Gary Kubiak declined 49ers’ promotion offer to go to Denver

Photo: David Zalubowski, Associated Press Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak responds to questions after...

Niners head coach George Seifert wanted to give his rising-star quarterbacks coach a promotion 21 years ago.

Gary Kubiak had other plans.

Instead of becoming the 49ers’ offensive coordinator in 1995, Kubiak took the same position in Denver, where Mike Shanahan had just been hired as the head coach.

On Friday, while Kubiak prepared for Super Bowl 50 as the Broncos’ head coach, Seifert said in a phone interview that he wanted to keep him on staff much longer. Kubiak was with Seifert for only the 1994 season, which ended with the 49ers’ last Super Bowl title.

“What we wanted to do was make Gary our offensive coordinator, but he obviously had a strong feeling for Denver and Mike,” Seifert said. “He just had more ties there than with us in San Francisco. It seemed like a natural progression for us, he was that sharp and impressed everybody that much, but it didn’t work out.”

Kubiak’s deep ties to Denver caused him to pass on a plum assignment with the 49ers. At 33, he would have coordinated an offense led by Steve Young, then 33, who was the reigning NFL and Super Bowl MVP.

Kubiak had spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Broncos as John Elway’s backup. And for six of those seasons, Shanahan had been on Denver’s offensive staff. After retiring, Kubiak spent two seasons as the running backs coach at Texas A&M. A year later, he landed his first NFL job because Shanahan recommended him to Seifert.

“Mike liked him a lot and I certainly remembered him as a player,” Seifert said. “And I’d also gotten a sense of what type of guy he was. He was about as first-class a person as you could imagine. He was a good football player, and it quickly became clear he was a very smart coach.”

After his brief stop with the 49ers, Kubiak spent 11 seasons as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. He left Denver for an eight-year run as the Texans’ head coach and was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014. This season, he’s reunited with Elway, the Broncos’ general manager. Kubiak has become the first man to reach the Super Bowl as a player and head coach with the same team.

Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Former 49ers head coach George Seifert and quarterback Steve Young...

Given his connection to Kubiak, part of Seifert is pulling for the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. However, he also has an affinity for the Panthers. Seifert, 76, spent his final three seasons (1999-01) in the NFL as Carolina’s head coach and he has great respect for owner Jerry Richardson.

“Jerry has done a lot for the Carolinas and a lot for the league,” Seifert said. “I’m excited and happy for the Richardson family. They’ve been to one Super Bowl, and it looks like they have a pretty good shot to win it this time.”

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So who will Seifert root for? The San Francisco native, who spent 14 seasons with the 49ers, suggested he’s largely ambivalent about NFL games that don’t involve his favorite team.

“I certainly would like to see the 49ers there, especially this one” at Levi’s Stadium, Seifert said. “But that’s not to be. Hopefully, that will be the case in the not-too-distant future.”

Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: ebranch@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @Eric_Branch