Modesto 49ers fan with a Super Bowl wish for his 90th birthday goes viral on TikTok

James Valdivia of Modesto became a top San Francisco 49er fan going into Super Bowl Sunday after a video caught fire on TikTok.

Soon after the 49ers erased a 17-point deficit and defeated the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship game, Valdivia’s granddaughter asked him, “Grandpa, what do you want to do for your 90th birthday?”

Dressed in red and gold attire, the 89-year-old veteran replied, “I’m going to go see the 49ers in the Super Bowl!”

The moment was captured in a 10-second video, and Valdivia’s grandson Nathan posted it on TikTok on Jan. 28. The post soon blew up with comments from people supporting the Modesto man’s wish to attend Sunday’s game between the Niners and Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.

As of Monday night, the post had 359,000 views and 40,000 likes. It’s had nearly 3,500 comments, many from people rooting for the octogenarian to score a Super Bowl LVIII ticket.

People who create a buzz on TikTok tend to be younger. About two-thirds of TikTok users fall between the ages of 18 and 34, according to digital data trackers.

“We were so surprised,” said Lisa Straubinger, Valdivia’s daughter. “People are saying (the video) melts their heart. Some are saying they’re Chief fans and want him to go to the game.”

According to Straubinger, the grandson contacted the marketing department of the San Francisco 49ers. A representative of the NFL franchise reached out last week and said that, unfortunately, the organization can’t give him a Super Bowl ticket but will send him a 49ers package.

Straubinger said that’s a great gift for her father’s upcoming birthday, March 14.

Valdivia suffers from a number of health problems but would take an adventure to the Super Bowl in Vegas if a ticket materialized, his wife, Adeline, said. A CNN story reported Monday that the cheapest Super Bowl ticket was $6,944 and the average was $9,850.

“He would find a way, most definitely,” Adeline said. “He can hardly wait to see the game.”

As a patient, he was a medical pioneer in Stanislaus County

Family members always are impressed with Valdivia’s positive attitude and endurance. The last time he was featured in The Modesto Bee was in 2017, as one of the first patients in Stanislaus County to undergo transcatheter aortic valve replacement surgery, which was performed at Memorial Medical Center.

The TAVR surgery was a success for the then 83-year-old Modesto retiree, paving the way for other seniors to benefit from the high-tech procedure. Other health problems since then have required visits to the hospital. Valdivia now uses a walker and goes in for kidney dialysis three times a week, Straubinger said.

Still, he has a winning attitude and is an enthusiastic fan when the 49ers take the field.

A longtime season ticket holder

Valdivia was a season ticket holder for years at Candlestick Park, going back to the days of Joe Montana and Dwight Clark and multiple Super Bowl titles. For various reasons, he wasn’t there for some of the monumental wins. He truly enjoyed the camaraderie of tailgating with friends, family and other members of the 49er Faithful, Straubinger said.

Valdivia kept his two seats from Candlestick Park as souvenirs after the stadium was torn down, and is obviously proud to own them.

Adeline, a Los Angeles native, said she’s a former Rams devotee who converted to the 49ers after marrying her husband in 1958. She knew Valdivia when he was stationed with an artillery unit on the 38th parallel right after the Korean War hostilities ceased.

The Madera native worked as a welder for FMC Corp. in San Jose and also was a welding instructor. He lived as a retiree in Madera before moving to Modesto 10 years ago.

Before becoming a TikTok star, Valdivia maintained an attractive cactus garden alongside their east Modesto home. People would stop to take pictures.

Adeline said they like the 49ers’ chances against the Chiefs this time and of breaking a two-game losing streak in football’s grand finale.

“We have a pretty darn good quarterback,” Adeline said. “Hopefully, we win.”