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The pride of San Francisco....The logic was undeniable. Run the tight end up the middle, have the wide receiver clear out and send the tailback into the flat, covered only by a slow-footed linebacker. It was the birth of the West Coast offense.Using that single play as a building block, Bill Walsh transformed a chronically underachieving franchise into the NFL's winningest. San Franciscans no longer left their hearts just in the city, but also in the confines of Candlestick Park.But being a champion and great finisher wasn't always a 49ers trait. The team's early years were marked by talent-laden teams that always underachieved. Y.A. Tittle, Hugh "The King" McElhenny, Bob St. Clair and Joe "The Jet" Perry all wore the 49ers colors in the 1950s, but the team never made it to an NFL Championship Game.The most notable event of the 1950s was also one of the darkest days in team history. On a rather pleasant October afternoon in 1957, team owner Tony Morabito dropped dead in the stands during a San Francisco-Chicago Bears contest at Kezar Stadium.Trailing 17-7 at halftime, the team heard of Morabito's death and rallied for a 21-17 victory.In the 1960s the 49ers went into a long slumber. The team was 4-11-1 against the Green Packers and a miserable 3-15 in head-to-head battles against the powerful Baltimore Colts.San Francisco continued to torture its fans in the 1970s. Early in the decade they dominated the NFL West, winning three straight titles behind the passing of John Brodie and the talents of Dave Wilcox, John David Crow, Ken Willard and Dave Parks.But when it came to post-season play, the 49ers were a blowout. The Dallas Cowboys beat San Francisco three straight years. The embers of those defeats would smolder for years.Beat the Cowboys! Beat the Cowboys! Beat the Cowboys! Beat the Cowboys! Beat the Cowboys!In 1976, the 49ers awoke to claim an 8-6 record after a 6-1 start. But injuries crushed the team's hopes and then it happened - The Trade. Every team makes one, a deal so bad it becomes a bookmark in history for its fans.General Manager Joe Thomas traded away the team's future to Buffalo for O.J. Simpson, who was so far into the twilight of his career that he played in only a handful of games for the 49ers over two seasons.Finally, owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. had had enough of losing, and in almost a desperation move, plucked Walsh from the local coaching ranks. While Walsh has generally been credited with all the 49ers success in the 1980s and to some extent the 1990s, it was a scouting staff headed up by Tony Razzano that deserved most of the credit for placing talent on the San Francisco roster.In the 1981 draft, the 49ers selected Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson in the first three rounds. Toss in a free agent named Dwight Hicks and the 49ers fashioned an All-Pro defensive backfield in one off-season.Other gems included Joe Montana in the third round in 1979, Pete Kugler in the 6th round in 1981, Jesse Sapolu in the 11th round in 1983 and Michael Carter in the 5th round in 1984.Success came quickly in the 1980s. Late on a winter's day in the NFC Championship Game, Montana attempted to evade a sack by the hard-rushing Dallas Cowboys line by tossing a ball high in the end zone, too high, he believed, for anyone to catch.The mantra now exploded-Beat the Cowboys!!!!Clark leaped in the corner of the end zone and ... THE CATCH. The 49ers won 28-27 and two weeks later clinched their first Super Bowl crown with a 26-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.Led by a living wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the 49ers would challenge for the league title nearly every season. The opponent didn't seem to matter. In 1984, Dan Marino came off one of the best passing seasons ever with the Miami Dolphins only to be crushed by the 49ers, 38-16, in Super Bowl XIX.In 1988, Cincinnati was again dispatched, this time by a 20-16 score, but the real drama came after the game. Walsh tearfully bade farewell to the pro coaching ranks. Defensive coordinator George Seifert was given the task of replacing a legend.But the system proved to be more powerful than any individual. Unlike other NFL dynasties, the 49ers did not collapse. They merely reloaded.Seifert went on to win two Super Bowls and became the coach with the highest winning percentage in NFL history. But he never could find his way out of Walsh's shadow or the 49ers system's reputation. Steve Mariucci took over for 1997, becoming the first head coach in two decades not to be Walsh or a member of Walsh's staff.The 49ers are now led by Mike Nolan, son of former 49er head coach Dick Nolan. Nolan has assembled an incredible staff to lead the 49ers into the next generation! Nolan will return the 49ers to the West Coast Offense with the help of offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy who learned under the tutelage of former 49er assistant coach Paul Hackett and 49er legend Joe Montana! The Empire will be re-born!49ers Facts:Franchise Granted: June 4, 1944 as Charter Member of AAFC
First Season: 1946
Merged to NFL: 1950
Stadium: Monster Park (68,497)
Owner: Denise DeBartolo York and John York
VP of Player Personnel: Scot McCloughan
Head Coach: Mike Nolan
Super Bowl Championships XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, XXIX
NFC Championships: 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994
NFC West Championships: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 200249ers in the Hall of Fame:JIMMY JOHNSON (1994) - 1961-1976
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON (1987) - 1954-1956
RONNIE LOTT (2000) - 1981-1990
HUGH MCELHENNY (1970) - 1952-1960
JOE MONTANA (2000) - 1979-1992
LEO NOMELLINI (1969) - 1950-1963
JOE PERRY (1969) - 1948-1960, 1963
O.J. SIMPSON (1985) - 1978-1979
BOB ST. CLAIR (1990) - 1953-1963
Y.A. TITTLE (1971) - 1951-1960
BILL WALSH (1993) - 1979-1988
DAVE WILCOX (2000) - 1964-1974
STEVE YOUNG (2005) - 1987-1999Retired Jerseys:12 John Brodie 1973
16 Joe Montana 1997
34 Joe Perry 1971
37 Jimmy Johnson 1977
39 Hugh McElheny 1971
42 Ronnie Lott 2003
70 Charlie Krueger 1974
73 Leo Nomellini 1971
79 Bob St. Clair 2001
87 Dwight Clark 1988Honorable Mentions:8 Steve Young
80 Jerry Rice
