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Revision as of 15:33, 23 July 2023

1981 San Francisco 49ers season
OwnerEdward J. DeBartolo Jr.
General managerBill Walsh
Head coachBill Walsh
Home fieldCandlestick Park
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st NFC West
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Giants) 38–24
Won NFC Championship
(vs. Cowboys) 28–27
Won Super Bowl XVI
(vs. Bengals) 26–21
Uniform
The 49ers playing against the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.

The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh.

The 49ers were 13–3 in the regular season for their first winning season in five years and first playoff appearance in nine years. The franchise's most successful season to date, it was considered to be "the birth of a dynasty",[1] when the 49ers began a decade of dominance over much of the NFL. The 49ers drew an average home attendance of 54,398 in the 1981 season.

The 49ers won Super Bowl XVI, defeating the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals 26–21. It was the first of five Super Bowl victories in franchise history, all within the next thirteen seasons. From 1981 to 1997, the 49ers would have thirteen NFC West titles, eight NFC top seeds, and seven seasons with the NFL's best regular season record.

Third-year quarterback Joe Montana began the 1981 season as the starter, and produced two fourth-quarter comeback victories. His signature game of the season was the NFC Championship Game, which culminated in "The Catch", a last-minute touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark, propelling the 49ers to victory over Dallas, and a berth in their first Super Bowl. The 49ers were undefeated in their first five Super Bowls.

Offseason

NFL Draft

A turning point for the franchise was the drafting of safety Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California, later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Main article: 1981 NFL Draft
1981 San Francisco 49ers Draft
Round Selection Player Position College Notes
1 8 Ronnie Lott CB USC
2 36 John Harty DT Iowa from Washington
Traded to the Bears
40 Eric Wright CB Missouri from Chicago
3 65 Carlton Williamson SS Pittsburgh
4 Traded to the Cowboys
5 121 Lynn Thomas CB Pittsburgh
122 Arrington Jones RB Winston-Salem State from Chicago
6 147 Pete Kugler DT Penn State
7 Traded to the Eagles
8 203 Garry White RB Minnesota
9 Traded to the Bengals
10 Traded to the Colts
11 286 Ron DeBose TE UCLA
12 313 Major Ogilvie RB Alabama
322 Joe Adams QB Tennessee State from Pittsburgh
Source:[2]

Training Camp

The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Red Morten Park in Redwood City, California.

Personnel

Staff

1981 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Bill Walsh

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Al Vermeil

Roster

1981 San Francisco 49ers roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Source:[3][4]

Preseason

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 August 5 at Seattle Seahawks W 27–24 (OT) 1–0 Kingdome 56,958 Recap
2 August 15 San Diego Chargers L 28–31 1–1 Candlestick Park 41,667 Recap
3 August 22 Seattle Seahawks W 24–22 2–1 Candlestick Park 37,563 Recap
4 August 29 at Oakland Raiders L 7–21 2–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 51,192 Recap

Regular season

With the offense in good shape, Walsh and the 49ers focused on overhauling the defense in 1981. Walsh took the highly unusual step of overhauling his entire secondary with rookies and untested players, bringing on board Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson and giving Dwight Hicks a prominent role. He also acquired veteran linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds and veteran defensive lineman and sack specialist Fred Dean.

These new additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner, turned the 49ers into a dominant team. After a 1–2 start, the 49ers won all but one of their final games to finish with a 13–3 record, easily the best record in the team's history. Additionally, the 49ers defense yielded more than 20 points in only three games. Dean and Hicks made the Pro Bowl. The 49ers selection of Lott in the 1981 NFL Draft proved to be a seminal one. In addition to making the NFC Pro Bowl roster, Lott was voted First-Team All-Pro and received nods from all 5 newspapers that voted, a significant honor for a rookie. Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the only other rookie from the 1981 NFL Draft to achieve this unanimous selection to the First Team All-Pro unit.

Led by Montana, the unusual offense was centered around the short passing game, which Walsh used as ball control. Both Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon had excellent years receiving; Clark as the possession receiver, and Solomon as more of a deep threat. The 49ers running game, however, was among the weakest for any champion in NFL history. Ricky Patton led the 49ers with only 543 yards rushing. The 49ers' most valuable running back, however, might have been Earl Cooper, whose strength was as a pass-catching back (he had 51 catches during the season).

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 6 at Detroit Lions L 17–24 0–1 Pontiac Silverdome 63,710 Recap
2 September 13 Chicago Bears W 28–17 1–1 Candlestick Park 49,520 Recap
3 September 20 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–34 1–2 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 56,653 Recap
4 September 27 New Orleans Saints W 21–14 2–2 Candlestick Park 44,433 Recap
5 October 4 at Washington Redskins W 30–17 3–2 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 51,843 Recap
6 October 11 Dallas Cowboys W 45–14 4–2 Candlestick Park 57,574 Recap
7 October 18 at Green Bay Packers W 13–3 5–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 50,171 Recap
8 October 25 Los Angeles Rams W 20–17 6–2 Candlestick Park 59,190 Recap
9 November 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–14 7–2 Three Rivers Stadium 52,878 Recap
10 November 8 Atlanta Falcons W 17–14 8–2 Candlestick Park 59,127 Recap
11 November 15 Cleveland Browns L 12–15 8–3 Candlestick Park 52,455 Recap
12 November 22 at Los Angeles Rams W 33–31 9–3 Anaheim Stadium 63,456 Recap
13 November 29 New York Giants W 17–10 10–3 Candlestick Park 57,186 Recap
14 December 6 at Cincinnati Bengals W 21–3 11–3 Riverfront Stadium 56,796 Recap
15 December 13 Houston Oilers W 28–6 12–3 Candlestick Park 55,707 Recap
16 December 20 at New Orleans Saints W 21–17 13–3 Louisiana Superdome 43,639 Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 at Detroit Lions

Week One: San Francisco 49ers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 3 01417
Lions 0 10 01424

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Game information

Week 2 vs. Chicago Bears

Week Two: Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 10 7017
49ers 7 7 7728

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 3 at Atlanta Falcons

Week Three: San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 10 0717
Falcons 17 7 10034

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta

Game information

Joe Montana was intercepted twice in 34 passes (24 completed) as the Niners fell to the Falcons for the eleventh time in the last eight seasons.

Week 4 vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Four: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 0 0714
49ers 0 7 7721

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 5 at Washington Redskins

Week Five: San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 14 10 6030
Redskins 0 3 01417

at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Game information

Week 6 vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week Six: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 0714
49ers 21 3 14745

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 7 at Green Bay Packers

Week Seven: San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 3 7313
Packers 0 3 003

at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee

Game information

Week 8 vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week Eight: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 0 10 7017
49ers 14 3 3020

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Nine: San Francisco 49ers at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 10 0717
Steelers 0 0 14014

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh

Game information

Week 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Ten: Atlanta Falcons at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 7714
49ers 0 10 0717

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 11 vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Eleven: Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 2 3 01015
49ers 0 6 6012

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

The Niners’ winning streak ended in a battle of six combined field goals. Opposing quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Montana combined for 393 yards, three interceptions, and an average passer rating of 56.

Week 12 at Los Angeles Rams

Week Twelve: San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 3 7 17633
Rams 0 17 7731

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Game information

The game lead tied or changed eight times as the Rams wound up using quarterbacks Dan Pastorini and Pat Haden while running back Mike Guman threw a seven-yard touchdown to Preston Dennard. Amos Lawrence opened the third quarter by scoring on the opening kickoff and Ronnie Lott scored after intercepting Pastorini.

Week 13 vs. New York Giants

Week Thirteen: New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 3 0710
49ers 7 7 0317

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 14 at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Fourteen: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 7 0721
Bengals 0 3 003

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati

Game information

Week 15 vs. Houston Oilers

Week Fifteen: Houston Oilers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Oilers 0 0 066
49ers 0 0 21728

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Week 16 at New Orleans Saints

Week Sixteen: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 7 0721
Saints 14 0 3017

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans

Game information

Game officials

Preseason

Week Opponent Referee Umpire Head Linesman Line Judge Back Judge Side Judge Field Judge
1 at Seattle Seahawks (7) (12) (10) (19) (16) (8) (11)
2 San Diego Chargers
3 Seattle Seahawks (10) (7) (22) (14) (5) (19) (20)
4 at Oakland Raiders

Regular season

Week Opponent Referee Umpire Head Linesman Line Judge Back Judge Side Judge Field Judge
1 at Detroit Lions (19) Tom Dooley (12) Dave Hamilton (7) Tony Veteri (20) Jim Osborne (9) Banks Williams (8) Grover Klemmer (14) Jack Vaughan
2 Chicago Bears (15) Bob Frederic (3) Lou Palazzi (17) Jerry Bergman (16) Bob Beeks (20) Bob Swanson (14) Ron Murphy (6) Don Hakes
3 at Atlanta Falcons (14) Gene Barth (5) Bob Boylston (18) Burl Toler (3) Bob McLaughlin (15) J.W. Sanders (9) Dean Look (7) Fritz Graf
4 New Orleans Saints (7) Fred Silva (15) Ralph Morcroft (20) Frank Glover (19) Vern Marshall (12) Jim Kearney (22) Merrill Douglas (10) Don Orr
5 at Washington Redskins (20) Gordon McCarter (22) Ron Botchan (14) Earnie Frantz (9) Jack Fette (10) Jimmy Rosser (18) Ron DeSouza (11) Armen Terzian
6 Dallas Cowboys (3) Jim Tunney (8) Pat Harder (25) Sid Semon (8) Dick McKenzie (11) Pat Knight (5) Gil Mace (24) Johnny Grier
7 vs. Green Bay Packers (at Milwaukee) (12) Ben Dreith (10) Tom Myers (8) Dale Williams (11) Bill Reynolds (8) Don Wedge (4) Ed Ward (16) Pat Mallette
8 Los Angeles Rams (4) Pat Haggerty (9) Dave Moss (10) Terry Gierke (24) Walt Peters (16) Jim Poole (15) Dick Creed (18) Bob Lewis
9 at Pittsburgh Steelers (15) Bob Frederic (3) Lou Palazzi (17) Jerry Bergman (16) Bob Beeks (20) Bill Swanson (14) Ron Murphy (6) Don Hakes
10 Atlanta Falcons (11) Fred Wyant (19) Tom Hensley (6) Ed Marion (4) Wilson Gosier (18) Dick Hantak (25) Vince Jacob (12) Bob Wortman
11 Cleveland Browns (18) Chuck Heberling (11) Gordon Wells (15) Ray Dodez (17) Dale Orem (14) Al Jury (24) Duwayne Gandy (19) Charley Musser
12 at Los Angeles Rams (8) Red Cashion (14) Art Demmas (16) Jack Johnson (25) Neil Gereb (4) Ben Tompkins (3) Nate Jones (15) Dick Ferguson
13 New York Giants (9) Jerry Markbreit (17) Ed Fiffick (12) Dale Hamer (15) Bama Glass (7) Tom Kelleher (6) Willie Spencer (5) Bill Stanley
14 at Cincinnati Bengals (17) Jerry Seeman (20) Frank Sinkovitz (3) Leo Miles (6) John Leimbach (23) Paul Baetz (7) Bill Quinby (9) Bill O'Brien
15 Houston Oilers (6) Dick Jorgensen (4) John Keck (9) Ligouri Hagerty (22) Boyce Smith (17) Roy Clymer (16) Royal Cathcart (3) Dick Dolack
16 at New Orleans Saints (14) Gene Barth (5) Bob Boylston (18) Burl Toler (3) Bob McLaughlin (15) J.W. Sanders (9) Dean Look (7) Fritz Graf

Standings

NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
San Francisco 49ers(1) 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10-2 357 250 W5
Atlanta Falcons 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 426 355 L3
Los Angeles Rams 6 10 0 .375 2–4 5–7 303 351 L1
New Orleans Saints 4 12 0 .250 2–4 2–10 207 378 L4

Final statistics

Statistical comparison

San Francisco 49ers Opponents
First downs 317 280
First downs rushing 110 113
First downs passing 183 144
First downs penalty 24 23
Third down efficiency 114/259 87/224
Fourth down efficiency 0/0 0/0
Net yards rushing 1941 1918
Rushing attempts 560 454
Yards per rush 3.5 4.1
Passing – Completions/attempts 328/517 273/514
Times sacked-total yards 29–223 36–290
Interceptions thrown 13 27
Net yards passing 3543 2845
Total net yards 5484 4763
Punt returns-total yards 48–344 57–664
Kickoff returns-total yards 45–909 67–1389
Interceptions-total return yards 27–448 13–297
Punts-average yardage 93–41.5 83–41.4
Fumbles-lost 26–12 36–21
Penalties-total yards 92–752 108–866
Time of possession 31:38 28:22
Turnovers 25 48

Quarter-by-quarter

49ers Quarter-by-quarter
1 2 3 4 T
49ers 80 100 88 89 357
Opponents 40 76 55 79 250

Individual leaders

49ers Passing
C/ATT1 Yds TD INT Rating
Montana 311/488 3565 19 12 88.4
Benjamin 15/26 171 1 1 74.4
Solomon 1/1 25 0 0 118.8
Easley 1/1 5 0 0 87.5
Clark 0/1 0 0 0 39.6
49ers Rushing
Car2 Yds TD LG3 Yds/Car
Patton 152 543 4 28 3.6
Cooper 98 330 1 23 3.4
Davis 94 297 7 14 3.2
Easley 76 224 1 9 2.9
Hofer 60 193 1 12 3.2
Ring 22 106 0 16 4.8
Montana 25 95 2 20 3.8
Lawrence 13 48 1 14 3.7
Solomon 9 43 0 16 4.8
Clark 3 32 0 18 10.7
Elliott 7 29 0 9 4.1
Benjamin 1 1 0 1 1.0
49ers Receiving
Rec4 Yds TD LG3 Yds/Rec
Clark 85 1105 4 78 13.0
Solomon 59 969 8 60 16.4
Cooper 51 477 0 50 9.4
Young 37 400 5 29 10.8
Hofer 27 244 0 22 9.0
Patton 27 195 1 31 7.2
Wilson 9 125 1 27 13.9
Easley 9 62 0 21 6.9
Elliott 7 81 0 19 11.6
Ramson 4 45 0 16 11.3
Ring 3 28 1 21 9.3
Shumann 3 21 0 8 7.0
Lawrence 3 10 0 5 3.3
Davis 3 –1 0 3 –0.3
Peets 1 5 0 5 5.0
49ers Interception
Int5 Yds TD LG3 Y/Int
Hicks 9 239 1 72 26.6
Lott 7 117 3 41 16.7
Williamson 4 44 0 28 11.0
Wright 3 26 0 26 8.7
McColl 1 22 0 22 22.0
Martin 1 0 0 0 0
Reynolds 1 0 0 0 0
Turner 1 0 0 0 0
49ers Punts
Pnt6 Yds LG3 Blck Y/P
Miller 93 3858 65 0 41.5
49ers Kickoff Returns
Rt7 Yds TD LG3 Y/Rt
Lawrence 17 437 1 92 25.7
Ring 10 217 0 29 21.7
Lott 7 111 0 20 15.9
Wilson 4 67 0 22 16.8
Jones 3 43 0 22 14.3
Hicks 1 22 0 22 22.0
Ramson 1 12 0 12 12.0
Davis 1 0 0 0 0.0
Patton 1 0 0 0 0.0
49ers Punt Returns
Rt8 Yds TD LG3 Y/Rt
Solomon 29 173 0 19 6.0
Hicks 19 171 0 39 9.0
49ers Extra Points
XP XPA XP%
Wersching 30 30 100
Bahr 12 12 100
49ers Field Goals
1–19 20–29 30–39 40–49 50+ FG FGA FG%
Wersching 2–2 7–7 4–7 4–7 17 23 73.9
Bahr 0–2 0–1 2–3 2 6 33.9

1Completions/attempts 2Carries 3Long gain 4Receptions 5Interceptions 6Punts 7Kickoff Returns 8Punt Returns

Postseason

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
Divisional January 3, 1982 New York Giants (5) W 38–24 1–0 Candlestick Park 58,360 Recap
NFC Championship January 10, 1982 Dallas Cowboys (2) W 28–27 2–0 Candlestick Park 60,525 Recap
Super Bowl XVI January 24, 1982 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (A1) W 26–21 3–0 Pontiac Silverdome 81,270 Recap

NFC Divisional Playoff

The Giants were making their first appearance in the postseason since 1963. First-year starting quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers to victory in his debut playoff game, completing 20 of 31 passes for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. His top target in the game was receiver Dwight Clark, who caught 5 passes for 104 yards.

NFC Divisional Playoff: New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 3 7724
49ers 7 17 01438

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

NFC Championship Game

Main article: The Catch (American football)

The 49ers were making their third appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Their opponent was their opponent for the two previous NFC Championship Games-the Dallas Cowboys. In both previous matches, the 49ers had lost the game. The game is remembered for "The Catch".

The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight—Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Dwight Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab. Future New England Patriots/Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area, attended the game as a four-year-old. The 49ers were victorious despite an astonishing six turnovers, including three interceptions by Joe Montana.

A photograph of the catch, with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls reaching out to try to block the ball, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated the following week.

NFC Championship Game: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 10 7 01027
49ers 7 7 7728

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Game information

Super Bowl XVI

Super Bowl XVI: San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 7 13 0626
Bengals 0 0 71421

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Game information

Game officials

Round Opponent Referee Umpire Head Linesman Line Judge Back Judge Side Judge Field Judge Alternates
NFC Divisional Playoff New York Giants (12) Ben Dreith (12) Dave Hamilton (15) Ray Dodez (9) Jack Fette (9) Banks Williams (4) Ed Ward (14) Jack Vaughn (16) Jack Johnson
NFC Championship Game Dallas Cowboys (3) Jim Tunney (5) Bob Boylston (6) Ed Marion (16) Bob Beeks (5) Ray Douglas (9) Dean Look (20) Ed Merrifield (20) Gordon McCarter
(9) Dave Moss
Super Bowl XVI vs. Cincinnati Bengals (at Pontiac, Michigan) (4) Pat Haggerty (7) Al Conway (17) Jerry Bergman (16) Bob Beeks (20) Bill Swanson (19) Bob Rice (6) Don Hakes (14) Gene Barth
(8) Pat Harder

Awards and records

1982 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl

Main article: 1982 Pro Bowl
Number Player Position Conference
87 Dwight Clark WR NFC Pro Bowlers
51 Randy Cross RG, Starter NFC Pro Bowlers
74 Fred Dean DE NFC Pro Bowlers
22 Dwight Hicks S NFC Pro Bowlers
42 Ronnie Lott RCB, Starter NFC Pro Bowlers
16 Joe Montana QB, Starter NFC Pro Bowlers

[6]

Media

Pre season Local TV

Channel Play-by-play Color commentator(s)
KPIX-TV 5

Local Radio

Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator(s) Sideline reporter(s)
KCBS–AM 740 Don Klein Wayne Walker

References

  1. ^ "Remembering the Silverdome and the 49er dynasty".
  2. ^ "1981 San Francisco 49ers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. ^ "1981 San Francisco 49ers starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  4. ^ "Team rosters". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). January 23, 1982. p. 12.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s San Francisco 49ers 2015 Media Guide. San Francisco 49ers. p. 448.
  6. ^ San Francisco 49ers 2015 Media Guide. San Francisco 49ers. p. 517.
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