san francisco 49ers founder

to rush for 1,000 yards since 1992. With Rice out, WR TerrellOwens and WR J.J. Stokes became the primary receivingtargets. Owens led the team with 63 receptions for 936 yardsand eight touchdowns, while Stokes posted 58 receptionsfor 733 yards and four touchdowns. Rice returned for onegame against Denver (12-15) and helped the 49ers clinchhome field advantage throughout the playoffs with a 34-17win. Rice became the first non-kicker in league history toreach 1,000 points with a 14-yard touchdown catch in thesecond quarter of the Broncos contest. The 49ers defenseled the league in total yards allowed (250.8), finished secondin takeaways (41) and was tied for third in sacks (54).They helped carry the burden as the offense adjusted to newpersonnel. For the second consecutive season, the 49ers hadthree players reach double figures in sacks. DT Dana Stubblefield(15.0), DE Chris Doleman (12.0) and LB Kevin Greene(10.5) led the sack attack. Stubblefield finished second inthe league in sacks and was named NFL Defensive Playerof the Year by Associated Press and earned the Len EshmontAward as the team’s most inspirational player. Of the seven49ers named to the Pro Bowl, five were from the defense.Stubblefield was joined by Doleman, FS Merton Hanks, LBLee Woodall and LB Ken Norton Jr. Gogan and Young wereSan Francisco’s offensive selections.1998 - Led by one of the most productive offenses in teamand league history, San Francisco posted its 16th consecutivewinning season and remained one of the NFL’s elite teams.Behind the strong arm of QB Steve Young, the powerful legsof RB Garrison Hearst and the triple-threat receiving corpsof WR Jerry Rice, WR Terrell Owens and WR J.J. Stokes, the49ers rolled to a 12-4 regular season mark and an appearancein the NFC Divisional Playoff Game. Young opened theseason in sizzling fashion. The 14-year veteran establishedan NFL record by throwing for over 300 yards in six consecutivegames, breaking the previous record of five held byformer 49ers QB Joe Montana. Young finished the seasoncompleting 322-of-517 (62.3) passes for 4,170 yards and36 touchdowns. His final passing rating of 101.1 marked theseventh consecutive season he has surpassed the 100-pointbarrier and earned him his seventh consecutive trip to thePro Bowl. The 49ers offensive line, led by Pro Bowl G KevinGogan, paved the way for Hearst’s record-setting season.Hearst, and his team-record and career-high 1,570 yardsrushing, were a major reason the 49ers led the NFL in rushing.His 198-yard performance against the New York Giantson Monday Night Football also set a then team-record andwas a personal-best. His four plays of 70 yards or more ledthe league and helped earn him his first career Pro Bowl selection.The 49ers receiving corps was in the capable handsof Rice, Owens and Stokes. Rice, returning from a seriousknee injury in 1997, earned his 12th career Pro Bowlnomination and finished with a team-high 82 receptionsfor 1,157 yards and nine touchdowns. The athletic Owensasserted himself among the league’s best receivers andbrightest young stars by catching 67 passes for 1,097 yardsand 14 touchdowns. Stokes caught a career-best 63 passesfor 770 yards and eight touchdowns. The 49ers defense waspaced by the inspiring play of DT Bryant Young. Young washaving an exceptional season with 54 tackles and 9.5 sacksbefore suffering a season-ending leg injury against the NewYork Giants on Monday Night Football. Young was still namedEshmont Award winner although missing the final four regularseason games. LB Winfred Tubbs, in his first season withthe 49ers, earned his first career Pro Bowl nomination afterfinishing with 112 tackles. CB Darnell Walker, FS MertonHanks, S Zack Bronson and S Tim McDonald led the teamwith four interceptions each.1999 - San Francisco had a streak of 16 consecutive winningseasons snapped, after finishing the 1999 season witha 4-12 record. A season-ending injury to QB Steve Youngin Week 3 sent the 49ers into a tailspin from which they didnot recover. Replacing Young proved to be quite a task forQBs Jeff Garcia and Steve Stenstrom. Garcia received thefirst try at the job and responded admirably, posting a 24-22victory, with a QB rating of 106.0, over the Tennessee Titansin his first NFL start. Garcia would start the next four games,but was replaced by Stenstrom in Week 10 at New Orleans.With Stenstrom struggling in starts against the Saints, Ramsand Packers, the 49ers coaching staff returned Garcia to thestarting lineup for a December 5 game at Cincinnati. Andwhat a return it was. Garcia threw for a career-high 437yards against the Bengals, including throwing two touchdownpasses to WR Jerry Rice. The game proved to be animpetus for Garcia, who over the final five games of the seasoncompleted 121-of-182 passes for 1,441 yards, eighttouchdowns and three interceptions for a quarterback ratingof 98.3. During that stint, Garcia completed 66.5 percent ofhis passes and was sacked just three times for 25 yards. SanFrancisco also was faced with the task of replacing 1998Pro Bowl RB Garrison Hearst and his team-record 1,570yards rushing. A key off-season acquisition of RB CharlieGarner proved more than an adequate replacement. Garnerrushed for a career-high 1,229 yards, caught a career-high56 passes for 535 yards and finished third in the NFL with1,764 total yards. The San Francisco running attack also wasgiven a boost by second-year FB Fred Beasley’s 276 yardsrushing and 282 yards receiving, both marks were careerhigh’s.Overall the 49ers led the NFL with 2,095 yards onthe ground, becoming the first team to lead the league forconsecutive seasons since Buffalo did it in 1991-92. The49ers also led the league with a per rush average of 5.0.The San Francisco receiving corps was once again paced byRice. He finished the year with 67 receptions for 830 yardsand five touchdowns. Certainly not the kind of numbers thatRice is accustomed to, but over the final five games of theseason, Rice caught 24 passes for 420 yards (17.5) and threetouchdowns. In that span he posted two 100-yard games,including a six-reception, 143-yard effort at Atlanta (1-3)in the season finale. WR Terrell Owens added 60 receptionsfor 754 yards and four touchdowns while J.J. Stokes totaled34 grabs for 429 yards and two touchdowns, includinga five-reception, 130-yard performance at Atlanta (1-3) inthe season finale. The 49ers defense struggled for much ofthe season, but was highlighted by several individual performances.DT Bryant Young was named the Associated PressComeback Player of the Year and earned a Pro Bowl selection.After overcoming a devastating leg fracture that endedhis 1998 season and left his future clouded in doubt, Young