When Mike McGlinchey does the math, it adds up to one of the truly unique opportunities in the life of a professional football player.

“One of our o-line coaches said this will be the 54th Super Bowl, which means there have been 108 (right) offensive tackles that have started in a Super Bowl,” said McGlinchey, the second-year starting right tackle for the San Francisco 49ers, who will take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Miami on Feb. 2.

“Being one of 100 people to do something like that, how rare is that? How cool that is?”

Really cool for the two-time Notre Dame captain and first-round draft choice of the 49ers, who will be joined by former Irish teammate and defensive tackle Sheldon Day when the winners of the NFC and AFC square off in Hard Rock Stadium a week from this Sunday.

For McGlinchey, the ninth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, it’s been a whirlwind experience from starting rookie lineman on a 4-12 team without its starting quarterback to a meteoric rise to 13-3 under third-year head coach Kyle Shanahan en route to the NFC title with victories over Minnesota and Green Bay.

McGlinchey – the first cousin of Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Super Bowl LI participant Matt Ryan -- started all 16 games at right tackle during his rookie season. He extended his starting streak to 20 games this year before suffering a right knee injury against Cleveland in Week 5 that sidelined him for four games.



Meanwhile, the 49ers rolled on and clinched home-field advantage through the NFL championship game against Green Bay. After taking a 27-0 halftime lead, the 49ers closed out a 37-20 victory over the Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers to advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years when head coach Jim Harbaugh was at the helm.

“We looked at how great that first half was, but at the same time, we knew who the opposing quarterback was and knew the game wasn’t over,” said McGlinchey of last Sunday’s NFC championship game. “(The Packers) put together two touchdown drives to start the second half. But we answered their charge with a touchdown drive and a dagger field goal.

“With about five or six minutes to go, you start looking around and thinking, ‘Holy, shit, we’re going to the Super Bowl!’”

McGlinchey credits 49ers’ CEO Jed York, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan for turning what had been a 10-22 franchise the two previous years into a Super Bowl participant.

“Our general manager and head coach have done an unbelievable job building the roster to their vision,” McGlinchey said. “They hit home runs on our defensive roster moves. When they’ve been healthy, our defense has been as dominant as anybody in the NFL. We’ve seen the last two weeks how dominant they can be.

“Offensively, we got (quarterback) Jimmy (Garoppolo) back. We made the trade for (receiver) Emmanuel (Sanders) in the middle of the year. The individual improvement of everybody on our offense, the improvement of Kyle as a play-caller, the structure and the game plan that he and his staff have come up with have been the reason for our success the whole year.”

McGlinchey certainly has played a significant role himself, particularly in his second year on the job.

“I think I’ve been playing some really great football over the last couple months or so since I came back from getting hurt,” McGlinchey said.

“There is just so much more of a confidence level this year compared to last. I know exactly what to do, I know exactly what to prepare for. I know what it feels like in the moment and it’s not too big for me anymore.”

McGlinchey credits 49er offensive line coach John Benton and his assistants for their role in his development. He also has learned from 13-year veteran and seven-time Pro Bowl selection Joe Staley about what it means to be a professional.

“He’s been an unbelievable mentor,” said McGlinchey of Staley. “The things I’ve been able to take from him in how to prepare, how to be a pro and technique, I’ve tried to incorporate

“No. 2, he’s become one of my best friends. To have that kind of relationship with him and knowing what he’s gone through with the ups and downs of his career, it makes it that much more special to me, the o-line and the rest of the guys on our team knowing we have an opportunity to finish it off right for Joe.

“Joe is one of the most decorated tackles in the modern era of the NFL. He’s done everything he could do as an individual. The only thing left for him to do is win a Super Bowl. To be able to bring that home for him would make it complete.”

McGlinchey also is savoring the breakthrough season with Day, who is in his third year in San Francisco after a two-year stint as a fourth-round draft choice by Jacksonville.

“Me and Sheldon have been going at this thing together since about 2013,” McGlinchey said. “I’ve been teammates with Sheldon Day longer than anybody. He and I are very close and have been since college.

“Sheldon is as good of a human being as anybody out there. He’s an awesome guy, an awesome player and he’s stepped up huge for us this year. He’s provided unbelievable depth to an already fierce defensive line.”

Approximately 20 members of the McGlinchey/Ryan families will be in attendance at Super Bowl LIV in Miami. Cousin Matt Ryan’s advice has been all about dealing with Super Bowl week the best way possible.

“The two teams are the two best teams in the NFL,” McGlinchey said. “It’s going to come down to who can stay focused all week, stay true to their routines, and who can handle all the craziness and come home with a win.”

McGlinchey lavishes praise on the leader that Shanahan has been for the 49ers.

“He’s the best I’ve ever been around in terms of the whole knowledge of football, X’s and O’s, talent evaluator, and all that’s required of the physical part of being a head coach,” McGlinchey said. “He’s so real, so genuine, so humble. When he stands in front of us, you know how real of a person he is and how he connects with us.

“The vulnerability that he shows in pouring his heart out to us, the confidence that he has as a head coach and what he’s built here with our roster, his coaching staff, and the way we’ve been playing football, it trickles down to everybody. Because of him, we feel we always have a chance to be very successful.”

While many players talk about the difficulty/concern with managing emotions for the biggest game of their lives, McGlinchey – due largely to his growth as a second-year player – is confident that he’s up for that challenge.

“That’s the easy part because when you’re in the middle of a football game, you have the play-to-play focus that takes the gravity of the moment away by just focusing on blocking the guy in front of me,” McGlinchey said.

“Even last Sunday, it was the biggest moment of my career on any stage of football. But you don’t feel anything until the final minutes because of the focus you have to get the job done. It’s just another football game. That’s the way you have to treat it.”

And yet McGlinchey knows how special this moment is for him and his teammates. While most believe they’ll be back for another Super Bowl, the reality is this could be a one-shot deal. They need to make the most of it.

“Everybody says, ‘Man, I want to play in a Super Bowl one day,’” McGlinchey said. “It’s the biggest dream any football player could have. But there are guys that play 15, 16 years that don’t even sniff this kind of an opportunity.

“I’m 25 and I’m only in my second year. The future of our football team definitely feels very, very bright. But the Super Bowl is a once in a lifetime opportunity and you have to treat it as such. We have to make sure that we come out on top.”