san francisco 49ers founder

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS49ers endured nail-biting wins at Indianapolis (30-24) andTampa Bay (20-16) to open the season. QB Joe Montanathrew for 428 yards and five touchdowns, including a teamrecordfour TD tosses in the fourth quarter resulting in a10-point victory (38-28) in Philadelphia. Under first-yearoffensive coordinator Mike Holmgren, the Niners accumulatedmore yardage than any other NFL team. WRs Jerry Riceand John Taylor, RB Roger Craig, G Guy McIntyre and QB JoeMontana were 1990 Pro Bowl participants. Rice’s 1,483 receivingyards paced the league. Craig exceeded 1,000 yardsrushing for the second consecutive season and running mateFB Tom Rathman led NFC running backs with 73 receptions.Montana had the best season of his career. A consensusPlayer of the Year, Montana’s 112.4 quarterback rating seta then NFL single-season record. Montana was selectedby his teammates as the ’89 recipient of the Len EshmontAward. Fueled by Rice’s 72-yard first quarter catch-andrunfor a score, the 49ers exploded for 27 first half pointsand cruised to a 41-13 victory against Minnesota in theiropening ’89 playoff contest. The 49ers faced Los Angelesin the NFC Championship Game. The Niners started slowly,however. Two long, second-quarter scoring drives and atouchdown set up by an interception gave San Francisco a21-3 lead at intermission. Cofer’s three field goals cushionedSan Francisco’s lead as the team advanced to SuperBowl XXIV with a satisfying 30-3 win. The 49ers displayedoptimal performance at the highest level of competition whilesecuring their second consecutive World Championship. Theresounding 55-10 defeat of the Denver Broncos in SuperBowl XXIV was a convergence of talent and technique, planningand purpose. San Francisco tied or set nearly 40 SuperBowl records and Montana was honored with the game’sMVP award for an unprecedented third time.1990 - The Niners finished the season with an NFL-best14-2 mark and came within four seconds (in a 15-13 lossto the NY Giants) of earning their third consecutive trip to theSuper Bowl. In addition to recording the NFL’s best won-lossmark for the second straight season, the 49ers captured theNFC Western Division title for the fifth consecutive year andthe eighth time since 1981 (’81, 1983-84, 1986-90). SanFrancisco claimed its 11th Division crown since the NFL/AFL merger of 1970, more than any NFC Western Divisionopponent (the Rams were second with eight), and secondmost in NFL history (behind Miami’s 13 AFC East titles). SanFrancisco opened the 1990 season with a team-record 10consecutive victories. The 49ers also posted an 8-0 markon the road, giving them the longest road winning streak inleague history (19 games, including postseason) heading into’91. QB Joe Montana and WR Jerry Rice again formed one ofthe most prolific aerial combinations in pro football. Montana,who was named 1990 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated,finished his 12th NFL season by throwing for a thenteam-record 3,944 yards. He also tossed 26 touchdownpasses (second in the NFC) and finished as the third highestrated quarterback in the conference. On the receiving end ofmany of those Montana passes was Rice, who became onlythe fourth player in league history to reach the century markin receptions for a single season. Rice hauled in 100 passesfor 1,502 yards and 13 TDs, and earned his fifth consecutivetrip to the Pro Bowl. In one of the most memorable performancesof the season (if not team history), Rice tied an NFLrecord with five TD receptions in a 45-35 victory at Atlanta,October 14. The defensive side of the ball was led by LB-DECharles Haley’s 58 tackles and an NFC-high 16 sacks. Forhis efforts, the fourth-year player from James Madison Universitywas named as a starter in the 1991 Pro Bowl. LB BillRomanowski led the team in tackles with 79, while CB DarrylPollard registered 74, including a team-high 72 solo stops.A number of team career records fell by the wayside in ’90.Montana slipped past QB John Brodie to take over the careerpassing lead (34,998 yards), while RB Roger Craig becamethe all-time team record holder in career receptions with508, moving ahead of WR Dwight Clark’s total of 506. The49ers placed five players on the 1991 NFC Pro Bowl squad,four as starters. Representing the 49ers were Haley, Rice, SRonnie Lott and G Guy McIntyre, while Montana, selected asa starter, was unable to participate because of a finger injurysuffered in the NFC Championship Game.1991 - It was a classic case of “too little...too late” for theSan Francisco 49ers in 1991. After losing six of their first10 games by a total of 26 points, the Niners won their remainingsix contests (by a total of 95 points) but missed theplayoffs for the first time since 1982. The 49ers finished the1991 campaign in impressive fashion during that final sixgamespan, with a margin of victory that averaged almost 16points. During that final six-game span, the Niners defeatedthree playoff teams (New Orleans, Kansas City and Chicago)while averaging 31.5 points per game in the process. WRJerry Rice continued to register his place in club and leaguehistory taking over the club’s career receiving record with525 catches. Rice finished third in the NFC with 80 receptionsand 1,206 yards, surpassing 1,000 receiving yards fora club-record sixth consecutive season, and he led the NFLwith 14 TD receptions. QB Steve Young won the NFL passingtitle, despite missing six games due to a knee injury. Young,who passed for 2,517 yards and 17 TDs, finished with a101.8 rating, besting Washington’s Mark Rypien (97.9) forthe title. When Young was injured at Atlanta November 3, QBSteve Bono (1,617 yards, 11 TDs) came off the bench to rallythe team to five consecutive victories. On the defensive sideof the ball, S Dave Waymer finished as the leader in totaltackles (86), solo tackles (77), interceptions (4), interceptionreturn yards (78) and passes defensed (16) and tied CB KevinLewis for the lead in forced fumbles (3). LB-DE Charles Haleyand DE Larry Roberts each posted seven sacks, while CBDon Griffin’s 99-yard fumble return against the Bears set ateam record and was the third longest return in league history.San Francisco placed three players on the 1992 NFC ProBowl squad, two as starters, as Rice, Guy McIntyre and Haleywere all selected (Rice and McIntyre as starters). It was thesixth time in Rice’s seven-year career that he was selectedto play in the islands. McIntyre and Haley were each selectedfor the third time.1992 - The San Francisco 49ers continued their winningtradition as they once again posted the NFL’s best regularseason record (14-2), while winning their sixth NFC WesternDivision title in seven years, and advancing to the NFC