Next up in the Getting Dynastic series is the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s (and the 1990s) that is one of the iconic runs in sports history
Categories
Rings
The Niners won 5 Super Bowls over these thirteen years (with the last one coming 5 years after its predecessor). (17/20)
Non-Championship Years
The Niners were consistent contenders throughout this period, and lost 4 NFC Championship games during this period. Since this was a time of NFC dominance of the Super Bowl, the NFC Championship game was almost effectively the Super Bowl.
Their first Super Bowl was their first real contending year. They remained in the playoff picture for a few years after their Super Bowl win, but faded (8/10)
Peak Performance
One of the low-key impressive teams was the 1984 49ers, who went 15-1 in the regular season, marched through the playoffs (including a 23-0 win in the NFC Championship Game over the Bears), then defeated Dan Marino and the Dolphins in the Super Bowl. Their one loss was by the score of 20-17. (9/10)
Star Power
We have Jerry Rice, still considered the greatest wide receiver of all time, Joe Montana, then widely considered the greatest QB of all time, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark, Russ Francis, and a number of All-Pros on the defense and offensive line. The last team had Deion Sanders on the defense, and had replaced Montana with Steve Young, another Hall of Famer. (9/10)
Coaching / Innovation
Bill Walsh was the first “genius” NFL coach, and brought in the West Coast offense built around short, horizontal passes. Oddly, the early years of this were build on their defense. (5/5)
Legacy
Before this run, the 49ers were not an established power in the NFL. Though there have been down years, they have since been generally considered one of the top franchises in the league. The coaching tree, which includes George Seifert, Mike Holmgren, Steve Mariucci, Ray Rhodes, and Mike Shanahan, continues to bear fruit. (5/5)
The Competition
In the 49ers run, they competed with three other teams that will appear in this series, plus the Bears that included the 1985 team. They began against the last gasps of the previous Cowboys dynasty, and ended with interrupting the run of the next (and last) one. The 1988 Bengals team they beat was solid, but most the other ones were unremarkable, like most of the AFC Super Bowl teams. (4/5)
Achilles Heel
You could beat the 49ers if you could hit Montana, which defenses were allowed to do in the 1980s. This may have been what prevented them from extended championship streaks. (3/5)
Bias Check
My adulthood has been spent in St. Louis and Seattle, home of the Seahawks and Rams, NFC West rivals of the 49ers. But I have always preferred the 49ers to the Cowboys, and admired how they ran their organizations. I’m calling it even (0)
Summary
60 points, one shy of the Showtime Lakers, which seems about right.
One category I did not include here was signature moments. The Niners has two strong ones — The Catch in the 1981 NFC Championship game against the Cowboys, and the drive and TD pass to win Super Bowl XXIII.
I again used Gemeni to assist with the research, which in its current state still produces a number of factual errors.