Are Brock Purdy and Caitlin Clark related? All about connection between 49ers QB and Iowa star

Many may not be aware of it, but there is an unusual connection between college basketball player Caitlin Clark and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. However, the two are not related by family.

Caitlin, who won the 2023 AP Player of the Year award, plays basketball at Iowa. Purdy first gained recognition for Iowa State, where Caitlin's brother Blake Clark was also a quarterback.

The 24-year-old Purdy, who recently played in the Super Bowl, played four seasons at Iowa State, where he led the team to four consecutive bowl appearances and the most victories of any quarterback in program history. In addition, Purdy still leads the team in completions (993), passing yards (12,170), touchdown passes (81) and completion percentage (67.7%).

It's interesting to note that Blake Clark, the older brother of Caitlin Clark, who attended Iowa State from 2018 to 2022, was Purdy's backup quarterback at the program. The two quarterbacks practiced together, shared a dressing room and were quite close during their time in college.

Not only were Blake and Purdy teammates, but they are also close friends off the field. Blake is apparently going to be in attendance when Purdy gets married to fiancée Jenna Brandt. Blake has already been invited to Purdy and Brandt's wedding, even though the couple hasn't announced the date of the event.

Before Super Bowl LVIII earlier this month, Brock Purdy informed the media:

"Blake Clark is one of my best friends. He's going to be at my wedding."

Blake Clark didn't play as much as he would have liked while at Iowa State because of Purdy's consistency. Clark only completed one pass during his time in college.

However, Caitlin, Blake's sister, has become a college basketball sensation. She recently surpassed Kelsey Plum's NCAA women's scoring record with 3,569 points. Purdy added that Caitlin is an inspiration to him and other sportspeople:

"Her competitive disposition. Watching it inspires you to perform, to play your sport to the best of your ability. It serves as a reminder of your desire to succeed when you see her firing up her teammates and doing other such things.”

Who are Blake and Caitlin Clark's parents?

Anne and Brent Clark are parents to Blake, Caitlin and Colin Clark. Blake is their first-born kid and Caitlin is their second.

The family's youngest child, Colin, is a basketball player as well. He had previously discussed how Caitlin's competitive advantage was stoked by the regular one-on-one contests that he and his siblings tried out when they were younger.

Brent is the vice president of operations at Concentric International. According to her LinkedIn profile, Anne is employed for an investing platform as a strategic partnerships specialist. The two parents did, however, play sports when they were young too, which accounts for the athletic genes in their children.