Niner Noies takes a look back at the five greatest and most memorable plays in San Francisco 49ers history.
When one looks back at the San Francisco 49ers, it’s not hard to draw up recollections of great moments.
The Niners’ history is filled with them.
Since we’ve already worked our way through the tough and most infamous moments in 49ers lore, let’s focus on the amazing plays now.
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Fortunately, it’s a tough list to whittle down. There are more than a handful of plays that could make the list. The challenging part is finding the top five.
You might disagree about what plays should have made the list or what the top-five order should be. But it’s impossible to disagree each one of these plays stand as iconic moments for the red and gold.
So while we hope for even more great plays in the Niners future, let’s look back at the five best ones in franchise history.
Starting off with a few that didn’t quite make the cut, of course.
Honorable Mentions
As we said before, there are simply too many plays to choose from in order to adequately whittle down the number to five.
So here are some honorable mentions to help Niners fans recall great plays that didn’t quite make the cut.
Colin Kaepernick’s 56-Yard Touchdown Run versus the Packers
In 2012, the 49ers boasted one of the most promising quarterbacks in the NFL, Colin Kaepernick.
And the team rode that momentum all the way into the Super Bowl that year. But before getting there, the Niners would have to upend the Green Bay Packers at home in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Well, Kap did just that. And his 56-yard touchdown run, which broke a 24-all tie, ensured San Francisco would advance in the postseason.
The Vernon Post
There are a few back-and-forth games on this list, but one recent postseason play that stands out is the game-winning touchdown grab by former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis against the New Orleans Saints in the 2012 divisional round.
New Orleans took a 32-29 lead with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
Yet quarterback Alex Smith and Co. were able to drive the length of the field. And Smith found Davis on a post route, hitting him with a game-winning 14-yard pass with nine seconds remaining.
Joe Montana to John Taylor Wins Super Bowl XXIII
Some might feel this play belongs in the top five. But don’t worry, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana gets his due in a little bit.
If anything, the drive that made Joe Montana “Joe Cool” would be atop any best-drives list. Montana put on a quarterbacking clinic in the final drive of Super Bowl XXIII against the Cincinnati Bengals.
At the tail end, one might have expected Montana to target wide receiver Jerry Rice. Instead, fellow wideout John Taylor was the target.
Taylor hauled in the 10-yard pass from Montana, sealing San Francisco’s 20-16 Super Bowl victory and further adding credence to the 49ers dynasty of the 1980s.
No. 5: Running Back Garrison Hearst’s 96-Yard Game-Winning OT Run
49ers fans were certainly spoiled by legendary running back Frank Gore, which might cause some to forget how great his predecessor, Garrison Hearst, truly was.
And no moment in Hearst’s career stands greater than his 96-yard game-winning touchdown run against the New York Jets in Week 1 of the 1998 season.
Both the Niners and Jets were tied at 30 when the overtime frame hit. Ken Chin of Bleacher Report broke down what happened next:
"Fast forward to overtime, with the game tied at 30 and the 49ers pinned on their own 4-yard line. Head coach Steve Mariucci dismissed the logical option of using his future Hall of Fame passing combination of Young to Rice and dialed up a run. It was the “90 Power O” to be exact, a play designed to gain four or five yards and a much needed first down."
Three broken tackles later, and some great downfield blocking by wide receiver Terrell Owens, opened up the field for Hearst to run wild.
He did. And 96 yards later, Hearst was into the end zone. The Niners started off what would become a memorable season on a high note.
And we have ourselves the fifth greatest play in franchise history.
No. 4: The “Pick at the Stick”
I’m a little partial to this play simply because I was there.
But linebacker NaVorro Bowman’s game-sealing interception against the Atlanta Falcons on December 23, 2013 — and on Monday Night Football — did more than just make it to Niner Noise’s all-time best plays list.
Fans might recall this was the final NFL game played at Candlestick Park. The 49ers were bound for Levi’s Stadium the following the year, ending a storied and elongated chapter in franchise history.
And what a way to close out the old stadium.
San Francisco had a 20-10 lead to start the fourth quarter and led 27-17 with just over five minutes remaining. But that’s when things started to fall apart for the Niners. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez’s touchdown at the 2:09 mark made it a three-point game.
Bowman couldn’t recover the subsequent onside kick, which allowed Atlanta to drive all the way into the red zone.
Yet a deflected pass off the hands of 49ers cornerback Traimaine Brock found its way into Bowman’s hands, who returned it — as Niners play-by-play commentator Ted Robinson said — “seven miles” for a touchdown.
This memorable moment capped off Candlestick’s long list of memories and propelled the Niners into the playoffs.
No. 3: Steve Young and Terrell Owens Deliver Their Own “Catch”
During the late 1990s, the Green Bay Packers had the 49ers’ number when it came to the postseason.
But all that changed in January of 1999 when the Packers and Niners squared off in a Wild Card matchup at Candlestick Park.
The game was an instant classic, with both sides exchanging blows over four quarters. But Green Bay took a 27-23 lead, thanks to a Brett Favre touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman, with two minutes left in regulation.
San Francisco needed a touchdown to win. And the Niners would get one, thanks to quarterback Steve Young and wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Eight seconds were all that remained between the 49ers and another playoff exit at the hands of the Packers. Owens, who had trouble with the dropsies all game, managed to work his way into a tight window between four Green Bay defenders.
Young, who nearly fell down after the snap, delivered a perfect pass through a tight window and into Owens’ waiting hands.
And it’s impossible to forget play-by-play commentator Joe Starkey’s legendary call.
“Owens! Owens! Owens!” he exclaimed.
Yes, we all felt the same emotion.
No. 2: Wide Receiver Jerry Rice Sets the Touchdown Record
It’s going to be nearly impossible to convince a 49ers fan Jerry Rice was the greatest player to ever suit up on Sundays.
To cap off this argument, all one needs to do is look back at the second best play on our list — the day Rice broke the NFL record for all-time touchdowns on Septmeber 5, 1994.
Fittingly enough, it was on Monday Night Football in front of a national audience. Fans might recall the Niners were up big over the Los Angeles Raiders, and Rice had tied Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown’s record earlier in the game, making the score 37-14 in favor of San Francisco.
It would have been easy to sit Rice and the remaining starters as the clock wound down. But that’s not what happened.
Instead, quarterback Steve Young and Rice connected for an amazing touchdown amid the Raiders defenders and fell into the end zone.
Record broken. It belonged to Rice.
“On the snap of the ball, everybody knew where the ball was going,” Rice said, via Carl Steward of the San Jose Mercury News. “I’m running down the field, and everything that Bill Walsh had taught me, coached me, came into the equation — catching the ball at the highest peak. Not waiting for the football. Attacking the ball. Then fighting for the ball to bring it down.”
And with that, Rice cemented himself as the greatest of all time.
No. 1: “The Catch”
You couldn’t have thought anything else would be on here, right? Of course not.
Quarterback Joe Montana’s game-sealing touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwight Clark in the 1982 NFC Championship game over the Dallas Cowboys certainly stands as the greatest 49ers play ever.
Heck, one might even call it the greatest play in NFL history.
Anyone who has watched the Niners for any length knows the play and the history behind it. We need not recollect.
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But there is a funny tale associated with the play itself, namely featuring then-49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo.
“There was about a minute left and we were driving,” DeBartolo explained during his Hall of Fame induction speech (h/t 49ers.com). “I wanted to be on the field with the guys, so I went through the tunnel and out of the dugout. I was trying to see what was happening, but I was behind the biggest horse that you could ever imagine, with the police officer on him about 12 feet above me.
“Then I heard the screams of the crowd and looked up to the officer. He put his thump up and winked and said, ‘Clark, touchdown.’ That’s how I found out. At our moment of glory, I was literally blocked by a horse’s a–.”
Well, at least most Niners fans watching at the time saw it. And they continue to see it to this day.
Next: Ranking the Top 30 49ers Players of All Time
Which is why this play stands as the No. 1 all-time moment in 49ers history.