The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team plays its home games at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, located 38 miles (61 km) southeast of San Francisco. The team is named after the prospectors who arrived in Northern California in the 1849 Gold Rush.
Jerry Lee Rice is an American former professional football wide receiver who played for 20 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He won three Super Bowl titles with the San Francisco 49ers before two shorter stints at the end of his career with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed "World" because of his superb catching ability, his accomplishments and numerous records, Rice is widely regarded as the greatest wide receiver of all time and one of the greatest players in NFL history. His biography on the official Pro Football Hall of Fame website names him "the most prolific wide receiver in NFL history with staggering career totals". In 1999, The Sporting News listed Rice second behind Jim Brown on its list of "Football's 100 Greatest Players". In 2010, he was chosen by NFL Network's NFL Films production The Top 100: NFL's Greatest Players as the greatest player in NFL history.
Bryant Colby Young is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 1994 NFL draft. Young was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022. His bust was sculpted by Scott Myers and unveiled at the enshrinement ceremony on August 6, 2022.
James Earl Johnson was an American professional football cornerback who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1961 to 1976. He was named to the first-team on the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, and in 1994, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Eric Wayne Davis is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Davis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1990 NFL draft. He played in NFL seasons from 1990 to 2002.
Dexter Anthony Carter is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft.
James Earl "J.D." Williams is an American football coach and former cornerback who is the cornerbacks coach for the Fresno State Bulldogs. He played college football at Fresno State and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1990 NFL draft. Williams played in six NFL seasons, from 1990 to 1994 and 1996 for the Bills, Arizona Cardinals, and San Francisco 49ers.
Erik Matthew Howard is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played nine seasons with the New York Giants, and was a member of the teams that won Super Bowls XXI and XXV.
Timothy Edward Ryan is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans. He is currently a radio color analyst for the San Francisco 49ers, and previously an NFL analyst for Fox television and co-host of "Movin' the Chains" on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Derek Kevin Loville is an American former professional football player who was a running back for nine years in the National Football League (NFL) for the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos from 1990 to 1999. He played for Archbishop Riordan High School. Never drafted by an NFL team, Loville played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was able to find a spot on the Seahawks' roster for the first two years of his career from 1990 to 1991. Used sparingly as a back-up during his NFL playing days, Loville did manage to become a starter for a brief stint and had his best year as a pro during the 1995 season for his hometown 49ers, leading the team in rushing with 723 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught 87 receptions for 662 yards that year. Loville won a Super Bowl Championship in 1994 with the 49ers. He won two more Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in 1997 and 1998.
Terrance Donnell "Chet" Brooks is an American former professional football player who was a safety for three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas A&M Aggies and coined the name "Wrecking Crew" for their defense. Brooks was selected by the 49ers in the 11th round of the 1988 NFL draft. He started in Super Bowl XXIV.
Larry P. Roberts was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He won two Super Bowls with the 49ers.
Keith Allen DeLong is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker who played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers from 1989 to 1993. He was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft. He earned a Super Bowl ring in his rookie season, in Super Bowl XXIV.
James Edward Williams is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL).
Reginald Gerard McGrew is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons during the late 1990s and early 2000s. McGrew played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
Robert Terrence Flagler is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers and Phoenix Cardinals. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, earning consensus All-American honors in 1986. He was selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 1987 NFL draft with the 25th overall pick.
The 1987 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. The 49ers won the division for the second consecutive season, ended the season as the top seed in the NFC and were heavily favored to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. The season ended with an upset loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Frank Pollack is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was the offensive line coach for the New York Jets (2019–2020), Dallas Cowboys (2015–2017), and Oakland Raiders (2012), and was the assistant offensive line coach for the Cowboys (2013–2014) and the Houston Texans (2007–2011). After five years with the Cowboys, he left in 2018 to join the Bengals for his first stint with them as offensive line coach, for that year only. Paul Alexander replaced Pollack in Dallas. Coincidentally, Alexander had been the offensive line coach for the Bengals since 1994. Pollack played eight seasons in the NFL as offensive tackle and guard for the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos (1992–1993).
Mark Anthony Lee is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1980 NFL draft. Lee also played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints. He was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 2017.
Nicholas John Bosa is an American professional football defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and was selected second overall by the 49ers in the 2019 NFL draft. Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and helped his team reach Super Bowl LIV. In 2022, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. He is the son of former NFL defensive end John Bosa and younger brother of Joey Bosa, currently a linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers.
