The Other Dream Team: The 1994 San Francisco 49ers

It was a Sunday in 1994, and I was frantically searching our hotel room in Miami, Florida. I was tearing suitcases apart, ripping drawers open, and nervously pacing back and forth. I was in search of my lucky San Francisco 49er boxers. The Conference Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys was about to start, and my good luck charm was nowhere to be found. How would Jerry Rice run crisp routes, how would Ricky Watters break tackles, how could Deion Sanders high step if I wasn't following my routine, and wearing my boxers?
 
My favorite team of all-time was about to take the field, about to leave it all on the line. They were about to put in their blood, sweat, and tears, and here I was about to ruin everything. Needless to say, I never found those boxers. I was convinced the maid had a weird football fetish, and stored them away in a shrine of lust and pigskin. Lucky for me, the 49ers went on to beat Dallas in the Conference Championship game, and were eventually the Super Bowl Champs, defeating the San Diego Chargers.
 
The game couldn't have gone any better. My nerves were calmed by a 44-yard touchdown pass from Steve Young to Jerry Rice in the first quarter. SOMEONE must be wearing my boxers, I thought, which in any other case would have made me more nervous. Nonetheless, we won.

Steve Young put in six touchdown passes, and over 300 yards. He finished the season completing a little over 70% of his passes, with 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and was crowned the NFL MVP. It was a climatic finish to a dream season.
 
This team was a machine from start to finish. It was the kind of team you looked at, no matter if you liked them or not, and said, "they're good." With ten pro bowlers on the team, you could argue that they were comprised of some of the best players of all time. Offense and defense, it didn't matter where you looked, the 1994 San Francisco team was stacked.
 
How do you coach against this team? What aspect do you attack? If you focus on Ricky Waters and the running game, Jerry Rice is waiting, and vice versa.

The defense was no different. If you go to the ground, Dana Stubblefield, Bryant Young, and Ken Norton were the walls you had to pound through. If you went to the air, you had to out play Merton Hanks, Tim McDonald, and Neon Deion Sanders. Talk about frustrating. I can't really explain my passion for this team, other than tell you I'm from Detroit.
 
In Detroit, we are all technically Lions fans, but we're not stupid either. To better explain it, I always tell people that I hope the Lions win, but I'm not going to wait around for it to happen. I always grabbed on to another team, and the 49ers during this time period were my team. The other appeal for me was the players and personalities on the team. The three that stuck out were Deion Sanders, Steve Young, and Jerry Rice.
 
Deion Sanders is one of the most talked about players ever. From the time he was chosen fifth overall by the Atlanta Falcons with seemingly a whole jewelry store around his neck, to the high-stepping touchdowns; he was loved and hated at the same time. That year with the 49ers would be his only with the team, but arguably one of his best defensive showings ever. He racked up 6 interceptions, with 303 yards and 3 touchdowns off those interceptions.

I have no recollection of what happened to him after that season. I heard he was eaten by polar bears on an Antarctic excursion, either that or he went on to play for the Cowboys. Either seems plausible.

Steve Young was the first player selected in the 1985 supplemental draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the backup for another great in Joe Montana, and got his break when Montana was out for the entire 1991 season. Young went on to be inducted into the hall of fame in 2005, and now pays Chris Berman to follow him around and provide commentary for his everyday life.

Jerry Rice.....speaks for himself. He's Jerry Rice.
 
Overall this team was perfect in every aspect of the game. They were exciting to watch and fundamentally sound. They gave the fans everything they asked for and then some. That year the 1994 San Francisco 49ers became my favorite team of all time.

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