Meet Mike Cofer, the NASCAR driver who won the Super Bowl twice with the San Francisco 49ers
Mike Cofer won the Super Bowl and had the best time of his career with the 49ers.
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Mike Cofer (Via IMAGO)
It’s very rare to see star athletes from different sports successfully participate in professional motorsports events. However, there has been a group of super-talented individuals who have successfully accomplished these tasks. One of them is footballer Mike Cofer, who is a two-time Super Bowl champion and has won a NASCAR race.
Cofer was a placekicker in the NFL who was part of the squads of the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers, and Indianapolis Colts. He was part of the 49ers team that won the Super Bowl XXIII and XXIV. Cofer wasn’t the best player on the team, as despite having a strong leg he was inconsistent. But he did have some memorable outings with the team.
Only one person has won a Super Bowl as a player and won a NASCAR race as a driver
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 11, 2024
Mike Cofer was the 49ers kicker when they won in 1988 and 1989. He won a Southwest Tour race in 1994 and planned to run Trucks full-time in 95 but returned to the NFL. He ran 3 Truck races in 2002 pic.twitter.com/4tL5Nqf0JP
After getting released by the 49ers in 1993, he took an interest in Motorsports and tried his luck. He drove in the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour, where he won his first and only race on the fourth event, starting on the pole and leading all 100 laps. Cofer left racing for the NFL in 1995 to join the Colts in 1995.
In the same year, he was offered an invitation to race in the newly formed Truck Series but he rejected it to become the coach of the Carolina Panthers. He did return to motorsports in 2002 to drive three races in the Truck Series with two different teams and had the best result of a P21 in Phoenix.
Bob Whitlow is another NFL player who tried his luck in the NASCAR
Bob Whitlow, the only NFL player to also compete in USAC and NASCAR, Whielow has a special place in the sports community. He is also a former US Marine, making him one of the few athletes to have a great career. Whitlow was also a college basketball and track and field coach.
In his NFL career, he has played for six teams from 1960 to 1968. He was part of teams like Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins (now Washington Commanders), Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.
Bob Whitlow played in the NFL and raced in NASCAR. He was a center for several teams between 1960 and 1968, then in 1973, started racing
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 11, 2024
Whitlow's best NASCAR finish was 19th in the August 1974 Cup race at Michigan. He finished 6th in the April 1974 USAC race at Pocono pic.twitter.com/XKRSkxPxlj
He has started in multiple NASCAR events, including Cup races after 1973. His career-best finish came in the 1974 Michigan Cup event, and he had the best USAC finish of P6 in Pocono. 2012 NASCAR Cup champion Brad Keselowski’s father, Bob, used to work for the NFL player turned racer.
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Justin P Joy
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