Joe Staley, 5 others who deserved a Super Bowl ring with 49ers
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Terrell Owens, the 49ers No. 2 all-time wide receiver
The NFL’s greatest player of all time, Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, was a big reason why the 49ers won three of their five franchise Super Bowls.
Yet the Niners’ No. 2 wide receiver, fellow Hall of Famer Terrell Owens, has zero.
Owens was poised to be the heir apparent to Rice, as the latter was being phased out towards the latter part of the 1990s. And statistically, Owens did just that. Anyone who watched his miraculous catch against the Green Bay Packers in the 1999 Wild Card round can see his coming-of-age moment.
That was one year in which the Niners could have gone on to win a Super Bowl, ultimately falling short to the Atlanta Falcons the following week. And San Francisco had two playoff-caliber teams in 2001 and 2002 when Owens was the team’s No. 1 threat.
During those first four years of the decade, Owens was a regular Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro.
At least Owens got to play in a Super Bowl after the 2004 season, albeit with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Still, he needed to get his ring to stand with the greatest of all time.