49ers Coach’s 50th Birthday Vanished Into Thin Air Thanks To Unfortunate Travel Plans For Team’s Week 1 Game
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Turning 50 is supposed to be a milestone worth savoring. Raheem Morris barely got a chance to notice it happened at all.
The 49ers’ defensive coordinator hit the half-century mark on Thursday, Sept. 3. That same day, San Francisco boarded a flight bound for Australia, ahead of this week’s season opener against the Rams. The timing created an odd quirk that ESPN’s Adam Schefter couldn’t help but point to.
“49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris turned 50 years old Thursday, Sept. 3,” Schefter wrote.
“It also happened to be the day the 49ers flew to Australia, leaving Wednesday night Sept. 2 and arriving Friday morning Sept. 4, local time. The 49ers lost a day, but Morris lost his 50th birthday.”
The International Date Line Swallowed His Milestone Whole
San Francisco departed Wednesday night and touched down in Melbourne on Friday morning local time, skipping straight over Thursday in the process.
That meant Morris‘s actual birthday got erased somewhere over the Pacific, sandwiched between two other calendar days. Fans reacted with a mix of amusement and disbelief.
“I guess he truly is a 49er now,” one joked.
I guess he truly is a 49er now
— Hands On Kreation (@HandsOnKreation) September 7, 2026
Another asked, “What are we supposed to do with this information?”
What are we supposed to do with this information
— steven (@stb5410) September 7, 2026
A third fan showed how the DC would try “to explain how old he is.”
Raheem Morris trying to explain how old he is pic.twitter.com/ldkVwpcBxo
— Onyx Odds (@OnyxOdds) September 7, 2026
“Some guys lie about their age. Raheem Morris found a loophole and just skipped 50 entirely😂,” one user quipped.
Some guys lie about their age. Raheem Morris found a loophole and just skipped 50 entirely. 😂— Crossing Lines (@CrossingXLines) September 7, 2026
The 49ers intentionally scheduled their early departure, giving players extra time to adjust to the significant time difference before Thursday’s game.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed the challenge earlier this week, describing how unpredictably players respond to the jet lag.
“Some guys feel good and feel great, and then you talk to them five hours later, they’re like, ‘Never mind, that left,’” Shanahan said.
Morris Arrived In San Francisco After A Rocky Offseason For The Team
Morris joined the 49ers this offseason after two seasons as Atlanta’s head coach, reuniting with Shanahan for the first time since their days together on Washington’s staff over a decade ago.
He’s tasked with reshaping a defense that’s cycled through five different coordinators in as many years, bringing multiple five-man front looks that differ sharply from San Francisco’s usual scheme. Linebacker Fred Warner and left tackle Trent Williams have both noted how different training camp felt under his direction this summer.
Morris arrives at his new job during an unusually chaotic stretch for the organization. Shanahan himself is still working his way back from a serious car accident in July. The crash left him with three broken ribs, a broken hand, a broken nose, and a concussion.
The 49ers also face a grueling travel schedule this season, one that already drew criticism from fans and analysts when the league released it back in May, with San Francisco set to log more air miles than any other NFL team in 2026.
For Morris, at least, there’s a silver lining buried somewhere in the chaos: officially, he still gets to call himself 49.
