well being scares — led Gary to step a long way off from the Broncos after the 2016 season. It recommended them in diverse instructions. The educating pulled them abet in.

“When they discovered their dad wasn’t moral available on the market yelling at guys day-to-day, that the self-control became handle a be informed room to me, and higher than anything, this became about elevating precise soccer avid gamers, that’s after they fell in handle with it themselves,” Gary says.

The men — Klint, Klay and Klein, now a national scout for the Cowboys — can level-headed go through in ideas sitting with Dad on Friday nights whilst he sketched out his pregame speeches. Each and every and every week required a certain message, a certain tone, and all of the items hinged on his attainable to resonate with a room stout of avid gamers. The nuance captivated them.

“What’d you repeat them?” they’d save a query to him after the sport.

“We wanted to hear it because it became this type of groovy, type of engrossing factor,” Klay says.

Now Dad sits abet and watches his sons train. Gary pores by the use of each Raiders and 49ers notice on his iPad, taking notes, retaining his telephone handy. He goals to be a sounding board, not a nuisance. “I don’t wanna be the dad who alternatives up the telephone and says, ‘What the hell had been you guys doing in Wednesday’s notice?’” he says, guffawing.

Klint calls from Las Vegas just about day-to-day.

“I save a query to him questions on process and in regards to the draft and about simple pointers on the best way to bring together the hitting tee in my garage for my early life,” he says.

One in every of Klint’s defining characteristics is the apparent drone wherein he speaks, a dispute that looks averse to inflection. It fits. The specific particular person has no time for theatrics. Till he’s operating off the self-control after a good fortune his head teaching debut through two touchdowns.

I didn’t know Klint became ready to this emotion.

First rep as a head trainer clearly feels precise. percent.twitter.com/yWcYhaHLp0

— Sam Warren (@samwarren83) September 13, 2026

“He’s relate, there’s no fluff,” Raiders left type out Kolton Miller stated this spring.

“He’s moral immediately ball,” added cornerback Eric Stokes.

When stylish supervisor John Spytek knowledgeable Kubiak in March that the Maxx Crosby change had fallen even if, the trainer’s reaction became stunningly succinct. “Giant, we purchased Maxx abet,” Kubiak knowledgeable him. “The rest else you wanna focal point on?” And by the use of minority proprietor Tom Brady, Kubiak’s been blunt with the seven-time Giant Bowl winner: “Give me the advice I don’t wanna pay attention. It’s OK to misfortune my emotions.”

He even stripped the Raiders’ iconic pirate designate from avid gamers’ helmets ultimate spring, having a look them to collect it in combination.

Incomes it’s been Klay Kubiak’s goal since he stepped into the league immediately out of a over the top faculty be informed room, odd to opinion if he would possibly possibly possibly moreover decrease it. He’s not naïve. He’s aware of his ultimate identify helped. He moreover is aware of what’s going to get you within the door doesn’t give protection to you within the development.

“I’m very, very lucky,” Klay stated. “(However) handle I lisp to each participant, all folks really feel handle now we want to indicate to ourselves. All folks really feel handle now we want to collect our task day-to-day through the paintings we save in, through the results we rep.”

Results have in no process been the sector, not for the Shanahans and not for the Kubiaks. One soccer family has been middle degree for the reason that evening John Elway lifted his first Lombardi. Yet another gained’t be caught within the shadows for quite a bit longer.