Fred Dean Helped Propel 49ers To Dynasty

The story of legendary defensive end Fred Dean is one that parallels the rise of the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen; the Eddie De Bartolo-led San Francisco 49ers.

It’s a story of how a losing team, with players not highly regarded, could start a nearly 20-year dynasty that was feared as the most-lethal in the NFL for many years.

It’s also the story of a cerebral coach, who was incorrectly viewed as being not-tough-enough for the NFL.

It was the story of a skinny quarterback from Notre Dame, who didn’t throw the longest or hardest, but he threw touchdowns, and won games.

It was a come-back tale that avoided the San Francisco franchise eventually relocating.

This dynasty was better than the Pittsburgh Steelers' four Super Bowl dynasty. Better than the Dallas Cowboys' three Super Bowl run. Better than the New England Patriots' three Super Bowl run

Oh, yeah, that one.

Even better than the vastly over-valued Green Bay Packers' (before-the-leagues-merged) two Super Bowls.

You don't get to claim a dynasty unless you win four post-merger titles in a single decade.

Sorry Packer fans, you are free to vent with four-letter words, e-mails with the middle finger playing a prominent role, and, of course, let’s not forget some of your fans’ threats to guys like me who have little respect for Packerville.

(It must be the milk.)

Anyway, how did the 49ers end up with Dean—one of the greatest all-time pass rushers?

Or, a better question: How could San Diego be so stupid to trade away a great player for a paltry second-round pick?

You might think Dean would have balked at going to a team that went 2-14, 2-14, and 6-10 in the past three seasons.

Well, Dean wasn't displeased.

"... He describes the feeling as a breath of fresh air, and a rich, rewarding breath it turned out to be as he earned pro sports' greatest prize–a Super Bowl ring–twice in little more than three years, …” states authors Michael W. Tuckman and Jeff Shultz in The San Francisco 49ers: Team of the Decade—The Inside Story of How They Came from Nowhere to Win Four Super Bowls.

If you were aware of football in 1981, you’ll remember Dean’s immediate and unforgettable impact on the field.

If you weren’t alive, or too young to remember, or if somehow you haven’t heard, let me tell you this: Dean’s impact vastly ratcheted up San Francisco’s game.

The “holy ****!” effect was dramatic.

Viewed as undersized, he was undeterred. All he did was create the edge rusher, some said he was the original “freak.”

One word definitely defines him: revolutionary.

Although he had only a few practices under his belt before he hit the field in 1981 against the Cowboys, Dean made Danny White’s day a miserable one as he sacked the hated Cowboy three time, hurried him numerous other times, and batted down two passes.

Even legendary coach Bill Walsh credited Dean with bringing something extra to the 49ers—something the 49ers had lacked.

In short, Dean helped to propel the team to Super Bowl glory.

Don’t you ever let anyone tell you the 49ers of that era were a finesse team. That’s cow manure, and the topic for a future post.

The cathartic win over the Tom Landry-led Cowboys was one of the most thrilling for me, because it erased losing twice to the Cowboys in the playoffs in the early 1970s.

Next up was the Los Angeles Rams, my late brother’s favorite team.

I despised them more than the Cowboys.When the Rams would win, I would spit nails. In our house, this was warfare.

It was an understatement to say my blood ran 49ers’ red (not crimson), and my brother’s ran L.A. blue.

(When can the 49ers return to the old color?)

On game day, I dressed up in all my regalia, ready to jinx the Rams into never neverland.

However, the ’Niners didn’t need my help, as Dean unleashed his ferociousness on Pat Haden, sacking him five times in a 20-17 victory.

This game was even more cathartic for me because it not only was a victory over the detestable Rams, but it was L.A.’s first—that’s correct, the first—defeat at Candlestick Park.

For you young Bleacher Report fans, Candlestick opened in 1971.

Soon after the Dallas game, and certainly after the Los Angeles game, signs began appearing that stated “Dean-Fense.”

At that time, the real North Coast of California was about a seven-hour drive away from my home in a forested valley; however, all over Humboldt County, new San Francisco fans could be spotted because they were now wearing brand-new caps, sweatshirts, T-shirts, and coats.

It kind of pissed off 49ers Faithful like me who had suffered through the horrific play that lasted about seven years.

For his sensational play leading to San Francisco’s first Super Bowl, Dean was named UPI Defensive Player of the Year—while only playing 11 games for the 49ers in a 16-game season.

He continued to play at a high level.

In 1983, he achieved a career-high (and an NFC-leading) 17 sacks.

Six of those came against the New Orleans Saints, setting (at that time) an NFL single-game record for sacks by a single player.

Although nearing the end of his career, Dean was still utilized by the 49ers in their 1984 Super Bowl run.

By the time he retired, he had 93 sacks, two All-Pro selections (one with each team), four Pro Bowl appearances (two with each team) and four all-conference selections.

One anecdotal note: My brother, thinking the 49ers' victorious 1981 season was a one-time wonder, thought he would “honor” Dean by naming our turkey at our parents’ Thanksgiving dinner “Fred Dean.”

It was not Fred. Or Dean.

It was Fred Dean.

At first, I was really pissed at my brother for attempting to humiliate me by saying the 49ers would choke in the playoffs again, as they had three times in the early 1970s, but my Dad—a Steelers fan—went along with it.

I wasn’t impressed, but revenge was mine as the 49ers that season won their first Super Bowl and went on to be the first team to win five Lombardis.

The last laugh was mine.

Now that memory is bittersweet, as my Dad recently passed away, and my brother passed on in 1992.

My Mom, who passed away about three years ago, used to try to keep the peace.

But, deep inside, she was a San Francisco fan, since that was her favorite city.

So the memory, the smiles, the laughter, and the knowledge that Fred Dean, All-Pro defensive end, helped make the laughingstock 49ers the greatest-ever NFL dynasty live on in my heart.

It seems appropriate to end this column by noting that Dean was voted into the NFL Hall of Fame. His career shows that statistics do not always define a player.

Sometimes, a player’s presence and play on the field transcend what sports “know-it-alls” (know-nothings) cannot see in the statistics years later.