Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| ||||||
| 1968 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Josephine Morabito Jane Morabito |
| General manager | Louis Spadia |
| Head coach | Dick Nolan |
| Home field | Kezar Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–6–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFL Coastal |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1968 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League, their 23rd overall, and the first with new head coach Dick Nolan.
The 49ers attempted to improve on their 7-7 record from the previous season. Ultimately, the 49ers consistently switched between winning record and losing record, and ended their season with a 7-6-1 record, missing the playoffs for the 11th straight year.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Forrest Blue | C | Auburn | |
| 4 | 98 | Johnny Fuller | DB | Lamar | |
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| ||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 15 | at Baltimore Colts | L 10–27 | 0–1 | Memorial Stadium | 56,864 | |
| 2 | September 22 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 35–17 | 1–1 | Kezar Stadium | 27,557 | |
| 3 | September 29 | Atlanta Falcons | W 28–13 | 2–1 | Kezar Stadium | 27,477 | |
| 4 | October 6 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 10–24 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 69,520 | |
| 5 | October 13 | Baltimore Colts | L 14–42 | 2–3 | Kezar Stadium | 32,822 | |
| 6 | October 20 | at New York Giants | W 26–10 | 3–3 | Yankee Stadium | 62,958 | |
| 7 | October 27 | at Detroit Lions | W 14–7 | 4–3 | Tiger Stadium | 53,555 | |
| 8 | November 3 | Cleveland Browns | L 21–33 | 4–4 | Kezar Stadium | 31,359 | |
| 9 | November 10 | at Chicago Bears | L 19–27 | 4–5 | Wrigley Field | 46,978 | |
| 10 | November 17 | Los Angeles Rams | T 20–20 | 4–5–1 | Kezar Stadium | 41,815 | |
| 11 | November 24 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 45–28 | 5–5–1 | Pitt Stadium | 21,408 | |
| 12 | December 1 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–20 | 6–5–1 | Kezar Stadium | 47,218 | |
| 13 | December 8 | Minnesota Vikings | L 20–30 | 6–6–1 | Kezar Stadium | 29,049 | |
| 14 | December 15 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 14–12 | 7–6–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 44,977 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFL Coastal | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Baltimore Colts | 13 | 1 | 0 | .929 | 6–0 | 10–0 | 402 | 144 | W8 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 3–2–1 | 6–3–1 | 312 | 200 | L2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 2–3–1 | 4–5–1 | 303 | 310 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 0–6 | 1–9 | 170 | 389 | L4 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
 | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast offense. After retiring from the 49ers, Walsh worked as a sports broadcaster for several years and then returned as head coach at Stanford for three seasons.
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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play their 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.
Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", Montana is widely regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. After winning a national championship at Notre Dame, Montana began his NFL career in 1979 at San Francisco, where he played for the next 14 seasons. With the 49ers, Montana started and won four Super Bowls and was the first player to be named the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. He also holds Super Bowl career records for most passes without an interception and the all-time highest passer rating of 127.8. In 1993, Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played for his last two seasons and led the franchise to its first AFC Championship Game. Montana was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Jerry Lee Rice is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver 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.
Ed McCaffrey is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, earning first-team All-American honors in 1990.
John LeRoy Christiansen was an American professional football player who became a college and pro coach. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for the Detroit Lions as a safety and return specialist from 1951 to 1958. He helped lead the Lions to three NFL championships in 1952, 1953, and 1957 and was a first-team All-NFL player in six of his eight years in the league. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1953 and 1957 and in punt returns for touchdown in 1951, 1952, 1954, and 1956. His eight career punt returns for touchdowns was an NFL record until 1989 and remains the fourth best in league history. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1970.
The National Football Conference – Western Division or NFC West is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinals, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
The 1968 NFL season was the 49th regular season of the National Football League. Per the agreement made during the 1967 realignment, the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants switched divisions; the Saints joined the Century Division while the Giants became part of the Capitol Division.
Victor Arnold Washington was an American professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and National Football League (NFL). After attending the University of Wyoming, he played nine professional seasons, three in the CFL and six in the NFL.
Kyle Michael Shanahan is an American football coach who is the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He came to prominence as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons, whose offense in 2016 led the league in points scored and helped the team reach Super Bowl LI. Shanahan became the head coach of the 49ers the following season, whom he has led to four playoff runs, three division titles, four NFC Championship Games, and two Super Bowl appearances in Super Bowl LIV and Super Bowl LVIII.
The 1968 season was the Chicago Bears' 49th in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their 7–6–1 record from 1967 and finished with a 7–7 record under first-year head coach Jim Dooley and earning them a second-place finish in the Central Division within the NFL's Western Conference, a game behind the Minnesota Vikings.
Tommy Lee Hart is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at Morris Brown College.
The 1970 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 33rd year with the National Football League and the 25th season in Los Angeles. The team looked to improve on its 11-3 record from 1969. However, the Rams missed their mark by two games, and finished with a respectable 9-4-1 record. Despite the winning record, the team missed the playoffs for the 2nd time in 3 seasons.
James Andrew Tomsula is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Rhein Fire of the European League of Football (ELF). Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe and the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). Tomsula was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead. Attending Catawba College, he played defensive end from 1987 to 1990, after transferring from Middle Tennessee State University after the 1986 season. At Catawba College, Tomsula made 109 tackles in two seasons.
Arik Armstead is an American football defensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon and was drafted by the 49ers in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Christian Jackson McCaffrey, also known by the initials CMC, is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Carolina Panthers eighth overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. As a sophomore in 2015, McCaffrey was named AP College Football Player of the Year and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He holds the NCAA record for most all-purpose yards in a season, with 3,864.
George Krieger Kittle is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa and was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is a five-time Pro Bowler and was a First-team All-Pro in 2019 and 2023.
Ke'Aundre J'Quan "Dre" Greenlaw is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arkansas and was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Brock Purdy is an American football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, becoming that year's Mr. Irrelevant.
Milton Jackson was an American football coach for 26 seasons. He had different coaching positions for the California Golden Bears, Oregon Ducks, UCLA Bruins, San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Oilers, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens. Also, he was drafted in the 7th round (170), by the San Francisco 49ers but did not play for them. Instead, he played for the San Jose Apaches, and Sacramento Capitols.
 | This article relating to an American football season is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
