Colin Kaepernick starts for the San Francisco 49ers.
Colin Rand Kaepernick -LRB- -LSB- ` kæpərnɪk -RSB- ; born November 3 , 1987 -RRB- is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent .. American football. American football. quarterback. quarterback. Kaepernick played collegiate football at the University of Nevada where he was named the Western Athletic Offensive Player of the Year twice and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl .. Nevada. Nevada Wolf Pack football. collegiate football. collegiate football. University of Nevada. Nevada Wolf Pack football. Western Athletic. Western Athletic. Most Valuable Player. Most Valuable Player. 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. 2008 Humanitarian Bowl. Kaepernick was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft .. San Francisco 49ers. San Francisco 49ers. 2011 NFL Draft. 2011 NFL Draft. Kaepernick began his professional career as a backup to Alex Smith , but became the 49ers ' starter in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith suffered a concussion .. Alex Smith. Alex Smith. 2012 season. 2012 San Francisco 49ers season. concussion. concussion. He remained the team 's starting quarterback for the rest of the season and went on to lead the 49ers to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994 , losing to the Baltimore Ravens .. quarterback. quarterback. Super Bowl. Super Bowl XLVII. Super Bowl XXIX. Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore Ravens. During the 2013 season , his first full season as a starter , Kaepernick helped the 49ers reach the NFC Championship , losing to the Seattle Seahawks .. 2013 season. 2013 San Francisco 49ers season. NFC Championship. 2013–14 NFL playoffs#NFC Championship Game : Seattle Seahawks 23.2C San Francisco 49ers 17. Seattle Seahawks. Seattle Seahawks. In the following seasons , Kaepernick lost and won back his starting job , with the 49ers missing the playoffs for three years consecutively .. In 2016 , Kaepernick gained national attention when he began protesting by not standing while the United States national anthem was being performed before the start of games , motivated by what he viewed as the oppression of non-white races in the U.S. His actions prompted a wide variety of responses , including additional athletes in the NFL and other U.S. sports leagues protesting the anthem in various ways .. United States national anthem. The Star-Spangled Banner. protesting the anthem. 2016 U.S. national anthem protests