Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( born November 3 , 1987 ) is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League . He played college football for the University of Nevada ( Reno ) Wolf Pack . At Nevada , Kaepernick twice was named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year , and he was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl . In the 2011 NFL Draft the San Francisco 49ers selected Kaepernick in the second round with the 36th overall pick . Kaepernick began his pro career as the 49ers ' backup to starter Alex Smith . In the middle of the 2012 season , Kaepernick filled in for an injured Smith and became the full - time starter as the 49ers advanced to the NFL playoffs for the second straight season . He set an NFL record for most rushing yards ( 181 ) by a quarterback in a game ( playoffs or regular season ) in his first playoff game . After beating the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship 28 - 24 , he led the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994 . Early life and high school . Kaepernick was born in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , a biracial child whose birth parents both stood . His blonde birth mother , Heidi Russo — 19 , unmarried , and almost broke — took care of him for five weeks while looking for an adoptive couple . His African - American birth father was out of the picture before he was born . Russo wanted to find a couple that was financially set , had kids , and loved sports . She chose Rick and Teresa Kaepernick , a white couple who had two kids already – son Kyle and daughter Devon — and were looking for a boy after having lost two other sons to heart defect s . Kaepernick became the youngest of their three children . He lived in Fond du Lac , Wisconsin , until age four , and attended grade school in Turlock , California . Kaepernick began playing youth football at age eight as a defensive end and punter . He then became his youth team ' s starting quarterback at age nine , and he completed his first competitive pass for a long touchdown . He went on to win several punt , pass , and kick competitions mainly on his passing ability . A 4 . 0 GPA student at John H . Pitman High School in Turlock , Kaepernick was a three - sport star who passed up a promising baseball career as a pitcher in order to play football . Kaepernick was nominated for all - state in football , basketball , and baseball in his senior year . He was the MVP of the Central California Conference in football leading his school to its first - ever playoff victory . In basketball he was a first - team all CCC selection at forward and led his 16th - ranked team to a near upset of the Number 1 - ranked Oak Ridge Trojans in the opening round of playoffs . In that game Kaepernick scored 34 points , although that was not enough as Ryan Anderson scored 50 to best the Pitman Pride . College career . Recruitment . Kaepernick achieved most of his accolades in high school as a baseball pitcher and received several scholarship offers in that sport , yet he desperately wanted to play football in college . He was almost 6 ' 5 " as a senior , but he only weighed 170 pounds ( 77 kg ) and his coaches generally kept him from running the ball to limit his risk of injury . He also had poor throwing mechanics , despite his strong arm . During his junior year , Pitman ' s head coach at the time , Larry Nigro , made a highlight tape which Colin ' s brother , Kyle , copied to DVD and then sent to about one hundred Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS , then known as Division I - A ) programs , receiving some interest but no offers for scholarship . Even as a senior , he received little attention from FBS schools . Although the Wolf Pack coaching staff frequently watched video of his high school team , no one from Nevada ' s staff came to Turlock to see him play during his senior football season . Wolf Pack head coach , Chris Ault , decided to offer him a scholarship after one of his assistants , Barry Sacks , saw Kaepernick dominate a high school basketball game on an evening he was suffering from a fever of . Nevada was the only school that offered him a football scholarship , but was concerned that he would opt for baseball until he signed in February 2006 . Baseball . He was a two - time all - state baseball player in California and was listed as a draftable prospect on Major League Baseball ' s website in the class of 2006 . He earned Northern California athlete of the week honors as a pitcher . He was reported to throw a fastball as a senior in high school , as reported during Kaepernick ' s first college football start in 2007 against Boise State He was also a member of the Brewers Grey squad in the 2005 Area Code games . During his senior year , Kaepernick pitched two no - hitters in high school play . He also turned down numerous scholarship offers to play baseball at many notable NCAA programs , instead taking his lone football scholarship offer to play quarterback at Nevada . . In his senior year of high school , Kaepernick had an ERA of 1 . 265 with 13 starts and 10 complete games . He finished the year with an 11 - 2 record with 97 strikeouts and 39 walks . 2009 MLB Draft . In the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft , Kaepernick was drafted in the 43rd round by the Chicago Cubs . Kaepernick decided that he wanted to continue to play football at the University of Nevada and chose not to sign with the Cubs . Football . 2006 season . Kaepernick joined the Nevada Wolf Pack as a redshirt . 2007 season . As a redshirt freshman , Kaepernick saw little action through Nevada ' s first four games . It was during the fifth game of the season against the 2007 Fresno State Bulldogs football team that he got his first extended playing time . After starting quarterback Nick Graziano went down with a season - ending foot injury , Kaepernick entered the game with 8 : 23 remaining in the second quarter . He would go on to amass 384 yards passing , 4 TD ' s and 60 yards rushing . Despite the effort , Fresno State won the game , 49 – 41 . Kaepernick made his first start on Sunday , October 14 , 2007 . Entering as 26 - point underdogs to the Boise State Broncos , a team that had never lost on its home field to a WAC opponent , Kaepernick and the Wolf Pack nearly upset the Broncos in one of the highest - scoring games in NCAA history ( 69 – 67 in four overtimes ) . The game was nationally televised on ESPN and was deemed an " Instant Classic " and re - aired on the network ' s ESPN Classic station in the following days . Compiling 243 yards passing with 3 TDs and rushing for another 177 yards and 2 scores , Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack into a fourth overtime period when a failed two - point conversion attempt ultimately ended the game . During the contest , Kaepernick earned high praise from ESPN ' s Bill Curry ( the former Georgia Tech and Green Bay Packer center and University of Alabama and University of Kentucky head football coach ) as having perhaps the best game by a redshirt freshman quarterback he had ever witnessed . Kaepernick followed the Boise State effort by leading the Wolf Pack to three straight victories over Utah State , Idaho , and New Mexico State ( a game in which he threw the go - ahead score with a minute remaining ) . He earned WAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against New Mexico State . Against undefeated and nationally ranked Hawaii , his team fell two points short , giving up the go - ahead field goal with 15 seconds remaining . A loss to San Jose State followed . In the final game of the regular season against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs , Kaepernick threw for 404 yards and three scores with no turnovers to help lead the Pack to its third consecutive bowl appearance , a first in school history . Kaepernick earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors for his efforts during the regular season . With a quarterback rating of 161 . 06 , he finished as the fifth - ranked quarterback in NCAA football based on pass efficiency behind Sam Bradford ( Oklahoma ) , Tim Tebow ( Florida ) , Colt Brennan ( Hawaii ) , and Dennis Dixon ( Oregon ) and third in the nation in yards - per - attempt at 9 . 4 , behind Tebow and Paul Smith ( Tulsa ) . With bowl games completed , Kaepernick ' s stats dropped slightly . He would finish the season ranked in the top ten in NCAA in various categories including : 2nd - lowest Interception Percent ( to Florida State ' s Drew Weatherford ) , 5th in Yards Per Passing Attempt , 7th in Touchdowns Passing Percent , and 10th in Passer Rating . Amongst quarterbacks he was 6th in Yards Per Carry when running the ball . 2008 season . As a sophomore Kaepernick became just the fifth player in NCAA history to pass for 2 , 000 yards and rush for 1 , 000 or more yards in a single season . Some of his notable statistical achievements were : Kaepernick , with 1 , 130 rushing yards , and running back Vai Taua , with 1 , 521 rushing yards , made 2008 the first year in school history that Nevada had two 1 , 000 - yard rushers in the same season . Despite playing the entire second half with an ankle injury , he set a new Humanitarian Bowl record with 370 yards passing and was awarded the MVP in a losing effort . He was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year at the end of the season . He was the first sophomore to win this award since Marshall Faulk of San Diego State did in 1992 . He was also named first team All WAC QB . He was the first sophomore to win this award since Trent Dilfer of Fresno State , also in 1992 . 2009 season . Kaepernick was named the pre - season WAC Offensive Player of the Year at the WAC Media ' s event in July . On August 3 it was announced he was named to the Davey O ' Brien Award pre - season watch list . On August 14 it was announced that he was named to the pre - season Maxwell Award watch list and on August 17 to the Manning Award watch list . Kaepernick led the Wolf Pack to an 8 – 5 record and a second place finish in the WAC behind undefeated Boise State . He was named 2nd team All WAC QB . He is the first player in Nevada history to earn the teams MVP award twice , doing so in 2008 as well . He finished the 2009 season with 2 , 052 passing yards and 1 , 183 rushing yards . He became the first player in NCAA history to record back - to - back 2 , 000 / 1 , 000 yard seasons . His 1 , 183 rush yards along with Luke Lippincott ' s 1 , 034 and Vai Taua ' s 1 , 345 makes him a part of the first trio of teammates in NCAA history to rush for 1 , 000 yards each in the same season . 2010 season . Entering the 2010 NCAA season , Kaepernick ranked first among active college football players in rushing touchdowns . He was second in Yards Per Carry ( behind Wolf Pack teammate Vai Taua ) , Total Offense per Game , and Touchdowns Scored . He ranked third in Yards per Play and fourth in pass touchdowns and Total Number of Offensive Plays . Kaepernick was a counselor at the prestigious MPA event in Thibodaux , Louisiana , during the 2010 camp . He had an impressive showing , drawing praise from various NFL and ESPN personnel including former New York Giants QB Jesse Palmer who said of Kaepernick , " by far , the strongest arm in the camp " . It was also announced that Kaepernick , along with teammates Taua and Lippincott will have a display in the College Football Hall of Fame commemorating their being the first players in NCAA history to each break 1 , 000 yards rushing on the same team during the same season . Kaepernick was named to the watch list for six major college football awards : the Manning Award , the O ' Brien Award , the Paul Hornung Award , the Maxwell Award , the Unitas Award , and the Walter Camp Award . On November 26 , Kaepernick led his team to a 34 – 31 overtime victory against the previously undefeated Boise State Broncos , snapping a 24 game win streak that had dated back to the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl . This game was played on Nevada ' s senior night , the final home game for Kaepernick and fellow notable senior running back Vai Taua . Nevada Head Coach Chris Ault would later call this game the " most important win in program history . " During this game , Kaepernick surpassed 1 , 000 rushing yards for this season , becoming the first player in NCAA history to have over 2 , 000 yards passing and 1 , 000 yards rushing for 3 consecutive seasons . Along with Taua ' s 131 yards rushing in the game , the duo became the NCAA ' s all time leaders in rushing yards by teammates ( 8 , 285 ) passing the legendary SMU " Pony Express " duo of Eric Dickerson and Craig James ( 8 , 193 ) . On December 4 against Louisiana Tech University , Kaepernick joined Florida ' s Tim Tebow as the second quarterback in FBS history to throw for 20 touchdowns and run for 20 in the same season . Later that same evening , Auburn ' s Cam Newton joined Tebow and Kaepernick as the third . Kaepernick ' s three rushing touchdowns in that game also placed him in a tie with former Nebraska QB and Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch for most rushing TD ' s in FBS history by a quarterback with 59 in his career . Nevada claimed a share of the WAC title after defeating Louisiana Tech . Kaeperick was named WAC Co - Offensive Player of the Year with Kellen Moore , who won the award in 2009 . Kaepernick is the only quarterback in the history of Division I FBS college football to have passed for over 10 , 000 yards and rushed for over 4 , 000 yards in a collegiate career . Kaepernick is also the only Division 1 FBS QB to have passed for over 2 , 000 yards and rushed for over 1 , 000 yards in a single season three times in a career ( consecutively ) . ( Armanti Edwards , quarterback at Appalachian State from 2006 – 2009 amassed career totals of 10 , 392 yds passing and 4 , 361 yds rushing at the Division 1 FCS level to become the first NCAA Division 1 quarterback to pass the 10 , 000 yd passing and 4 , 000 yds rushing marks . ) Kaepernick graduated from the University of Nevada Reno in December 2010 with a bachelors degree in business management and is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity . NFL career . Upon graduation , Kaepernick signed with XAM Sports and Entertainment . He spent time in Atlanta , Georgia training for the NFL Combine at Competitive Edge Sports with trainer Chip Smith and quarterbacks coach Roger Theder . 2011 NFL Draft . On April 29 , 2011 , the San Francisco 49ers traded up with the Denver Broncos from the thirteenth pick in the second round ( # 45 overall ) to select Colin Kaepernick as the fourth pick in the second round ( # 36 overall ) at the 2011 NFL Draft . The Denver Broncos received picks 45 , 108 and 141 overall in exchange for the 36th overall pick . 2011 season . For the 2011 preseason , Kaepernick completed 24 of 50 passes for 257 yards and 5 interceptions . Kaepernick spent the season as backup to Alex Smith and played his first game in Week 4 ( October 2 ) on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles . On third down and 17 during the first quarter , Kaepernick came in for Smith as quarterback with the offense in shotgun formation and handed off to Frank Gore , who ran for 5 yards . In the Week 5 ( October 9 ) home game , a 48 – 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Kaepernick completed three passes for 35 yards . However , Kaepernick failed to complete two passes in the 49ers ' Week 13 ( December 4 ) game , a 26 – 0 win over the St . Louis Rams . The 49ers finished the 2011 regular season 13 – 3 but lost the to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants . 2012 season . In 2012 against the New York Jets , Kaepernick scored his first career touchdown on a 7 - yard run . Throughout the early season , Kaepernick was used as a wildcat quarterback . In Week 10 against the St . Louis Rams , Kaepernick replaced starter Alex Smith after Smith suffered a concussion in the first half . However , the game would end in a rare 24 - 24 tie , the first tie in the NFL in four years . Alex Smith still recovering , Kaepernick got his first NFL start the next game on November 19 , during a Monday Night Football game against the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park . Kaepernick completed 16 of 23 for 246 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 32 – 7 win against a highly ranked Bears defense . 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh spoke highly of Kaepernick ' s performance after the game , leaving open the possibility of Kaepernick continuing to start . " Usually tend to go with the guy who ' s got the hot hand , and we ' ve got two quarterbacks that have got a hot hand , " Harbaugh said . A quarterback controversy began . Smith was ranked third in the NFL in passer rating ( 104 . 1 ) , led the league in completion percentage ( 70 % ) , and had been 19 – 5 – 1 as a starter under Harbaugh , while Kaepernick was considered more dynamic with his scrambling ability and arm strength . Smith was cleared to play the day before the following game , but Harbaugh chose not to rush him back and again started Kaepernick . In a rematch of the 2012 playoffs against New Orleans , the 49ers won 31 – 21 with Kaepernick throwing for a touchdown and running for another . The following week , Harbaugh announced that Kaepernick would start for the 8 – 2 – 1 49ers against St . Louis . Harbaugh stated that Kaepernick ' s assignment was week - to - week , not necessarily permanent , but he remained the starter each week . In his first career postseason start , the 49ers won 45 – 31 against the Green Bay Packers , and he set an NFL single - game record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 181 , breaking Michael Vick ' s record of 173 in a 2002 regular season game . He also broke the 49ers postseason rushing record , regardless of position . Kaepernick scrambled five times for 75 yards , including touchdowns of 20 and 56 yards , and collected another 99 yards rushing on zone - read option plays . He also passed for 263 yards and two touchdowns . Kaepernick became the third player after Jay Cutler in 2011 and Otto Graham in both 1954 and 1955 to run for two touchdowns and pass for two others in a playoff game . In the NFC Championship game , the 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons 28 – 24 with Kaepernick completing 16 out of 21 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown . The team advanced to Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans against the Baltimore Ravens , which the 49ers lost 31 - 34 . Personal . Kaepernick has multiple tattoos on his arms , many of which contain Biblical verses as a manifestation of his Christian belief . He was baptized Methodist , confirmed Lutheran , and attended a Baptist church during his college years . When he was 10 years old , Kaepernick acquired a pet tortoise named Sammy . The tortoise since has grown to weigh 115 pounds . When he was in 4th grade , Kaepernick wrote himself a letter , predicting that he would be 6 feet 4 inches and would " then go to the pros and play on the Niners or Packers even if they aren ' t good in seven years . "