| 1994 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. |
| Head Coach | George Seifert |
| General Manager | John McVay and Carmen Policy |
| Offensive Coordinator | Mike Shanahan |
| Defensive Coordinator | Ray Rhodes |
| Home Field | Candlestick Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff Finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Bears) 44–15 Won NFC Championship (vs. Cowboys) 38–28 Won Super Bowl XXIX (vs. Chargers) 49–26 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Steve Young RB Ricky Watters WR Jerry Rice TE Brent Jones OG Jesse Sapolu C Bart Oates DT Dana Stubblefield CB Deion Sanders FS Merton Hanks SS Tim McDonald |
| AP All-Pros | QB Steve Young RB Ricky Watters WR Jerry Rice TE Brent Jones T Steve Wallace G Jesse Sapolu C Bart Oates DT Dana Stubblefield CB Deion Sanders SS Tim McDonald FS Merton Hanks |
| Uniform | |
 | |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 1993 | 1995 |
The 1994 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), the 49th overall and their sixth under head coach George Seifert.
This season was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference championship games, the 49ers made significant acquisitions in the 1994 free agent market. This included the signing of two-sport star Deion Sanders and Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. Sanders had a major impact on the team's success, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and recording six interceptions. The 49ers won their division, the NFC West, for the eighth time in nine seasons.
Quarterback Steve Young had his best NFL season and won his second MVP award. Young set what was, at the time, the NFL record for highest passer rating in a season – 112.8. Cold Hard Football Facts states that Young's 1994 season is the second greatest passing season in NFL history, behind only Joe Montana's 1989 season.
For the third consecutive season, the 49ers met the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game. From the mid-1980s until the latter 1990s, the AFC was widely regarded as the NFL's weaker conference. At the time of this conference championship game, AFC teams had lost the previous 10 Super Bowls in a row, starting with Super Bowl XIX after the 1984 season. All but two of those losses were by at least 10 points; five of them were by more than 20 points. As a result, the NFC Championship meeting between the Niners and Cowboys was dubbed by many as "the real Super Bowl." The contest was one of the highest rated non-Super Bowl games in NFL history.
The 49ers beat the Cowboys and went on to defeat the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX. Young was named the game's MVP after throwing a record six touchdown passes.
The 1994 49ers ranked #19 on the 100 greatest teams of all time presented by the NFL on its 100th anniversary. As of the 2022 NFL season, this is the last Super Bowl the 49ers have won.
NFL Draft[]
| Round | Pick # | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Bryant Young | Defensive Tackle | Notre Dame |
| 1 | 28 | William Floyd | Running Back | Florida State |
| 2 | 53 | Kevin Mitchell | Linebacker | Syracuse |
| 2 | 62 | Tyrone Drakeford | Defensive Back | Virginia Tech |
| 3 | 85 | Doug Brien | Kicker | California |
| 3 | 87 | Cory Fleming | Wide Receiver | Tennessee |
| 5 | 153 | Anthony Peterson | Linebacker | Notre Dame |
| 6 | 182 | Lee Woodall | Linebacker | West Chester (PA) |
Pre Season[]
| Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Stadium | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 5 (Fri) | Arizona | L | 17-7 | Sun Devil Stadium | 0-1 |
| August 12 (Fri) | Denver | W | 20-3 | Candlestick Park | 1-1 |
| August 18 (Thu) | San Diego | W | 30-24 | Qualcomm Stadium | 2-1 |
| August 26 (Fri) | Seattle | W | 13-9 | Candlestick Park | 3-1 |
Regular season[]
In 1994, the team spent large amounts of money on the addition of several star free agents from other teams, including Ken Norton, Jr., Gary Plummer, Rickey Jackson, and Deion Sanders. Additionally, several rookie players made key contributions to the team, some becoming season-long starters such as defensive tackle Bryant Young, fullback William Floyd, and linebacker Lee Woodall. The 49ers had some tough times early in the season, including a 40-8 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and a 24-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, led by former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana. Following the Eagles game, a poll conducted on local sports radio station KNBR showed that an overwhelming majority of 49er fans wanted head coach George Seifert fired.
The game against the Eagles was a turning point for the 49ers despite the lopsided score. Young was benched in the 3rd quarter and was later seen livid on the sidelines, shouting profanities at head coach George Seifert. The following week in Detroit, the 49ers trailed the Lions 14-0. After throwing a pass, Young was hit, picked up, and driven into the ground by three Lions defenders. After the hit, Young was screaming with his face dark red in color. He crawled most of the way off of the field before refusing help from the trainers as he limped the remaining way off the field. He miraculously returned to the field one play later (NFL rules state that after trainers attend to an injured player, that player must leave the field for at least one play) to lead the 49ers to a 27-21 victory. The team rallied around Young to win 10 straight games, including a 21-14 victory over the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys. During that span, the 49ers' average margin of victory was nearly 20 points per game.
Throwback uniforms[]
During the 1994 season, many NFL teams wore "throwback uniforms" on occasional games (after week 2 of the season) to celebrate the NFL's 75th anniversary (a corresponding diamond 75th Anniversary patch was also worn by all teams) . The 49ers chose to wear a version of their 1955 uniforms as their throwbacks, with simpler sans-serif block numerals that were outlined and shadowed in black (the smaller TV numerals above the shoulder stripes however, were removed). White pants with thinner red-black-red striping were also worn, along with the old striped red socks (the team later reverted to their regular solid red socks after receiving permission from the NFL to wear the uniforms for the rest of the season). The regular 1989-95 design gold helmet was worn with this uniform, as there was no logo on the 1955 helmet, (which was plain white/silver).
The team first donned the 1955 throwback uniforms during their week 3 match against the Los Angeles Rams and the following week at home versus the Saints, with both being wins (coincidentally, these were also the first two games Deion Sanders played with the 49ers after signing on as a free-agent after week 2). The team then suffered an embarrassing 40-8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at home wearing their regular red uniforms with gold pants, with Steve Young angrily being benched to prevent him getting injured. (Football statistics site Football Outsiders calculates this 49ers loss to be the second-most lopsided football game they'd tracked from 1994-2008.)
For the subsequent three games until their BYE week, the team again was scheduled to play games wearing the throwback uniforms with white pants and dropshadows, and all three games resulted in wins. As the 49ers embarked during the following weeks on what would eventually be a 10-game winning streak that ultimately culminated in a Super Bowl XXIX victory, the team (prompted both by the superstition of head coach George Seifert, as well as the preference of players) petitioned the NFL to wear the throwback uniforms for the rest of the season, which was granted. The switch to solid red socks after the BYE week marked this occurrence. In all the team went 15-1 (including the playoffs) wearing the 1955/1994 throwback uniforms, (the only loss being the regular season finale on the road at Minnesota, with the team wearing white jerseys and resting most of their starters for the playoffs). Meanwhile the 49ers went undefeated wearing the red jerseys of the throwback uniform. After winning Super Bowl XXIX however, the team was compelled to revert to wearing its regular 1964-style uniforms (1991 revised design) for the following 1995 season.
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Score | Stadium | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 5 (Mon) | LA Raiders | W | 44-14 | Candlestick Park | 1-0 |
| 2 | September 11 | Kansas City | L | 17-24 | Arrowhead Stadium | 1-1 |
| 3 | September 18 | LA Rams | W | 34-19 | Anaheim Stadium | 2-1 |
| 4 | September 25 | New Orleans | W | 24-13 | Candlestick Park | 3-1 |
| 5 | October 2 | Philadelphia | L | 8-40 | Candlestick Park | 3-2 |
| 6 | October 9 | Detroit | W | 27-21 | Pontiac Silverdome | 4-2 |
| 7 | October 16 | Atlanta | W | 42-3 | Georgia Dome | 5-2 |
| 8 | October 23 | Tampa Bay | W | 41-16 | Candlestick Park | 6-2 |
| 9 | Bye Week | |||||
| 10 | November 6 | Washington | W | 37-22 | RFK Stadium | 7-2 |
| 11 | November 13 | Dallas | W | 21-14 | Candlestick Park | 8-2 |
| 12 | November 20 | LA Rams | W | 31-27 | Candlestick Park | 9-2 |
| 13 | November 28 (Mon) | New Orleans | W | 35-14 | Louisiana Superdome | 10-2 |
| 14 | December 4 | Atlanta | W | 50-14 | Candlestick Park | 11-2 |
| 15 | December 11 | San Diego | W | 38-15 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 12-2 |
| 16 | December 17 (Sat) | Denver | W | 42-19 | Candlestick Park | 13-2 |
| 17 | December 26 (Mon) | Minnesota | L | 14-21 | Metrodome | 13-3 |
Standings[]
| NFC West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 505 | 295 | L-1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 317 | 385 | W-1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 348 | 407 | W-1 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 286 | 365 | L-7 |
Playoffs[]
NFC Divisional Playoff[]
San Francisco 49ers 44, Chicago Bears 15
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 15 | |
| 49ers | 7 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 44 |
- stadium= Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- date=January 7, 1995 (Sat)
- time= 1:00 p.m. PST
- weather= 54°F, rain
- TV=Fox
- TVAnnouncers= Dick Stockton and Matt Millen
- referee= Howard Roe
- attendance= 64,644
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
CHI- Kevin Butler 39 yard field goal CHI 3-0
SF- William Floyd 2 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 7-3
2nd Quarter
SF- Brent Jones 8 yard pass from Steve Young (kick failed)SF 13-3
SF- William Floyd 4 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 20-3
SF- Doug Brien 36 yard field goal SF 23-3
SF- Steve Young 6 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 30-3
3rd Quarter
SF- William Floyd 1 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 37-3
4th Quarter
CHI- Jim Flanigan 2 yard pass from Erik Kramer (pass failed)SF 37-9
SF- Adam Walker 1 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 44-9
CHI- Lewis Tillman 1 yard rush (pass failed) SF 44-15
NFC Championship Game[]
San Francisco 49ers 38, Dallas Cowboys 28
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 | |
| 49ers | 21 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
- stadium= Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- date=January 15, 1995
- time= 1:00 p.m. PST
- weather= 50°F, partly cloudy
- TV=Fox
- TVAnnouncers= Pat Summerall and John Madden
- referee= Dick Hantak
- attendance= 69,125
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
SF- Eric Davis 44 yard interception return (Doug Brien kick)SF 7-0
SF- Ricky Watters 29 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick)SF 14-0
SF- William Floyd 1 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 21-0
DAL- Michael Irvin 44 yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick)SF 21-7
2nd Quarter
SF- Doug Brien 34 yard field goal SF 24-7
DAL- Emmitt Smith 4 yard rush (Chris Boniol kick)SF 24-14
SF- Jerry Rice 28 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick)SF 31-14
3rd Quarter
DAL- Emmitt Smith 1 yard rush (Chris Boniol kick)SF 31-21
SF- Steve Young 3 yard rush (Doug Brien kick)SF 38-21
4th Quarter
DAL- Michael Irvin 10 yard pass from Troy Aikman (Chris Boniol kick)SF 38-28
Super Bowl XXIX[]
- Main article: Super Bowl XXIX
San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 26 |
| 49ers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 49 |
- stadium=Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
- date=January 29, 1995
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
- SF - Jerry Rice 44 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 7-0
- SF - Ricky Watters 51 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 14-0
- SD - Natrone Means 1 yard run (John Carney kick) SF 14-7
2nd Quarter
- SF - William Floyd 5 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 21-7
- SF - Ricky Watters 8 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 28-7
- SD - John Carney 31 yards SF 28-10
3rd Quarter
- SF - Ricky Watters 9 yard run (Doug Brien kick) SF 35-10
- SF - Jerry Rice 15 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 42-10
- SD - Andre Coleman 98 yard kickoff return (*Mark Seay pass from Stan Humphries) SF 42-18
4th Quarter
- SF - Jerry Rice 7 yard pass from Steve Young (Doug Brien kick) SF 49-18
- SD - Tony Martin 30 yard pass from Stan Humphries (Alfred Pupunu pass from Stan Humphries) SF 49-26
(*)The Chargers became the first team to have a successful two-point conversion in the Super Bowl. This was the first season in which the NFL allowed 2 point conversions, and the Chargers actually had two in the game.
Roster[]
Awards and honors[]
- Led NFL with 66 Touchdowns
- Led NFL with 505 points scored
- Jerry Rice, NFL leader, Receiving Yards (1,499)
- Jerry Rice, NFC Pro Bowl
- Deion Sanders, National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Deion Sanders, Newspaper Enterprise Association Defensive Player of the Year Award
- Deion Sanders, NFC Pro Bowl
- Bryant Young, Defensive End, UPI NFL-NFC Rookie of the Year
- Steve Young, led NFL, 35 Touchdown Passes
- Steve Young, NFL Passing Leader, 112.8 Passer Rating
- Steve Young, NFC Pro Bowl
- Steve Young, All-Pro selection
- Steve Young, Super Bowl XXIX MVP
- Steve Young, NFL MVP
- Steve Young, PFWA NFL MVP
- Steve Young, NEA NFL MVP
- Steve Young, UPI NFC Player of the Year
- Steve Young, Bert Bell Award[1]
Milestones[]
- Jerry Rice, 100 reception season (Rice finished the season with 112 receptions) [2]
- Jerry Rice, 1,000 yard receiving season
References[]
- ↑ http://www.maxwellfootballclub.org/content/awards/bell/past_bell.htm
- ↑ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 440