Facts and information about the San Francisco 49ers

• The San Francisco 49ers were part of the All-American Football Conference, a rival league of the NFL, and after it disbanded following the 1949 season the 49ers became one of three teams (along with the Baltimore Colts and the Cleveland Browns) from the AAFC to join the NFL.

• The “West Coast Offense” in its current form is generally credited as being originated by former 49ers coach Bill Walsh.

• Hall-of-Fame Running Back O.J. Simpson finished his career playing for the 49ers

• Hall-of-Famers Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott both spent seasons as members of the cross-bay team the Oakland Raiders.

• Joe Montana had the highest passer rating in the NFC on five different occasions (1981, 1984, 1985, 1987, and 1989). In 1987 and 1989 Montana’s passer rating led the entire NFL.

• Over the course of his career, Joe Montana led his teams to 31 fourth quarter come-from-behind victories.

• Quarterback Steve Young held the record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback at the time of his retirement.

• During his senior year of high school Joe Montana was offered full ride scholarships from North Carolina State University as well as the University of North Carolina… to play basketball.

• The player credited with being the first “west coast offense quarterback” is former 49ers quarterback Steve Deberg.

• At the beginning of Joe Montana’s freshman year at Notre Dame he was the seventh string quarterback.

• Joe Montana led Notre Dame to the 1977 National Title, at the beginning of that season he was listed third on the quarterback depth chart.

• Bill Walsh’s first coaching job in professional football was as the Oakland Raiders running backs coach in 1966.

• Former 49ers quarterback John Brodie’s son-in-law is former NFL quarterback Chris Chandler.

• Though highly touted in college and proving to be one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time, Joe Montana was selected in the third round (82^nd pick overall) of the NFL Draft.

• In 1984, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to finish the regular season with 15 victories.

• His injury filled 1986 season was the only season of his career that Joe Montana threw more interceptions than touchdown passes.

• In 1989 Joe Montana set the record for highest passer rating ever in one season, this record was broke five years later by his teammate Steve Young.

• In a 1990 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Joe Montana threw for a career best 476 yards and six touchdowns. Jerry Rice was the recipient of five of those touchdown passes.

• Joe Montana had worn jersey number 16 for his entire time with the San Francisco 49ers and upon his trade to the Kansas City Chiefs was in need of a new number. The number 16 had been retired by the Chiefs in honor of former quarterback Len Dawson. Dawson offered to let Montana wear number 16 and Montana said no and chose number 19 instead.

• For a time with both the 49ers and the Chiefs, Joe Montana’s backup quarterback was Steve Bono.

• After missing a season and a half due to injuries and being traded from San Francisco, Joe Montana got the Chiefs to within one game of the Super Bowl in his first year with the team.

• Bob Fouts was a longtime announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, his son filled the position of ball boy for awhile, but is more famous for growing up to become quarterback of the San Diego Chargers and make it into the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame: Dan Fouts.

• In 1994 the 49ers played the Chiefs, the only matchup of former teammates Steve Young and Joe Montana; the contest was won by the Chiefs with a score of 24-17.

• Joe Montana has a career passer rating of 127.8 in his four Super Bowl appearances. His Super Bowl stats: 83 completions on 122 attempted pass for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns. In playing and winning four Super Bowl championships, Montana never once threw an interception.

• 49ers quarterback Joe Montana met his third wife when they worked together on a Schick commercial.

• In 1979, the 49ers worked out and were impressed by little known Morehead State quarterback Phil Simms. It was Bill Walsh’s intention to use their 3^rd round pick on Simms, when the New York Giants took Simms in the first round the 49ers had to go to their backup plan and selected Joe Montana.

• The San Francisco 49ers started as a franchise with the All-American Football Conference which merged with the NFL in 1950.

• The 49ers were the first major league professional sports franchise to be based in San Francisco.

• During the strike shortened 1982 season, the 49ers went 0-5 at home and 3-1 on the road. This was the first, and so far only, season a team went winless at home and was above .500 on the road.

• In the middle of a game the 49ers were trailing to the Chicago Bears in 1957, San Francisco owner Tony Morabito died of a heart attack. The 49ers came back to win the game.

• In 1960, the 49ers became the first professional football team to use the “Shotgun” formation.

• The San Francisco 49ers won the first three NFC West Division Titles after the AFL-NFL merger. Each of those years they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Dallas Cowboys.

• In legendary Quarterback John Brodie’s final year before retiring, he split time as the starting QB with one-time Heisman Trophy winner and future college and pro coach Steve Spurrier.

• Former 49er Tommy Hart recorded six Quarterback Sacks in one game against the Rams in 1976.

• Following the 1977 season, the 49ers brought in Running Back O.J. Simpson from the Buffalo Bills for the end of his career and released Quarterback Jim Plunkett who would go on to win two Super Bowls with the cross bay rival Oakland Raiders.

• The 49ers were 2-14 during Bill Walsh’s first year with the team.

• Running Back Roger Craig became the first player to record over 1,000 yards rush and 1,000 yards receiving in the same year in 1985.

• Offensive Lineman Jesse Sapolu made his name with the 49ers, but he was also drafted out of college by the cross bay Oakland Invaders of the USFL.

• Through 2007, the 49ers have been on the cover of Sports Illustrated the second most times of any NFL team. The Dallas Cowboys are first.

• From 1987 through 1992, the 49ers had both Joe Montana and Steve Young on the roster. This marks six years with two future Hall-of-Fame Quarterbacks as teammates.

• Few people remember that when the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIII, they had started the season with a record of 6-5.

• In 1989, under first year Head Coach George Seifert, the 49ers record was 14-2, their two losses coming by a total of five points.

• The San Francisco 49ers were the first, and so far only, team to win back-to-back Super Bowls under different Head Coaches; Bill Walsh & George Seifert.

• At the NFL Combine during his rookie season, former 49ers Receiver John Taylor was measured as having the largest hands of any Wide Receiver ever to come into the league.

• Between 1988 and 1990, the 49ers set an amazing league record with 18 consecutive road victories.

• Former stars Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig both left the 49ers, going to the rival Oakland Raiders, in the same year.

• In 1977 the San Francisco 49ers were shutout by the Atlanta Falcons 7-0, they would not be shutout again until 2004 when they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 34-0.

• In 2005, the 49ers hired Mike Nolan as their Head Coach. Nolan’s father Dick had been Head Coach of the team during the 1960s and 1970s (including being named NFL Coach of the Year).

• In 1991 the 49ers unveiled a new logo, a stylized 3-D rendition of the word “49ers”. Fan reaction was so negative that it was scrapped the next day.

• he 49ers played their first four years in the All-American Football Conference before joining the NFL, each of those years they finished in second place.

• John Brodie’s #12 jersey has been retired by the 49ers, although it was worn during the 2006 and 2007 seasons by Trent Dilfer who is also Brodie’s son-in-law.

• The first former 49ers elected to the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame were Joe Perry and Leo Nomellini, both inducted in 1969.

• At one point in the 1970s, the San Francisco 49ers had six Head Coaches in five years; Dick Nolan (1975, his last season), Monte Clark (1976), Ken Meyer (1977), Pete McCulley (1978), Fred O’Connor (1978), and Bill Walsh (1979, his first season).

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