SF 49ers: Top 6 wide receiver duos in franchise history

SF 49ers Duo No. 3: Billy Wilson and Gordie Soltau

Years Together: 1951-1958

It’s fair to look at recency bias and consider names like Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens atop the SF 49ers’ best wide receivers ever, also giving credit to other not-too-distant names like John Taylor and Dwight Clark.

But wide receivers Billy Wilson and Gordie Soltau deserve some recognition on that list, too.

In the days before wide receivers were considered positions — opting for “ends” back in 1950s and early 1960s terminology — Wilson and Soltau were about as good as it got during that classic era of football.

And they were prime reasons why San Francisco boasted one of the NFL’s best offenses during the decade, frequently landing in the top five in scoring.

Wilson, a Pro Bowler in each season from 1954 through 1959, still ranks fifth all time on the franchise’s leading receiving-yards list (5,902), which is quite the achievement considering the other players listed there.

Soltau, who made the Pro Bowl in 1951, 1952 and 1953, also doubled as a place-kicker but not without notching 3,487 receiving yards over his own well-praised career.

If your grandparents and great-grandparents were Niners fans, be sure to ask them about the lethal combination of Wilson and Soltau. You’ll surely hear some fantastic stories.