| 1989 San Francisco 49ers season | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | George Seifert | ||||||
| General manager | John McVay | ||||||
| Owner | Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. | ||||||
| Home field | Candlestick Park | ||||||
| Results | |||||||
| Record | 14–2 | ||||||
| Division place | 1st NFC West | ||||||
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) 41–13 Won NFC Championship (Rams) 30–3 Won Super Bowl XXIV (Broncos) 55–10 |
||||||
| Uniform | |||||||
 |
|||||||
| Timeline | |||||||
|
|||||||
The 1989 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 44th season in the National Football League. The 49ers franchise cemented their reputation as the best team of the decade. After going 14-2 in the regular season, the 49ers completed the season with the most dominant playoff run in NFL history, outscoring opponents 126-26 and winning their fourth Super Bowl victory.
In 2007, ESPN.com's Page 2 ranked the 1989 49ers as the greatest team in Super Bowl history.[1]
Quarterback Joe Montana had one of the greatest passing seasons in NFL history in 1989. Montana set a then-NFL record with a passer rating of 112.4,[2] with a completion percentage of 70.2%, and a 26/8 touchdown-to-interception ratio. In the playoffs, Montana was even more dominant, with a 78.3% completion percentage, 800 yards, 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 146.4 rating. Cold Hard Football Facts calls Montana's 1989 season "the one by which we must measure all other passing seasons."[3]
Contents |
Offseason[edit]
NFL Draft[edit]
| Round # | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | San Francisco 49ers | Keith DeLong | Inside Linebacker | Tennessee |
Personnel[edit]
Staff[edit]
| 1989 San Francisco 49ers staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
|||||
Roster[edit]
| 1989 San Francisco 49ers roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
|
Reserve Lists
|
||||||
Regular season[edit]
The 49ers offense was just as dominating as it was during the previous regular season. Quarterback Joe Montana threw for 3,512 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions, giving him what was then the highest quarterback rating in NFL history (112.4). Montana also rushed for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns, and earned both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. Wide receiver Jerry Rice had another outstanding season, catching 82 passes for 1,483 yards and 17 touchdowns. Running back Roger Craig was the team's leading rusher with 1,054 yards and 6 touchdowns, and he recorded 49 receptions for 473 yards and another touchdown.
But other stars on the 49ers offense began to emerge, enabling the team to spread the ball around. After being used primarily as a punt returner during his first 2 seasons, wide receiver John Taylor had a breakout season, catching 60 passes for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also returning 36 punts for 417 yards. Tight End Brent Jones recorded 40 receptions for 500 yards. Fullback Tom Rathman had the best season of his career, rushing for 305 yards and catching 73 passes for 616 yards. Even Montana's backup, quarterback Steve Young had a great year, throwing for 1,001 yards and 8 touchdowns with only 3 interceptions, while also rushing for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns. With all of these weapons, San Francisco's offense led the league in total yards from scrimmage (6,268) and scoring (442 points). The 49ers Defense was ranked #3 in the NFL. Three starters from the Defense made the 1989 All-Pro Team: (Ronnie Lott, Don Griffin, and Michael Walter)
Schedule[edit]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 1989 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 30-24 | CBS 10:00am |
|
| 2 | September 17, 1989 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20-16 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
| 3 | September 24, 1989 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 38-28 | CBS 10:00am |
|
| 4 | October 1, 1989 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13-12 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
| 5 | October 8, 1989 | at New Orleans Saints [4] | W 24-20 | CBS 10:00am |
|
| 6 | October 15, 1989 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 31-14 | CBS 10:00am |
|
| 7 | October 22, 1989 | New England Patriots (at Stanford)[5] | W 37-20 | NBC 1:00pm |
|
| 8 | October 29, 1989 | at New York Jets | W 23-10 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
| 9 | November 6, 1989 (Mon) | New Orleans Saints | W 31-13 | ABC 6:00pm |
|
| 10 | November 12, 1989 | Atlanta Falcons | W 45-3 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
| 11 | November 19, 1989 | Green Bay Packers | L 21-17 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
| 12 | November 27, 1989 (Mon) | New York Giants | W 34-24 | ABC 6:00pm |
|
| 13 | December 3, 1989 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 23-10 | CBS 10:00am |
|
| 14 | December 11, 1989 (Mon) | at Los Angeles Rams | W 30-27 | ABC 6:00pm |
|
| 15 | December 17, 1989 | Buffalo Bills | W 23-10 | NBC 1:00pm |
|
| 16 | December 24, 1989 | Chicago Bears | W 26-0 | CBS 1:00pm |
|
Season summary[edit]
Week 3[edit]
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joe Montana threw for 428 yards and five touchdowns.
Week 14[edit]
Joe Montana set a Monday Night Football record with 458 yards thrown in one game and also threw three touchdown passes.
Standings[edit]
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(1) | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 442 | 253 | W5 |
| Los Angeles Rams(5) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 426 | 344 | W2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | 386 | 301 | W3 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 279 | 437 | L7 |
Playoffs[edit]
NFC Divisional Playoff[edit]
|
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
MIN- Rich Karlis 38 yard field goal MIN 3-0
SF- Jerry Rice 72 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) SF 7-3
2nd Quarter
SF- Brent Jones 8 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick)SF 14-3
SF- John Taylor 8 yard pass from Joe Montana (kick failed)SF 20-3
SF- Jerry Rice 13 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick)SF 27-3
3rd Quarter
MIN- Rich Karlis 44 yard field goal SF 27-6
4th Quarter
SF- Ronnie Lott 58 yard interception return (Mike Cofer kick)SF 34-6
SF- Roger Craig 4 yard rush (Mike Cofer kick)SF 41-6
MIN- Rick Fenney 3 yard rush (Rich Karlis kick)SF 41-13
NFC Championship[edit]
|
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
LA- Mike Lansford 23 yard field goal LA 3-0
2nd Quarter
SF- Brent Jones 20 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick)SF 7-3
SF- Roger Craig 1 yard rush (Mike Cofer kick)SF 14-3
SF- John Taylor 18 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick)SF 21-3
3rd Quarter
SF- Mike Cofer 28 yard field goal SF 24-3
4th Quarter
SF- Mike Cofer 36 yard field goal SF 27-3
SF- Mike Cofer 25 yard field goal SF 30-3
Super Bowl XXIV[edit]
|
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
- SF - Jerry Rice 20 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) 7-0 SF
- DEN - David Treadwell 42 yard field Goal 7-3 SF
- SF - Brent Jones 7 yard pass from Joe Montana (kick failed) 13-3 SF
2nd Quarter
- SF - Tom Rathman 1 yard run (Mike Cofer kick) 20-3 SF
- SF - Jerry Rice 38 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) 27-3 SF
3rd Quarter
- SF - Jerry Rice 28 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) 34-3 SF
- SF - John Taylor 35 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) 41-3 SF
- DEN - John Elway 3 yard run (David Treadwell kick) 41-10 SF
4th Quarter
- SF - Tom Rathman 3 yard run (Mike Cofer kick) 48-10 SF
- SF - Roger Craig 1 yard run (Mike Cofer kick) 55-10 SF
Awards and records[edit]
- Led NFC with 442 points scored
- Led NFL, 27.6 points per game
- Mike Cofer, Led NFL, 136 Points
- Roger Craig, NFC Pro Bowl
- Ronnie Lott, NFC Pro Bowl
- Guy McIntyre, NFC Pro Bowl
- Joe Montana, Most Valuable Player, Super Bowl XXIV
- Joe Montana, NFL Most Valuable Player Award
- Joe Montana, PFWA NFL MVP
- Joe Montana, NEA NFL MVP
- Joe Montana, NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
- Joe Montana, Offense, UPI NFC Player of the Year
- Joe Montana, Bert Bell Award[8]
- Joe Montana, NFL Passing Leader
- Joe Montana, NFC Pro Bowl
- Joe Montana, Associated Press Athlete of the Year[9]
- Jerry Rice, NFL Leader, Receiving Yards
- Jerry Rice, NFL Leader, Receiving Touchdowns
- Jerry Rice, NFC Pro Bowl
- John Taylor, NFC Pro Bowl
References[edit]
- ^ ESPN.com: Page 2 : The Ultimate Super Rankings
- ^ Broken in 1994 by teammate Steve Young
- ^ Cold Hard Football Facts: The Dandy Dozen: 12 best passing seasons in history
- ^ Game originally scheduled to be played at Candlestick Park, but was moved to New Orleans due to the San Francisco Giants postseason game. The November 6 game was moved to San Francisco.
- ^ Game played at Stanford Stadium due to damage to Candlestick Park resulting from the Loma Prieta earthquake.
- ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
- ^ 2010 NFL Record and Fact Book (PDF). National Football League. p. 381. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- ^ http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm
- ^ Associated Press Athlete of the Year (male)
External links[edit]
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia.
