Top 50 San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers history goes all the way back to 1946, where they were a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and were the first professional team in the Bay Area.  They joined the NFL when the two leagues merged, but it was not until the 1980s where they had any significant success.

Legends like Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice arrived, and they won three Super Bowls in the 80s (XVI, XIX & XXIII) and two in the 90s (XXIV & XXIX).  With an overall Super Bowl record of 5-2, the 49ers are one of the most successful teams in league history and one of the most popular.


Note: Football lists are based on an amalgamation of tenure, traditional statistics, advanced statistics, playoff statistics, and post-season accolades.

This list is active up until the end of the 2021 Season.

1. Jerry Rice

1. Jerry Rice
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We all know that the San Francisco 49ers have given us multiple Hall of Famers and won several Super Bowls.  Despite that, there is no other man that could be debated as the greatest 49er than Jerry Rice, who is also undoubtedly the best Wide Receiver in the game's history.
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2. Joe Montana

2. Joe Montana
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A National Champion at Notre Dame in 1977, Joe Montana was a Third Round Pick two years later by the San Francisco 49ers, where he began his pro career as Steve DeBerg’s backup.
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3. Steve Young

3. Steve Young
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We were not conflicted in making Jerry Rice the greatest player in the history of San Francisco 49ers.  As for who came next, it was not as simple. Actually, the real question was which Hall of Fame Quarterback would be next, Steve Young or Joe Montana.  As you have easily deduced, we decided on Montana, but it was a last-minute decision.  It was…
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4. Ronnie Lott

4. Ronnie Lott
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In the 1980s, The San Francisco 49ers were a high-octane team known primarily for their stars at Quarterback (Joe Montana) and Jerry Rice (Wide Receiver).  However, if you are going to be blowing teams out, that means your defense was holding down opponents, which San Francisco did in the 80s through the leadership of Ronnie Lott.
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5. Leo Nomellini

5. Leo Nomellini
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A two-time All-American and College Football Hall of Famer from the University of Minnesota, Leo “The Lion” Nomellini was the 11thOverall Pick of the NFL Draft in 1950; a selection that paid dividends for over a decade for the San Francisco 49ers.
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6. Jimmy Johnson

6. Jimmy Johnson
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How good an athletic family did Jimmy Johnson come from?  The Pro Football Hall of Famer was the brother of the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist (Decathlon), Rafer Johnson.
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7. Joe Perry

7. Joe Perry
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Joe Perry played football for the Naval Air Station Alameda, after a stint in the military, and despite being African-American in the 1940s and playing for a non-big-time school, Perry was highly scouted by both the NFL and the upstart All-American Football Conference.  Perry opted for the San Francisco of the AAFC over the Los Angeles Rams, and the Fullback became…
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8. Patrick Willis

8. Patrick Willis
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The professional football career of Patrick Willis was considered brief, as he only played eight seasons, but they were electric campaigns.
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9. Roger Craig

9. Roger Craig
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There have many Running Backs who were equally capable of the receiving game, but there can only be one groundbreaker.  That man was Roger Craig.
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10. Bob St. Clair

10. Bob St. Clair
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Bob St. Clair was a Third Round Pick from Tulsa in the 1953 Draft, and the player they called the "Geek" would make the San Francisco area his home for the rest of his life.
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11. Hugh McElhenny

11. Hugh McElhenny
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A First Round Pick from Washington, Hugh McElhenny traveled down the Interstate-5 to begin his professional football career.
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12. Terrell Owens

12. Terrell Owens
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From Chattanooga, Terrell Owens was drafted in 1996’s Third Round by the San Francisco 49ers, and he found out quickly that his talents were worthy of the National Football League.
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13. Bruno Banducci

13. Bruno Banducci
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Born in Italy and raised in the United States, Bruno Banducci played his college ball for Stanford but was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1944.   Banducci was more at home in 1946 when the Guard joined the San Francisco 49ers of the upstart All-American Football Conference.  Banducci stayed there for the remainder of his career, which included the migration…
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14. Dave Wilcox

14. Dave Wilcox
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Drafted from the University of Oregon in the Third Round in 1964, Dave Wilcox won the Left Linebacker role during his rookie season, and he would hold on to it until he retired after the 1974 Season.
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15. Randy Cross

15. Randy Cross
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Debuting for the San Francisco 49ers as a Second Round Pick from UCLA in 1976, Randy Cross played his entire 13-year career with the Niners, where he would help them win three Super Bowls.
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16. Joe Staley

16. Joe Staley
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The 2007 28thOverall Draft Pick from Central Michigan, Joe Staley started at Right Tackle in his rookie year for San Francisco before being moved to Left Tackle, where he remained their starter for well over a decade.
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17. John Brodie

17. John Brodie
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Before there was Joe Montana and Steve Young, there was John Brodie, who played his entire 201-Game career with the San Francisco 49ers.
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18. Frank Gore

18. Frank Gore
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Frank Gore will go down in history as one of the most durable and ageless Running Backs of the game.  That all began in San Francisco.
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19. Bryant Young

19. Bryant Young
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Bryant Young was the Seventh Overall Pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, and the All-American from Notre Dame won the starting Left Defensive Tackle job as a rookie.
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