Having featured many of the top names in football, including Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott, the San Francisco 49ers have long been hailed as one of the more renowned teams in the National Football League (NFL). Even during their lesser years, the 49ers are a house-hold name, easily recognized throughout the nation. And while a visit to San Francisco can offer the one of a kind experience of witnessing the NFL live, knowing some general background about the 49ers can go a long ways towards making the experience all the more monumental.
San Francisco 49ers History
Founded in 1946, the San Francisco 49ers began play in the All-American Football Conference (AAFC), before the AAFC merged with the NFL in 1950. Even in the franchise's younger years, the 49ers were a formidable team, though it wasn't until the 1980's that they became the franchise they are recognized as today. Throughout the 80's, the 49er's featured a stellar line-up that consisted of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott. Many feel that the 49er's of the late 80's were the best football team of all time; and while that can be debated, there is no denying they were a powerhouse, racking up 4 Super Bowl titles throughout the decade (1982, 1985, 1989, 1990). In total, the 49ers have won 5 Super Bowls, placing them with the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl wins of all time.
Memorable Moments in San Francisco 49ers History
The Catch — In 1982, trailing the Dallas Cowboys 27-21 in the NFC Championship game with only 58 seconds left, quarterback Joe Montana connected with wide receiver Dwight Clark for what is one of the greatest plays in NFL history. As Joe Montana was being forced out of bounds, and needing to throw the ball away before loosing yardage, he threw a high-arcing pass in Clark's direction. And while Montana claims he couldn't see Clark, he has said he knew he'd be in position; and Clark was, leaping with all his ability to barely catch the ball with his fingertips. Essentially, this play sent the 49ers onto the Super Bowl, where they won their first Super Bowl victory, and has been immortalized through nationally known sports advertisers and mediums such as Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and Gatorade.
Ronnie Lott Cuts Off His Finger?!? - 1985, in the last regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys, Ronnie Lott severely injured his finger. This is true. How the story is told from there is an all-together different matter. As lore goes, Lott returned to the locker room, cut the finger off, bandaged it, and continued with the game. In truth, while Lott is an extremely tough individual, things didn't quite play out like that. Reality is that Lott set out the rest of the game, played through the NFC Wild Card game in the following weeks, and then had the finger amputated to continue the season as opposed to having season-ending surgery. So while Lott did have his finger amputated to continue the 1985 season, it's not quite the way it is remembered by most.
