San Francisco 49ers, qualified 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 participate in 3Com Park (formerly Candlestick Park), renamed in 1995 for its corporate sponsor. The San Francisco 49ers 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 person stars and strong teams that made the 49ers a dominant power in the 1980s and 1990s. While on their way to capture five Super Bowl titles, the San Francisco 49ers fielded such players as running back Roger Craig, wide receiver Jerry Rice, suspicious end Fred Dean, and quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young. Earlier stars include Hall of Fame members quarterback Y. A. Tittle, and organization backs Joe “The Jet” Perry and Hugh McElhenny.
Founded in 1946, the San Francisco 49ers began as part of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), reaching the AAFC finals game in 1949. After the AAFC folded in 1949, the San Francisco 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 getting championship in four seasons.
The entrance of head coach Dick Nolan in 1968, the development of a complicated defense, and the experience of quarterback John Brodie helped San Francisco reach the playoffs for three directly 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 usher in an era of unprecedented stability and success for the San Francisco 49ers. Two years after the San Francisco 49ers 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 conquest 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 become known in football history as “The Catch.”
San Francisco 49ers returned to the playoffs in 1983, amazing 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 transitory efficiency, is based on completions, yards gained, touchdowns, and interceptions). A season later the San Francisco 49ers dominated the league with an 18-1 overall win-loss record (including the playoffs) and a victory above the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.
MORE 49ERS INFO.
49ers Team Report (Yahoo! Sports)
The San Francisco 49ers did not address their need for an offensive tackle in the draft, but they landed a 16-game starter with the addition of free agent Barry Sims.
The 49ers agreed to terms with Sims, whom the Oakland Raiders released in a salary-cap move this offseason, on a two-year contract. Sims will get the opportunity to compete for the 49ers' starting job at right tackle with Jonas Jennings.
Jennings has been injury-prone throughout his NFL career, never making it through a 16-game regular season. Since signing a seven-year, $36 million contract with the 49ers in 2005, Jennings has missed all or parts of 32 games.
If Sims is beaten out for the starting job at right tackle, he will also likely be the 49ers' backup at left tackle.
Niners sign longtime Raiders OL Barry Sims (AP) Veteran offensive lineman Barry Sims signed with the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday, crossing the bay after nine years with the Oakland Raiders. Sims, who joined the league as an undrafted free agent in 1999, started all 16 games at left tackle for the Raiders last season as their longest-tenured player.
49ers sign OT Sims (PA SportsTicker) Former Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Barry Sims officially moved across the Bay on Thursday, signing a two-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
Free-agent OT Sims, signs with 49ers (Yahoo! Sports) Free-agent offensive tackle Barry Sims has decided to sign with the San Francisco 49ers . A nine-year starter for...
