San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 10 Best Quarterbacks in Franchise History

5. Frankie Albert

Frankie Albert was the 49ers first-ever QB from the team’s founding in 1946, and played until 1952. Albert threw for 10,795 yards, which is remarkably still the seventh-best mark in franchise history.

Albert was only 5′ 10″ and 165 pounds and joined the 49ers after World War II. Albert used his ball-handling skills in inventing the bootleg play, in which he faked the handoff and ran wide with the ball hidden on his hip.

His best season came in 1948, when the 49ers went 12-2, and he threw for 29 TDs and co-won the All-America Football Conference’s Most Valuable Player award with Otto Graham. In 1950, the 49ers first season in the NFL, Albert was named to the Pro Bowl despite the team going 3-9 on the year.

Albert threw for 115 TDs with the 49ers, which is only topped by three others. He was a pioneer who helped the team transition from the AAFC to the NFL.

Despite having an overall losing record (13-16-1), being the first ever 49ers QB and inventing a play that is still used in today’s NFL make him a worthy member on this list at No. 5.

Next: No. 4: John Brodie