SANTA CLARA, Calif. _ Raheem Mostert went from avoiding sharks on his surf board while growing up on the eastern shore of Florida to pretending to be one on special teams in the NFL.
And after establishing himself as the 49ers' top player in punt and kickoff coverage for most of the last two years, he went on to add teeth to San Francisco's second-ranked rushing attack and became a key piece of the offense heading into the playoffs starting Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings.
"I was really a beach bum," Mostert told The Bee last month.
While growing up in Smyrna Beach, Fla., an area just south Daytona famous for shark attacks, Mostert was a regular on the waves and his skateboard. He and some 15 friends would spend their spare time on the water or in skate parks after school or on weekends.
Mostert as a 14-year-old turned down a sponsorship deal from the popular surf wear brand, Billabong, instead choosing to focus on football and becoming the first member of his family to get his college degree.
"Football's always been in my heart no matter what," Mostert said. "It was one of those things where I just took it for what it was. I still enjoy it, skateboarding and surfing."
Mostert hasn't been surfing since attending the wedding of his teammate DeForest Buckner in Hawaii during the summer of 2018. That's largely because Mostert spends his offseasons living in Cleveland _ where Lake Erie is known for pollution and eutrophication, not hanging 10.
His love of surfing, of course, is the genesis of his touchdown celebration, where he mimics riding a wave in his "goofy" stance.
"It's probably my favorite (touchdown) dance too," coach Kyle Shanahan said this week.
