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San Francisco 49ers, professional football team
and one of five teams in the Western Division of the National
Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL).
The 49ers play in 3Com Park (formerly Candlestick Park), renamed
in 1995 for its corporate sponsor. The team, which takes its
name from the gold rushers who flooded California in the late
1840s, wears jerseys of scarlet and gold.
Few NFL teams can boast the individual stars and strong teams
that made the 49ers a dominant power in the 1980s and 1990s.
While on their way to capturing five Super Bowl titles, the
49ers fielded such players as running back Roger Craig, wide
receiver Jerry Rice, defensive end Fred Dean, and quarterbacks
Joe Montana and Steve Young. Earlier stars include Hall of Fame
members quarterback Y. A. Tittle, and running backs Joe “The
Jet” Perry and Hugh McElhenny.
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Founded in 1946, the 49ers began as part of the
All-America Football Conference (AAFC), reaching the AAFC championship
game in 1949. After the AAFC folded in 1949, the 49ers joined
the NFL. San Francisco returned to the postseason in 1957 under
head coach Frankie Albert. That year quarterback Tittle captured
the player of the year award and Billy Wilson won his third
receiving championship in four seasons.
The arrival of head coach Dick Nolan in 1968, the development
of a sophisticated defense, and the experience of quarterback
John Brodie helped San Francisco reach the playoffs for three
straight seasons beginning in 1970. That year league passing
champion Brodie was named NFL player of the year; cornerback
Bruce Taylor, rookie of the year; and Nolan, coach of the year.
In 1979 new head coach Bill Walsh and a brash rookie quarterback
from Notre Dame named Joe Montana ushered in an era of unprecedented
stability and success for the 49ers. Two years after the team
posted a league-worst 2-14 record, Walsh won coach of the year
honors for steering San Francisco to 13 regular season wins
and a victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
Carrying San Francisco into the Super Bowl was a last-minute
touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark that resulted in
an NFC championship; it became known in football history as
“The Catch.”
San Francisco returned to the playoffs in 1983, something they
would do in 11 of the following 12 seasons. Montana finished
the year with a 93.1 quarterback rating—the highest in
league history (the rating, which tracks passing efficiency,
is based on completions, yards gained, touchdowns, and interceptions).
A season later the 49ers dominated the league with an 18-1 overall
win-loss record (including the playoffs) and a victory over
the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.
The 1985 season saw the arrival of Jerry Rice, who would go
on to become the most prolific pass receiver in NFL history.
Rice was named NFC rookie of the year, while workhorse running
back Roger Craig became the first NFL player to amass 1000 rushing
and 1000 receiving yards in the same season. First-round playoff
defeats in the 1985, 1986, and 1987 seasons were followed by
a last-minute victory over Cincinnati in Super Bowl XXIII in
1989. Walsh, who had led the 49ers to three Super Bowl victories,
retired at the season’s end.
George Seifert, the 49ers defensive coordinator since 1983,
became head coach in 1989 and the second rookie head coach in
NFL history to lead a team to the Super Bowl. (Don McCafferty
of the Baltimore Colts was the first, in 1970.) Under Seifert’s
leadership, Montana had his best season ever, winning an NFL
most valuable player (MVP) award, his second of two league passing
championships, and his league-record third Super Bowl MVP award.
The 49ers set or matched 40 records in their defeat of the Denver
Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV.
Steve Young took over for Montana as San Francisco’s
starting quarterback in 1991, capturing the NFL passing title
for the first of a league-record four consecutive times. Young’s
streak culminated in a Super Bowl XXIX victory over the San
Diego Chargers, and his 112.8 rating in 1994 broke Montana’s
league mark. A year later, Rice broke the NFL’s career
receptions record by catching his 941st pass and the career
yardage record with 14,004 yards. After the 1996 season coach
Seifert retired. He was replaced by former Green Bay Packers
assistant coach Steve Mariucci.
1982 XVI Defeated Cincinnati Bengals, 26-21
1985 XIX Defeated Miami Dolphins, 38-16
1989 XXIII Defeated Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16
1990 XXIV Defeated Denver Broncos, 55-10
1995 XXIX Defeated San Diego Chargers, 49-26 |
