Why did Brock Purdy change his number from 14 to 13?
The 49ers’ signal caller continues to dazzle. To hear him tell it, the reason comes down to his idol, the legendary signal caller of the Miami Dolphins.
With a story that belongs on TV, the Niners’ quarterback has turned heads since entering the NFL. Quite frankly, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who can disagree with the idea that Brock Purdy’s rise to fame has been anything short of special.
Brock Purdy: The story so far
When he was drafted as the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, few could have expected that Brock Purdy would become anything other than a relief quarterback in the NFL. Yet, it’s now clear that the man who was given the title ‘Mr. Irrelevant’, is anything but. From his ‘thrown into the deep end’ moment after both of San Francisco’s quarterbacks were injured, to his near miss in last year’s NFC championship game, it’s clear that Purdy is an incredible talent. To be clear, he is the fourth quarterback ever to begin his career with eight consecutive regular-season wins without a loss, following Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomczak and Mike Livingston.
When considering the fact that he currently plays for one of the most well-balanced teams, one has to believe his record is just getting started. To that end, there’s no telling where this ride stops. What we can say is that the 24-year-old’s popularity has continued to skyrocket with each win that he registers and from the looks of things that’s not likely to stop anytime soon. This of course brings us to jersey sales and there have been a lot of them, but the question is why does Brock Purdy wear the No. 13 jersey when he was originally slated to wear No. 14?
Why does Brock Purdy wear No. 13?
The answer to the question lies in a former great of the game, Dan Marino. Back on January 15th, 2000, the Miami Dolphins legend threw the final pass of his career in a playoff game against the Jaguars. At the time Purdy was just 19 days old, which is to say he would have had no recollection of the moment, however, he would go on to become a diehard fan of the Hall of Famer, something that was very much facilitated by his father, Shawn Purdy, who was also a staunch fan of Marino.
The point in all of this is that when Purdy had the chance to speak with his idol back in Week 3 ahead of a game against the Giants, you can probably imagine that there was a lot of emotion involved. “It’s an honor, man,” Purdy said at the time as he was greeted by Marino. “My dad, I mean he loved you growing up. I wear 13 and everything because of you man so appreciate it.” The tie between the two didn’t stop there either. Indeed, Purdy went on to explain that he was born on December 27th, 1999, a day on which Marino faced the Jets. “My dad always said I got to see you play the day I was born,” Purdy said.
If you’re wondering, Marino threw for three touchdowns that day in what turned out to be a 38-31 loss, with the QB going 29-for-52 with 322 passing yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions. Needless to say, the ‘student’ has followed the ‘teacher’ ever since, with Purdy emulating Marino’s style - particularly his quick release - since he was five years old. “Dan Marino’s just a winner,” Purdy told the Des Moines Register in 2018. “He does whatever it takes to win. He elevates his teammates’ game around him. When I go back and watch his highlights and things that he did, I try to put that on how I play the game.”