1952 San Francisco 49ers season
| 1952 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Buck Shaw |
| Home field | Kezar Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–5 |
| Division place | 3rd NFL National |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1952 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's third season in the NFL and their seventh overall; they were coming off a 7–4–1 record in 1951.
The 49ers won their first five games by at least two touchdowns and had visions of playing in their first-ever NFL Championship Game. However, they lost five of their final seven games to finish at 7–5, third place in the six-team National Conference (which became the Western Conference in 1953).
Y. A. Tittle emerged as the starting quarterback, as he had a completion rate of 51.0% along with eleven touchdowns and 1,407 yards. Frankie Albert also had some action, completing 55.0% of his passes, along with eight TDs and 964 yards.
Joe Perry rushed for a team-high 725 yards and eight TDs, while rookie Hugh McElhenny had 684 yards on 98 attempts (7.0 yards/carry), along with six rushing TDs, while he caught 26 passes for 367 yards and earned another three touchdowns. Gordie Soltau led the club with 55 receptions for 774 yards and seven TDs.
Offseason
NFL Draft
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Regular season
Schedule
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | September 28 | Detroit Lions | 3–17 | San Francisco 49ers | 1–0–0 | 52,750 |
| 2 | October 4 | San Francisco 49ers | 37–14 | Dallas Texans | 2–0–0 | 12,566 |
| 3 | October 12 | San Francisco 49ers | 28–0 | Detroit Lions | 3–0–0 | 42,842 |
| 4 | October 19 | San Francisco 49ers | 40–16 | Chicago Bears | 4–0–0 | 46,338 |
| 5 | October 26 | Dallas Texans | 21–48 | San Francisco 49ers | 5–0–0 | 26,887 |
| 6 | November 2 | Chicago Bears | 20–17 | San Francisco 49ers | 5–1–0 | 58,255 |
| 7 | November 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 14–23 | New York Giants | 5–2–0 | 54,230 |
| 8 | November 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 23–17 | Washington Redskins | 6–2–0 | 30,863 |
| 9 | November 23 | San Francisco 49ers | 9–35 | Los Angeles Rams | 6–3–0 | 64,450 |
| 10 | November 30 | Los Angeles Rams | 34–21 | San Francisco 49ers | 6–4–0 | 49,420 |
| 11 | December 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24–7 | San Francisco 49ers | 6–5–0 | 13,886 |
| 12 | December 14 | Green Bay Packers | 14–24 | San Francisco 49ers | 7–5–0 | 17,579 |
Standings
| NFL National Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 7–3 | 344 | 192 | W3 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 8–2 | 349 | 234 | W8 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–3 | 285 | 221 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 3–6 | 295 | 312 | L3 | |
| Chicago Bears | 5 | 7 | 0 | .417 | 4–6 | 245 | 326 | W1 | |
| Dallas Texans | 1 | 11 | 0 | .083 | 1–9 | 182 | 427 | L2 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Pro Bowl
San Francisco's players selected for the Pro Bowl:
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Hardy Brown | Linebacker |
| Ed Henke | Defensive Line |
| Bill Johnson | Offensive Line |
| Hugh McElhenny | Running Back |
| Leo Nomellini | Defensive Line |
| Joe Perry | Running Back |
| Gordie Soltau | Wide Receiver |
References
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 398