When will the San Francisco 49ers strike gold again? After capturing five Super Bowl championships (1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994), the 49ers have struggled to get back into the “big show” again. Since their last NFL title, they’ve earned playoff spots for seven seasons. That has included three division titles and two NFC championship games. If you’re bummed out by the 49ers’ current performance, remember that things have to get worse before they get better. These are the 49ers’ worst NFL seasons:
1978-1979 (record 2-14)
The season started out promising, but ended in a waterloo. Before the start of the season, the San Francisco 49ers had made some big trades. In particular, they had traded some of their draft picks for OJ Simpson, the Buffalo Bills’ star running back. During the 1973-1974 season, Simpson had garnered an NFL record 2,000 rushing yards. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury caused him to miss most of the season and he gained only 593 yards. Quarterback Steve De Berg compounded the problem, throwing nearly three interceptions for every touchdown thrown. Head coach Pete McCullery posted a miserable 1-8 record. McCullery’s replacement, coach Fred O’Connor, later put together a terrible 1-6 record.
1979-1980 (record 2-14)
After the failures of Coach McCullery and Coach O’Connor, the 49ers changed their general once again, hiring Bill Walsh. Walsh would eventually coach the 49ers to three Super Bowl wins (1981, 1984, 1988). However, his first season in San Fran resulted in a second straight 2-14 record. While OJ Simpson’s final year in the NFL would be disappointing, the 49ers’ offense became one of the best in the league. In particular, a rookie named Joe Montana was starting to heat up. During the 1979-1980 season, Montana threw for the Pigskins 23 times, amassing 96 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the 49ers were rebuilding their squad and they were a work in progress.
2004-2005 (2-14)
A decade after their fifth and most recent Super Bowl title, the 49ers were a shadow of their former selves. There was a lot of blame to go around, and 49ers owner John York got a lot of it. How bad was the 2004-2005 season for the 49ers? His wins included two wins over the same team: the Arizona Cardinals. To top it off, the 49ers needed overtime to beat the Cardinals. The first time, they were outscored 31-28. Meanwhile, the second clash between the teams resulted in the same score: 31-28. After the end of the season, the 49ers fired coach Dennis Erickson and used Mike Nolan (son of former 49ers coach Dick Nolan) to replace him.
Recently, the 49ers have struck little gold on the gridiron. However, they continue to fight their way to the top of the NFL. By making the right moves on and off the field, the 49ers can return to the glory days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott. Wear San Francisco 49ers merchandise to cheer the team to their sixth golden Super Bowl trophy!