SF 49ers: 5 things that frighten Niners fans the most

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Defensive end Cedrick Hardman #86 and defensive tackle Charlie Krueger #70 of the San Francisco 49ers sack quarterback Roger Staubach #12 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images) /

SF 49ers Fear Factor No. 4: The Ghost of the Dallas Cowboys

Gather ’round, you younger generations of SF 49ers fans. Let me tell you a tale of the days when the Cowboys were the Niners’ biggest fears. And if you look closely into this crystal ball, you’ll travel back to the 1970s.

Yes, before The Catch, before San Francisco’s dynasty years… all the way back to the days of Cowboys head coach Tom Landry and quarterback Roger Staubach.

If you want a villain, Staubach was it for the 49ers. And if you want a horror movie, the 1972 divisional playoff game between Dallas and San Francisco would be a box-office fright-fest for Niners fans.

The SF 49ers were up big and ready to end the curse of Cowboys teams eliminating them from the playoffs. San Francisco had a 28-13 lead over its longtime rivals, only to see Landry insert Staubach under center.

And the horror story unfolded in the fourth quarter, as Dallas came from behind and won 30-28, eliminating the SF 49ers in the playoffs for the third year in a row.

Fortunately, as fearful as this was, the Niners ended up winning in the sequel 10 years later.