The 49ers made it official Thursday afternoon, naming Chip Kelly the 20th head coach in franchise history.
“Chip has a proven track record at both the college and NFL levels that speaks for itself,” 49ers CEO Jed York said in the team’s press release. “We believe strongly that he is the right man to get this team back to competing for championships. I look forward to watching Trent (Baalke, the 49ers’ general manager) and Chip work closely to build a team that will make us all proud.”
The press release said Kelly will not be formally introduced until next week “due to scheduling conflicts and to allow Coach Kelly the ability to focus on constructing his coaching staff over the coming days.”
Kelly’s statement said he realizes “the high standards and expectations that this position demands and I embrace the challenges ahead. My immediate focus is to build the best coaching staff possible, one that will maximize the abilities of each of our players and put us in the best position to win football games.”