Walsh's Reign: 10 Milestone Regular Season Games for the 49ers from the 1980s
Thirty years ago this fall, the San Francisco 49ers made a stunning leap from mediocrity, winning their first NFC West crown in nine years en route to the first of five Super Bowl titles.
The 1980s provided countless amazing Niner moments—many of them during the regular season.
So, while waiting for the lawyers to untangle the NFL's torturous labor issues, let's stroll back to a decade of amazing moments. Here are 10 regular season games from the 80s that stand out from the rest.
Sept. 21, 1980: Joe's Cameo (49ers 37, NY Jets 27)
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Steve De Berg entered 1980 as the 49ers established starting quarterback, with Montana his unproven understudy.
Coming off back-to-back 2-14 seasons, the Niners opened 1980 with two straight wins. In Week 3 against the Jets at Shea Stadium, Walsh inserted Montana in situations specifically designed for the young, mobile QB.
Montana responded, passing for two touchdowns in a 37-27 win that made the 49ers 3-0.
Three weeks later, Montana got his first NFL start in place of a struggling De Berg. The Niners lost 31-17 to the Los Angeles Rams and went on to lose eight straight while De Berg and Montana rotated at QB.
Montana became the permanent starter later in the 1980 season.
Dec. 7, 1980: The Comeback (49ers 38, Saints 35)
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At the time, this was the greatest comeback in NFL regular season history.
Behind Archie Manning (for the curious, Peyton was four at the time; Eli wasn't born), the Saints bolted to a 35-7 halftime lead. The Niners looked cooked.
Montana's one-yard TD scamper and scoring passes of 71 yards to Dwight Clark and 14 yards to Freddie Solomon narrowed the deficit to a touchdown.
Lenvil Elliott tied the game late in regulation with a seven-yard TD run; Ray Wersching won it in overtime with a 36-yard field goal.
The Niners looked a bit more legit.
Oct. 11, 1981: Sweet Revenge (49ers 45, Cowboys 14)
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The Niners were seething when the Cowboys visited Candlestick a year after destroying San Francisco 59-14 at Texas Stadium.
Making matters worse, starting RB Paul Hofer suffered a severe knee injury during the 1980 blowout loss, effectively ending his career.
The Niners' Week 6 rout of Dallas was highlighted by two interceptions, one for a TD, by rookie CB Ronnie Lott.
Another story line arose from this game: disrespect. ABC's Monday Night Football coverage the following night excluded the 49er win from that week's halftime highlights (paranoiacs suspected manipulation by ABC, which was scheduled to air a MNF game involving the Cowboys a week later).
Two weeks later, San Francisco defeated the L.A. Rams 20-17 at Candlestick, their first home victory over the Rams in 15 years.
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Dec. 11, 1982: A Passing Circus (Chargers 41, 49ers 37)
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1982 was a cursed season for the NFL, shortened to nine games by a contract dispute between the owners and players.
It was also a bedeviling year for San Francisco. In their first title defense, the Niners finished 3-6 and missed the playoffs. Five of the six losses were by six points or less.
This loss was crushing, albeit wildly entertaining.
The Chargers brought a high-octane offense to Candlestick, scoring 30 or more points in six of their nine regular season games. The Niners were hampered by a terrible (28th ranked) rushing attack, inhibiting their ability to control the clock and protect fourth-quarter leads.
The game featured five lead changes, 57 first downs, eight TD passes (five by Fouts, three by Montana) and 1,003 yards of total offense. San Francisco overcame a 31-17 third quarter deficit and led 37-34 late in the fourth before Fouts hit Chuck Muncie with a short TD pass to cinch the win.
Dec. 19, 1983: No Accident (49ers 42, Dallas 17)
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The 1983 regular season ended on a Monday night against the Cowboys at Candlestick.
The stakes were huge: a win by San Francisco would clinch the NFC West and home field in the divisional playoffs. A loss would hand the division to the Rams.
As they had two seasons earlier, the Niners took Dallas apart. Montana tossed four TD passes, and cornerback Eric Wright returned a Danny White interception for a score.
This was the Niners' third straight victory over Dallas and another poke-in-the-eye at the haughty Cowboys, who still thought of themselves as America's Team.
And, with San Francisco having missed the 1982 playoffs, this win reaffirmed their status as a legitimate NFC power.
Oct. 14, 1984: Perfection Denied (Steelers 20, 49ers 17)
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This was the Niners' lone loss in an 18-1 campaign that ended with a blowout Super Bowl win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins, of course, remain the NFL's lone unbeaten champions (1972, 17-0). The Steelers ultimately prevented the Niners from having a shot at matching that record.
(Side note: the Steeler's QB, for those of you geeky enough to care, was Mark Malone, the current NFL game analyst)
Oct. 6, 1985: A Rice Sighting (49ers 38, Falcons 17)
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Niner-Falcon games during this decade were spirited affairs; Atlanta had dominated the NFC West before San Francisco wrested control in 1981.
The '85 49ers would fail to defend their Super Bowl title, losing in the Wild Card playoff round to the New York Giants. But, a guy named Rice caught his first touchdown pass during this otherwise-unremarkable blowout win over the Falcons.
That guy would score a couple hundred more before calling it quits.
Nov. 9, 1986: Joe's Back (49ers 43, St. Louis Cardinals 17)
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Eight weeks after undergoing back surgery, the two-time Super Bowl MVP was back quarterbacking the 49ers to a dominating win over the St. Louis (pre-Arizona) Cardinals.
Montana tossed TD passes of 40, 44 and 45 yards to Jerry Rice. Overall, he was 13-19 for 270 yards and the three scores. But the mere fact that he was playing so soon—it was generally assumed he would miss the rest of the season—amazed observers.
Trivia: In this game, defensive back Tom Holmoe returned a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown. Yes, younger readers, that's the same Tom Holmoe who formerly was Cal's football coach and is now BYU's athletic director.
Oct. 5, 1987: Niners Strike Back (49ers 41, NY Giants 21)
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Oooh! What could be better than a Monday Night Football matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Giants and two-time Super Bowl winner 49ers?
Actually, just about anything.
Two weeks after a labor dispute brought the NFL to a halt, the league decided to resume playing football—using the term "play" loosely—with replacement players.
While most clubs went through the motions filling their replacement rosters, the Niners actually scoured the marketplace for talent. And they dominated the "strike season," going 13-2.
The strike eventually ended and the "real" players returned. The Niners were pasted 36-24 by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC playoffs, and Eddie DeBartolo took away Bill Walsh's club presidency.
Walsh coached the team to its third Super Bowl title a year later, then resigned.
Trivia Buffs: who played quarterback for the Niners during this famously unforgettable game? Bob Gagliano. And the Giants? Jim Crocicchia, not to be confused with the famously-famous singer, Jim Croce.
Oct. 30, 1988: Staggering Forward (49ers 24, Vikings 21)
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This game featured Steve Young's memorable bob-and-weave, staggering-and-stumbling 49-yard touchdown run that brought San Francisco back from a fourth-quarter deficit.
It also avenged the 1987 NFC divisional playoff loss to the Vikings.
But there was a larger subtext to this game: it came amidst a "who's the quarterback" soap opera that raged for much of the 1988 season.
A week earlier, the Montana-quarterbacked Niners had lost 10-9 to Chicago on Monday Night Football. The offense reeked. Afterwards, Bill Walsh announced that Young would start against Minnesota.
Montana was rankled by the switch.
A week after the Minnesota win, Young and the 49ers blew a 23-0 second-half lead, losing 24-23 at Arizona. Montana started the next week and remained entrenched as the starter for another two seasons (and back-to-back Super Bowl triumphs).
Dec. 11, 1989: The Other Guy Shines (49ers 30, Rams 27)
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John Taylor was already an accomplished receiver; he had caught the Super Bowl-winning touchdown against Cincinnati a year earlier.
Before a national Monday Night Football audience,Taylor was the star in a dramatic win over the Rams.
Facing a 27-10 second-half deficit, the Niners rampaged back on the strength of 92 and 96-yard TD connections between Montana and Taylor.
A short Roger Craig TD run cinched the win.
Montana threw for 458 yards, but this night belonged to Taylor—the 49ers "other" receiver.
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