He was still aglow the morning after the 49ers' victory over Cincinnati. So aglow that when a few of us had trouble rousing the staff at an airport diner, he took it upon himself not only to make coffee but serve it as well. He chattered nonstop as he had all week, regaling us with stories of the old days. One story had to do with Len Eshmont, who scored the first touchdown in franchise history. The details, well, that was a lot of early mornings ago. Suffice to say it was great stuff.

Which brings us to Isaac Bruce, who was voted the Len Eshmont Award on Wednesday by his 49ers teammates. Bruce hasn't said much since joining the team last summer. But after being honored as the team's most inspirational and courageous player, he said a mouthful.

"Most of the young guys on this team don't realize who they play for," he said, "as far as the tradition with this organization, the guys who have been here and the championships that this team has. I don't think they relish it. I think they could do a little bit more studying of the history of the San Francisco 49ers."

Isaac Bruce is a pretty smart guy.

We live in a transient society and that goes triple for professional athletes, who typically spend their careers following the money to the four points of the compass. Fans come and go. Even some franchises up and move.

But while we're together we share a common experience. Pile layer upon layer of shared experience, and you achieve a rich history. If Bill Walsh were here today, he'd explain to you how history matters.

Joe Thomas, who preceded Walsh as the 49ers' caretaker, broke ties with the team's alumni and disowned the franchise's history. One of Walsh's first priorities upon taking over as coach was restoring those old relationships. He reached out to former players, inviting two on each road trip. It seemed alumni were everywhere in Michigan the week before Super Bowl XVI. The unexpressed message was clear the 49ers' road to the Super Bowl stretched back farther than the summer of '81.

The five longest-tenured Bay Area sports franchises the 49ers, Raiders, Giants, A's and Warriors do a pretty good job of referencing their roots to their respective fan bases. It would be nice if the athletes were as up to date on that history as the people who help pay their salaries.

The 49ers should know about Eshmont, the beloved running back who played four seasons in San Francisco and died unexpectedly in 1957. They should know about Albert, a left-handed quarterback out of Stanford who coached the 49ers to their first playoff appearance (which they lost to Detroit after blowing a 27-7 lead).

Think any of the current Raiders have heard about the AFL or the George Blanda miracle games? They should. Just as current A's should understand the legend of Charlie Finley and the amazing outfield of Rickey Henderson, Dwayne Murphy and Tony Armas.

Current Warriors should be versed in Rick Barry's ABA holiday and Larry Smith's iron will. The Giants, well, they relentlessly market their past to the point that little is left to the imagination. Good for them.

The trick would be imparting the message to contemporary players. Would they sit through an orientation class? Would they abide weekly pop quizzes? How about drop-ins from former players and coaches?

It might be a tough sell, but it would be worth the effort. Because if you can make it happen, you create ties that bind us all in a way few things do these days. You also create an emotional buy-in on the part of players who come to understand they are entrusted with a legacy built by others, one they will someday leave to a new generation of athletes.

Isaac Bruce hasn't been here a full season yet, and he already gets it. They should give him an award for that.

Oh, right. They just did.

Contact Gary Peterson at gpeterson@bayareanewsgroup.com