San Francisco 49ers Information
The San Francisco 49ers joined the NFL in 1950 when the AAFC and NFL merged. The 49ers may be the team with the richest history of any pro football franchise. They are tied with two other teams for the most Super Bowl titles (5), they hold the best record (5-0) in Super Bowls, have had many Hall of Fame players and coaches, and have had some of the most memorable on-field plays.
Four of the 49ers' five Super Bowl titles came throughout the 1980's. Such dominance during that decade has prompted many to name them the team of the 80's. Aside from winning the Super Bowl four times, they went to the playoffs in all but two years; with one being during the shortened season in 1982. During the successful 1980's, the 49ers were blessed with some of the best athletes to ever play professional football. Most recognizable is Joe Montana. The Hall of Fame QB was drafted in the 3rd round in 1979, quite a steal when you look at it now. Montana was the 49ers QB during all 4 of the 80's Super Bowl titles, banking in 3 MVP awards. Montana did, however have the greatest wide receiver in NFL history to throw the ball to. Jerry Rice was a major contributor to the offense and holds records in various receiving categories.
During the 1990's, the team's dominance started to fade, although not by much. With Steve Young as Montana's predecessor, they did win a Super Bowl in 1994 and made it to three other conference championship games. Recently, the 49ers are struggling to get back on top. Since 2000, they have made the playoffs only twice, and did not advance past the divisional round on either occasion.
In 2009, they came in second place with an 8-8 record behind the Arizona Cardinals. They lost two more games in 2010 to decrease their record to 6-10. They made vast improvements in 2011 to achieve a 13-3 record and a spot in the playoffs. They had a bye week in the first round of the playoffs, beat the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional series, but lost to the eventual New York Giants in the NFC Championship in overtime, 20-17.
