San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 10 Worst Teams in Franchise History
By Peter Panacy
The San Francisco 49ers stand as one of the most iconic franchises in sports. Yet the Niners also have some bad, bad history dating back to 1946. In this not-so-fun slideshow, Niner Noise ranks the top-10 worst 49ers teams in franchise history.
When one thinks of the San Francisco 49ers, memories of Super Bowl trophies, Hall of Fame Players and some of the most iconic moments in sports should come to mind.
Indeed, the 49ers have boasted some of the greatest teams in NFL history. And the storied accolades continue to draw praise from new and old fans alike.
But not every 49ers team, dating back to the franchise’s inception in 1946, fits the mold of legendary status. On the contrary, there have been plenty of bad, bad Niner teams over the decades. And San Francisco fans who witnessed the struggles of the 2015 49ers will know this statement all too well.
True, the 49ers have a better-than average regular-season record at 558-450-16. So that would mean San Francisco is, at least, a winning franchise.
Yet this Niner Noise feature won’t be focusing on that aspect. At least not yet.
No, it’s time to dive back into 49ers history and evaluate the 10 worst teams to have worn the red and gold — fitting with the franchise hitting its 70th birthday this season.
Don’t worry. We’ll get to our 10 best teams in franchise history soon. But let’s get the bad out of the way first and list, in order, the years Niner fans would prefer to be forgettable.
This won’t be based solely on record, although these stats play a large role. We’ll take a look at statistics, impact players and the overall makeup of the team to determine the rankings.
It may not be pretty, but let’s get onto the rankings.
Next: No. 10