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Team History
There was a time before the 49ers had a championship, before the team was remembered for changing the way offenses played. But this was before the ‘80s. The 49ers date back to 1946 and followed with seasons that stood around .500. It was not until the early ‘70s that the club made strong playoff runs and even that period only lasted for three years from 1970 to 1972.
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The 49ers' rise to one of football’s greatest teams began in 1978, when Bill Walsh was hired as head coach. Walsh brought the West Coast offense he had developed as offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals in the early ‘70s to San Francisco.
Walsh first needed a quarterback to execute the quick hitting offense. In his first draft he chose Joe Montana from Notre Dame in the third round. Montana had been knocked by scouts for lack of height, speed, and arm strength.
Montana took the team over full time in 1981and took the team to its first Super Bowl. Montana and tight end Dwight Clark hooked for up what would become known as “The Catch” in the NFC Championship game against the Cowboys to win the game. The 49res would go on to beat the Bengals in the Super Bowl. In fact the season started a run in the ‘80s and early ‘90s that resulted in five Super Bowl Championships.
The 49ers had an offense with start receivers Jerry Rice, John Taylor, and Terrell Owens during that time. The team also had star running back Roger Craig, who doubled as a receiving threat out of the backfield.
The dynasty survived a quarterback change from Montana to Steve Young and a coaching change from Bill Walsh to George Seifert to win 13 NFC West division titles from 1981 to 1997. The time since the dynasty has been marked by corruption and constant rebuilding, although the 2002 49ers did win the West division title again.
The 49ers are currently trying to start over again, trying to find the quarterback that will lead the team to greatness again.
The 49ers finished third in the NFC West last season with a 5-11 record and had problems on both sides of the ball. The 49ers continue to believe in Alex Smith as the quarterback of the future and appear willing to stand by him in the growing pain seasons. Frank Gore again put in an excellent performance at running back last season and Vernon Davis once again proved to be one of the best tight ends in the game. The 49ers have tried to give Smith some targets by signing wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson.
The defense should improve dramatically with the additions of defensive end Justin Smith, defensive tackle Isaac Sopoago, and linebacker Dontarrious Thomas. The 49ers still have hole in the offensive line and will use the remainder of free agency and the 2008 draft to bolster the pocket protection.
Candlestick Park might see the breakthrough of Alex Smith this season. The addition of Bruce and Johnson gives solid performers to spread the field. The team defense will see an improved run stopping line with the addition of Smith and Sopoago.