My Favorite Team of All-Time: The 1994 49ers

For a long time, I didn’t look to actors, musicians or athletes as heroic or inspirational. Well, that is until I came across a left-handed, Fran Tarkenton-like scrambling quarterback named Steve Young.

Young reminded me of one of my other favorite athletes, Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Young, like Stockton, was not flamboyant and he didn’t do things to draw attention to himself; rather, he let his play on the field speak for him.

Naturally, my fondness for Steve Young pushed me into the San Francisco 49ers fandom. Each Niners victory and defeat sent me on a roller coaster of emotions and any loss to the Dallas Cowboys was twice as jarring.

Fortunately, when Steve Young took over the helm from Joe Montana, the 49ers were a good team, but they were on the verge of being a great team, again.

The 1993-1994 season was a giant step for the post-Montana 49ers; unfortunately, their season ended after a 17-point shellacking courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys. That season and in particular, that conference championship loss crystallized everything that naysayers said about Steve Young.

To them, he wasn’t prolific enough, he ran too much, he couldn’t win the so-called ‘big game,’ and above all else, he was not Joe Montana.

As a team, the 49ers weren’t balanced: they possessed the highest-scoring offense and a middling, at best, defense.

Sensing their nearness to a championship, front office honchos Carmen Policy and Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., left no big-name defensive player stone unturned, adding Rickey Jackson, Gary Plummer, Richard Dent, Deion Sanders, and Ken Norton.

Armed with a robust offense and a newly augmented defensive unit, the 1994-95 version of the 49ers managed to turn potential into payoff. And, the sea change was instantaneous.

Minus a 40-8 hiccup against Philadelphia, the 49ers played consistently throughout the season and into the playoffs, ending the regular season with a 13-3 record.

What’s more, the defensive acquisitions paid off, the 49ers defense ended the season ranked in the top 10.

Once again, the Niners high-octane offense ranked first in the league, which left even the most seasoned spectators aghast.

“In all my years in football, it is the most impressive offense I have seen,” said Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram.

The 49ers opened their playoff run with a 44-15 victory over the Chicago Bears, which set up another showdown with the Dallas Cowboys. This time, the 49ers overcame the Cowboys 38-28, avenging the previous year’s conference championship loss.

The San Diego Chargers, a team engineered by Bobby Beathard, coached by Bobby Ross and led by perennial All-Pro Junior Seau, was the only thing that stood in between the Niners and realized greatness.

Not surprisingly, the Niners were the favored against San Diego, but their biggest opposition was seemingly, themselves.

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