80 Fun Facts About 49ers

In what year were the 49ers founded as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference?

The AAFC lasted only four seasons; when it folded, the 49ers, Browns and original Baltimore Colts were the three clubs absorbed into the NFL.

The team's name honors which group of people?

The original logo showed a mustached miner in plaid pants leaping in midair and firing two pistols, one nearly shooting his own foot.

Where did the 49ers play their home games from 1946 through 1970?

The old ground sits in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park and later hosted Jim Marshall's famous wrong-way run in 1964.

In what year did the 49ers move into Candlestick Park?

The Beatles had already played their last full public concert there in August 1966, five years before the football team arrived.

Levi's Stadium, the 49ers' home since 2014, is located in which city?

The venue sits about 38 miles southeast of San Francisco, and the team has been headquartered nearby since 1988.

Levi's Stadium officially opened in which year?

Commissioner Roger Goodell used the grand opening to hint that the stadium would also make a fine home for the Raiders.

Which was the first Super Bowl played at Levi's Stadium?

The Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10 that night, with Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars sharing the halftime stage.

In 2016, Levi's Stadium converted 6,500 square feet of its green roof into what?

The stadium was believed to be the first with both a green roof and solar panels, and it earned LEED Gold as new construction.

Bill Walsh's innovative play design earned him which nickname?

Walsh's coaching tree runs through George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid and Jon Gruden, among many others.

Walsh developed what became known as the West Coast offense while an assistant with which team?

The label was originally applied to Don Coryell's very different Air Coryell system, and Walsh was irritated by the journalistic mix-up.

In which round of the 1979 draft did the 49ers select Joe Montana?

He went 82nd overall, and Walsh's other draft finds included Ronnie Lott, Charles Haley and Jerry Rice, all now in Canton.

How many times was Joe Montana named Super Bowl MVP?

He was the first player to win the award three times and still holds the record of 122 Super Bowl pass attempts without an interception.

What name is given to Joe Montana's 1979 Cotton Bowl comeback, played while hypothermic?

His body temperature dropped to 96 degrees in the second quarter before he rallied the Irish past Houston.

Which team acquired Montana in a 1993 trade?

He vetoed a deal to Phoenix that would have brought the fourth overall pick, then led his new club to its first AFC Championship Game.

Which jersey number did the 49ers retire for Montana in 1997?

He had worn 19 in youth football, and Len Dawson later offered to let him wear the retired 16 in Kansas City.

Jerry Rice played his college football at which school?

Coach Archie Cooley, nicknamed The Gunslinger, ran a pass-heavy attack that lined up four receivers on one side of the field.

How many receiving yards did Rice record in 1995, then an NFL single-season record?

The mark stood until Calvin Johnson broke it in 2012, and Rice also passed Art Monk for the career receptions lead that same day.

Which jersey number did the 49ers retire for Rice in 2010?

In Seattle he wore the same number with Steve Largent's blessing, since it had already been retired there.

Which two teams did Rice play for after leaving the 49ers?

The Raiders traded him six games into 2004 for a seventh-round pick, reuniting him with former 49ers coordinator Mike Holmgren.

Before joining the NFL, Steve Young played two seasons for which USFL team?

His head coach there was John Hadl, who had shepherded John Elway through his rookie NFL year.

How many touchdown passes did Steve Young throw in Super Bowl XXIX, setting a record?

The record he broke belonged to Joe Montana, the man he had replaced, and he was also the league MVP that season.

The 49ers' left-handed Hall of Fame quarterback descends from which historical figure?

He also became the first left-handed quarterback elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, in 2005.

Steve Young is the only player in 49ers history to have worn which jersey number?

The team retired it at halftime of a game against the Patriots in October 2008.

What did Ronnie Lott have amputated after the 1985 season rather than miss the start of 1986?

Years later he admitted regretting the choice, saying he should simply have had the finger fixed.

Ronnie Lott was a consensus All-American at which university?

As a rookie in 1981 he intercepted seven passes and returned three for touchdowns, only the second rookie ever to do so.

Dwight Clark, who made The Catch, was drafted by the 49ers in which round of the 1979 draft?

His first love was basketball, and at Clemson he caught only 33 passes in his whole college career.

The Catch beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game by what final score?

The play was officially called Change Left Slot - Sprint Right Option and was designed as a quick throw to Freddie Solomon.

Which Cowboys defender was covering Clark on The Catch?

Walter Iooss Jr.'s photo of the leaping grab, with the defender reaching in vain, ran on the cover of Sports Illustrated the next week.

Super Bowl XVI, the 49ers' first title, was played in which venue?

It was the first Super Bowl in a cold-weather city, reportedly a league reward to Detroit's automakers for years of sponsorship.

Super Bowl XIX, a 38-16 win over Miami, was the first played in the Bay Area, at which venue?

The venue was chosen despite having no lights, no dressing rooms and a substandard press box at the time.

Who caught the winning touchdown with 34 seconds left in Super Bowl XXIII?

In the huddle before the 92-yard drive, Montana calmed his teammates by pointing out John Candy in the stands.

What was the final score of Super Bowl XXIV against Denver, still the most lopsided ever?

It remains the only NFL game ever to finish 55-10, and Montana threw five touchdowns for a record third MVP award.

The 49ers' fifth title, Super Bowl XXIX, came against which team?

It was an all-California matchup, and San Francisco became the first franchise to win five Super Bowls.

Which brothers coached against each other in Super Bowl XLVII, the 49ers' first-ever Super Bowl loss?

A partial power outage stopped play for 34 minutes, earning the game the added nickname Blackout Bowl.

Super Bowl LVIII, lost 25-22 in overtime, was played in which state for the first time?

The winning pass to Mecole Hardman was his only touchdown of the entire season.

Which running back scored a Chiefs touchdown to seal Super Bowl LIV, ending the 49ers' 2019 run?

Kansas City erased a 10-point deficit in the final seven minutes to end a 50-year championship drought.

Who succeeded Bill Walsh as head coach in 1989 and won Super Bowls XXIV and XXIX?

A San Francisco native, he later coached the Carolina Panthers and once told his players not to act like wildebeests.

Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016 in what capacity?

In 2000 he ceded control of the franchise to his sister Denise York in exchange for other parts of the family business.

DeBartolo pleaded guilty to failing to report a felony in a case involving the governor of which state?

He was fined $1 million and got two years of probation for his testimony against Edwin Edwards, and received a presidential pardon in 2020.

Frank Gore, the franchise's career rushing leader, played college football for which school?

He tore his ACL in spring practice in 2002 and still went on to rank third in NFL career rushing yards.

Where does Frank Gore rank on the NFL's all-time career rushing yards list?

After leaving San Francisco he kept running for the Colts, Dolphins, Bills and Jets.

Patrick Willis, the 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year, starred in college for which program?

Bryant Young personally knocked on his door in 2024 to announce his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

How many rushing yards did Colin Kaepernick gain in his record-setting January 2013 playoff win over Green Bay?

It was his first career postseason start, and it broke Michael Vick's 2002 mark of 173.

Kaepernick played his college football for which school?

The Wolf Pack were the only program to offer him a football scholarship.

Kyle Shanahan came to the 49ers in 2017 straight from running the offense of which team?

He was hired the day after his Falcons offense lost Super Bowl LI despite leading the Patriots 28-3.

Kyle Shanahan went to high school in Saratoga, California, in 1994 because his father held what job?

He later attended Cherry Creek High School in Colorado while his father coached the Broncos.

Christian McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers in October 2022 from which team?

The price was second, third and fourth-round picks in 2023 plus a fifth in 2024, and he won Offensive Player of the Year the next season.

Nick Bosa was drafted by the 49ers with which overall pick in 2019?

He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and later the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year with a league-leading 18.5 sacks.

Brock Purdy was the final selection of the 2022 draft. Which overall pick number was that?

He began 2022 as the third-stringer behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo before both were injured.

The Mr. Irrelevant tradition began in 1976 in which California city?

Founder Paul Salata's Irrelevant Week includes a Disneyland trip, a golf tournament and a roast ending with the Lowsman Trophy.

Before Sourdough Sam arrived, the 49ers' first mascot was a mule named what?

The mule wore a maroon saddle blanket and appeared through the 1950s and 1960s.

The 49ers' rivalry with the Rams has seen the two clubs meet twice a season since what year?

The Rams once led the series by 22 games in 1980 before San Francisco ripped off a 17-game winning streak in the 1990s.

Which cornerback tipped the pass that ended the 49ers' 2013 NFC Championship Game in Seattle?

Jim Harbaugh had coached him at Stanford; five years later he signed with San Francisco and reached Super Bowl LIV.

Which defender won two Super Bowls with the 49ers and three with the Cowboys, the first five-time champion?

Clashes with George Seifert got him traded to Dallas in 1992 for a pair of mid-round picks.

Which free-agent signing was named 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his lone 49ers season?

He returned to the Georgia Dome that October and ran a 93-yard interception back for a touchdown against his old Falcons.

Steve Young's record 1994 passer rating, set during that Super Bowl season, was what?

The team beat Dallas in a third straight NFC Championship meeting that many called the real Super Bowl.

The 49ers' 1994 throwback uniforms were based on the team's look from which year?

The throwbacks marked the NFL's 75th anniversary, and the team wore them again for a three-game stretch after seeing how well they went.

Which 49ers quarterback coined the sports term alley-oop for high passes to R.C. Owens?

The Bald Eagle was also the first pro football player on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Fullback Joe Perry, the first NFL player with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, was nicknamed what?

He earned it for a speed that was rare for a fullback and hit 1,000 yards in both 1953 and 1954.

Which 49er of the 1950s Million Dollar Backfield was nicknamed The King and had his No. 39 retired?

Frankie Albert coined it in the locker room after the rookie returned a punt 96 yards against the Bears.

Hall of Fame tackle Bob St. Clair earned the nickname The Geek for what habit?

The 6-foot-9 lineman used it to intimidate rookies and played every home game of his career at Kezar.

Leo Nomellini, the 49ers' first NFL draft pick in 1950, had which off-season second career?

Billed as Leo the Lion, he won tag team titles for two different promotions.

The 49ers were the first NFL team to use which formation, in the early 1960s?

Coach Red Hickey named it, and the Bears killed it in 1961 by rushing the passer for a 31-0 shutout.

Team founder Tony Morabito died of a heart attack in 1957 while doing what?

The team was trailing the Bears 17-7 at Kezar when he collapsed; ownership passed to his widow and brother.

Which quarterback won the 1970 NFL MVP award with the 49ers and later joined the Senior PGA Tour?

His No. 12 was retired, but he let Trent Dilfer wear it in 2006 as a tribute.

Roger Craig was the first NFL player to do what in a single season, in 1985?

He was famous for a high-knee running style he credited to his high school coach.

Terrell Owens caught how many passes against the Bears in December 2000, breaking a 50-year-old record?

The mark he beat belonged to Tom Fears; Brandon Marshall has since topped it.

What did Terrell Owens pull from his sock to sign a touchdown ball against Seattle in 2002?

He handed the ball to his financial adviser, who also happened to advise the cornerback covering him.

Vernon Davis's game-winning playoff touchdown against the Saints in January 2012 is nicknamed what?

Alex Smith threw it with nine seconds left; the play is also known as Vernon Post.

Which coach's 2011 debut season produced a 13-3 record and the AP Coach of the Year award?

It came right after he won the Orange Bowl at Stanford, and the team mutually parted ways with him at the end of 2014.

Alex Smith, drafted first overall by the 49ers in 2005, was traded in 2013 to which team?

He lost his job after a concussion opened the door for Colin Kaepernick, then led his new club to four playoff runs.

George Kittle's franchise-record 210 receiving yards in 2018 came against which team?

All 210 came in the first half, and he became the first 49ers tight end to reach 1,000 yards in a season.

Deebo Samuel's nickname comes from a character in which 1995 film?

His father named him after Tiny Lister Jr.'s bully; he later became the only receiver with 20 receiving and 20 rushing touchdowns.

Fred Warner, the All-Pro linebacker, was drafted in 2018 out of which university?

He went 70th overall in the third round and was raised in the LDS church in San Marcos, California.

Which soccer club did the 49ers' enterprise arm buy outright in June 2023?

Two years later the same group took a 51 percent stake in Scottish club Rangers.

Team supporters use the acronym FTTB. What does it stand for?

The official cheerleading squad, meanwhile, is called the Gold Rush.

What is the name of the 49ers' official mascot?

He started life as a prospector and was later reworked into a miner, keeping the bushy beard and suspenders.

What was the original 49ers logo's gold miner doing with the smoke from one of his pistols?

The mustached prospector in plaid pants leaps mid-air, hat flying, with his other pistol nearly shooting his own foot.

How much did Levi Strauss & Co. agree to pay over 20 years to name the 49ers' stadium?

The 2013 deal with the city of Santa Clara and the team included an option to extend for five more years at about $75 million.

Which 49ers coach hired in 2005 was the son of a 49ers coach who won three straight division titles?

He arrived from the Ravens' defensive staff; his father Dick had coached the team to the playoffs from 1970 to 1972.