<P> Sourdough Sam typically wears a cardinal football jersey, despite the 49ers' current selection of team color being 49ers Red, and his jersey number is 49 . He wears a white long - sleeved shirt underneath the jersey and sports light brown gloves as well as a gold handkerchief around his neck . He also wears a large, dark brown cowboy hat emblazoned with the logo for the 49ers and dark brown boots . His jeans are held up by suspenders, and in 2014 he was outfitted with a new pair of Levi's jeans after 60 years of wearing a non-branded pair, with promotional images of his entering Levi's Taylor Shop and watching his custom pair be produced . He sometimes carries a large pickax . </P> <P> However, Sourdough Sam has made appearances with other outfits for special occasions . He has appeared with black boots and a black third jersey that was introduced in 2015, a camouflage shirt and jacket with camouflage headband for military related appearances, a red and white Santa suit - esqe top for holiday promotion, and a pink shirt with purple handkerchief for breast cancer awareness efforts . When meeting Snoop Dogg, Sourdough Sam wore shutter shades and a massive gold chain around his neck with the words "SOUR DIZZLE". </P> <P> He has appeared on Fox, Monday Night Football, ESPN's SportsCenter, Extra, MTV, Evening Magazine, and Nickelodeon . </P>

Why is the 49ers mascot named sourdough sam