Eddie DeBartolo Jr. was just 31 years old when he purchased the in 1977. Until that point, the 49ers, who joined the in 1950, had enjoyed moderate succe s, making the playoffs four times that included three consecutive postseason trips from 1970-72. They made consecutive NFC title game appearances in 1970 and '71, only to fall to more seasoned teams on both occasions.After several lean years, DeBartolo's team began to take shape shortly after he hired Bill Walsh as head coach. After just two years on the job, Walsh and the 49ers were bound after upsetting the Cowboys in the NFC title game. In Super Bowl XVI, Walsh defeated his former
Curtis Mcelhinney Women Jersey team, the , en route to the franchise's first world championship. Those two wins jumpstarted the 49ers' dynasty, as San Francisco would win five Super Bowls from 1981-94. They would also win at least 10 regular-season games each year from 1983-98, a record that was recently surpa sed by the . And while they haven't won the Super Bowl since January of 1995, the 49ers did manage to make it back to the big game twice during the 2010s, coming up short in both games.During their first 75 years of existence (including five in the defunct All-American Football Conference), the 49ers have boasted some of the greatest players in pro football history. Before they begin their 76th season, we decided to create the 49ers' all-time 53-man roster, built the way modern teams create their 53-man rosters. Before we dive into the roster, here's a rundown of some of the tougher decisions that were made for final cuts.Biggest roster cuts: It was difficult leaving quarterbacks Y.A. Tittle and John Brodie off the list. Tittle, one of the greatest quarterbacks during the NFL's first half century, played the majority of his Hall of Fame career with the 49ers. Brodie,
Andreas Borgman Men Jersey who won three NFL pa sing titles, spent his entire 17-year career in San Francisco, guiding the 49ers to those NFC title games at the start of the '70s. But as great as these players were, we had to draw the line somewhere, so we decided to go with just Joe Montana and Steve Young as the two quarterbacks on the depth chart while making more room for other notable players at other positions. Almost as difficult was the decisionn to leave running back Ricky Watters, a fabulous player on the early '90s teams, off the roster. Watters was edged out by Hugh McElhenny, a Hall of Fame player and member of the team's fabled Now that we've tackled the roster's toughest decisions, let's take a look at the 49ers' all-time 53-man roster.Members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are denoted with (*)OffenseStarterBackupDepthQBJoe Montana*Steve Young*RBRoger CraigHugh McElhenny*FBJoe Perry*Tom RathmanWRJerry Rice*Freddie SolomonWRTerrell Owens*Gene WashingtonSWRDwight ClarkJohn TaylorTEGeorge KittleLTJoe StaleySteve WallaceLGJe se SapoluJohn AyersCRandy Cro sForrest BlueRGGuy McIntyreWoody PeoplesRTBob St. Clair*Harris BartonAs great as Young was during his Hall of
Alexander Kerfoot Women Jersey Fame career, there was no hesitation when making Montana the team's starting quarterback. A four-time Super Bowl champion, Montana was also the first player in NFL history to win three Super Bowl MVP awards. While he threw 11 touchdowns in Super Bowl competition, Montana never threw an interception in the big game. His 92-yard game-winning drive at the end of Super Bowl XXIII is one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history. A year later, his five touchdown pa ses against the was the Super Bowl record until Young fired six touchdown pa ses in the 49ers' win over the in Super Bowl XXIX. Young, who replaced Montana at the start of the 1991 season, retired with two league MVP awards. His 96.4 career quarterback ranking was the highest in NFL history at the time of his retirement.The 49ers' backfield is headlined by and Frank Gore. Craig, a three-time Super Bowl champion, was the first player in league history to record 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season. A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Joe Perry won consecutive rushing titles while leading the league in rushing touchdowns three times. The third-leading rusher in NFL history, Gore spearheaded the 49ers' run to three consecutive NFC title game appearances from 2011-13. Another valuable member of those 49ers teams was
Dominic Moore Men Jersey tight end Vernon Davis, who edged out George Kittle for the starting spot on the roster.You'll be hard-pre sed to find a better group of receivers than the ones on this roster. Leading the way is Jerry Rice, the NFL's all-time career leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdown receptions. A three-time Super Bowl champion, Rice caught 28 pa ses for 512 yards and seven touchdowns in his three Super Bowls with the 49ers. He took home MVP honors after catching 11 pa ses for a record 215 yards and a score in . John Taylor, Rice's teammate on that team, caught the game-winning score in that game: . A great player in his own right, Taylor earned consecutive Pro Bowl honors in 1988 and '89, averaging 18 yards per catch during the '89 season.As great as Rice and Taylor were, neither player is the owner of arguably the most famous catch in NFL history. That distinction belongs to Dwight Clark, whose game-winning touchdown in the '81 NFC Championship Game jump-started the birth of the 49ers' dynasty. Clark's reception, known in NFL lore as "The Catch," was recently named as part of the league's centennial celebration.San Francisco
Adam Cracknell Jersey 's offensive line includes five players from the team's dynasty years, led by center Randy Cro s and guards Je se Sapolu and Guy McIntyre. The group also includes Hall of Fame tackle Bob St. Clair, whose blocking helped create space for the "Million Dollar Backfield" while also helping the 49ers win their first division title in 1957. The group also includes tackle Joe Staley, a six-time Pro Bowler who recently concluded his 13-year career.DefenseStarterBackupDepthLDEBryant YoungCedrick HardmanDTLeo Nomellini*Michael CarterRDEFred Dean*Justin SmithOLBCharles Haley*Patrick WillisJack "Hacksaw" ReynoldsMLBDave WilcoxKen Norton Jr.NaVorro BowmanOLBKeena TurnerAhmad BrooksLCBJimmy JohnsonRonnie Lott*RCBDeion Sanders*Abe WoodsonEric WrightSSTim McDonaldCarlton WilliamsonFSRonnie Lott*Merton HanksDwight HicksWhile its offense has traditionally received more fanfare, San Francisco has fielded several dominant defenses throughout the decades. The 49ers' defensive tradition can be traced back to 1950 with the arrival of Leo Nomellini, who earned 10 Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections during his 14-year career. The other Hall of Fame defensive lineman on this roster is , who helped the 49ers win their first Super Bowl shortly after being traded from San Diego. Dean's 17.5 sacks in 1983 stood as the franchise's single season record until Aldon Smith, who made the roster as a backup, pa sed him with 19.5 sacks during the 2012 season.Speaking of linebackers, the 49ers have pretty formidable
