5 Biggest Collisions in San Francisco 49ers History

49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has been known to shake the cobwebs after a tackle or two.
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Football is a violent sport. It is not for the faint of heart.

Players know that every time they step onto the field of battle, pain and injury lurk in the shadows. Fans flock to stadiums across the country and stay glued to the television on Sundays to see that one play or one vicious hit that they can talk about on Mondays at the work water cooler and all through the work week. 

The San Francisco 49ers know all too well that to win, you must take the hits as well as you give them. The Niners have had their share of giving and dishing the punishment in the hopes of standing next to Lady Victory.

So with that, let's take a look at the top five biggest collisions in 49ers history. 

5. Terrell Owens Holds on to the Catch II

Former 49ers Terrell Owens' finest hour was holding onto a touchdown in a 1998 wild card win over Green Bay.
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At the time, former Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre called the 1998 wild card loss to the 49ers a game that "felt almost as big as the Super Bowl" and "one of the best games I've ever been associated with."

Too bad he was on the losing end.

The hit wasn't vicious, but former Niner wideout Terrell Owens hadn't caught much of anything all day. But by the end of that Sunday in early January 1999, he had gone over the middle of the field on a route he knew he'd get contact on. And he kept his eyes on Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young's pass that threaded two Packer defenders and into Owens' clutches for a miraculous touchdown.

Owens took a hit from both defenders and managed to hang on to what is now known in 49ers lore as "The Catch II."

Click here to see video of The Catch II. 

On a side note, Owens probably took a bigger hit doing something more foolish, following his second touchdown in a rivalry matchup against the Dallas Cowboys at old Texas Stadium in September 2000.

Click here to see video of Owens celebrating on the Dallas star.

4. Dashon Goldson Levels Tampa Bay's Mike Williams

49ers safety Dashon Goldson introduces Tampa Bay wide receiver Mike Williams to smashmouth football.
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The 2011 49ers defense has been a force to be reckoned with through nine games. The run defense is nearly impenetrable. And it was the pass defense that was supposed to be suspect.

However, the secondary of the Red and Gold have more than proved their mettle to withstand high-octane offenses that like to air it out. With wins over the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and New York Giants to their credit, San Francisco defensive backs and safeties are nothing to scoff at.

Safety Dashon Goldson put the league on notice that opposing receivers better have their heads on swivels. Just ask Buccaneers receiver Mike Williams, after his near decapitation in a Niner blowout of Tampa Bay in October 2011.

Click here to see video of Williams get laid out by Goldson.

3. Ronnie Lott Gives the Business to the Giants' Mark Bavaro

The 49ers' Ronnie Lott was one bad dude.
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Ronnie Lott once injured a finger on his hand so badly that he had it amputated so he could get back to the business of playing football.

He patrolled the secondary like a hawk and ran through wide receivers and tight ends daring to run through the middle like a freight train. Lott was feared and respected. And he liked to hit people.

Exhibit A: The New York Giants' Mark Bavaro took a wicked shot from Lott back in 1990.

Click here to see video of Lott drilling Bavaro.

2. Patrick Willis Sends Brad Smith to the Turf

49ers linebacker Patrick Willis is a fan favorite because he is considered a complete football player.
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Regarded by some as the best inside linebacker in the NFL, the 49ers' Patrick Willis doesn't just get praise from the fans and media. But his peers know how good he is too.

In 2011, the Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis, when asked which young linebackers remind him of himself, said, "I like a lot of them, but the one I talk to the most who I think kind of emulates me a lot is Patrick Willis. I just love the way he plays the game. He plays the game with a fire. He reminds me of myself—a lot, a lot, a lot. Not just on the field, but off the field. It would definitely have to be Pat."

Lewis is a heavy hitter, so his compliments of Willis assuredly come with some highlights of similar bone-crushing tackles. Just ask former New York Jets receiver Brad Smith.

Click here to see video of Willis taking down Smith. 

Willis also welcomed former Hall of Famer Brett Favre back to football after one of his more recent retirements.

Click here to see video of Willis planting Favre into the Stick.

1. Leonard Marshall Smashes Joe Montana

San Francisco legend Joe Montana took a vicious hit from the Giants' Leonard Marshall and both he and the 49ers were never the same after that.
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The 49ers were en route to a three-peat, after Super Bowl wins in 1988 and 1989, with a beatable Buffalo Bills squad awaiting them in the championship.

And then the wheels came off the bus and things were never the same.

With 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter with a 13-9 lead, the 49ers were starting their victory march. Montana took a snap and rolled right trying to buy time for a receiver to get open.

And then Leonard Marshall crushed him, leading Montana to suffer a bruised sternum and cracked ribs.

New York would get two field goals down the stretch and defeat San Francisco and move on to win Super Bowl XXV. The 49ers would move on to the Steve Young era, after Montana suffered a lingering elbow injury and eventually moved onto to Kansas City before retiring.

Click here to see video of Montana getting blindsided.