10 greatest 49ers one-hit wonders in franchise history
By Peter Panacy
49ers one-hit wonder No. 6: Wide receiver Clifton McNeil (1968)
If Marquise Goodwin has to be included on the list of one-hit wonder San Francisco players, it’d be impossible to leave out the 1968 efforts by 49ers wideout Clifton McNeil, who earned his first and only Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro accolades with the red and gold that year.
McNeil scantly saw the field his first four years in the league with the Cleveland Browns before heading over to the Niners, but his brief time in San Francisco sure got off to a red-hot start, as he posted an impressive 994 yards and a league-leading 71 catches over 14 games.
But that was pretty much it for his notable time with the 49ers.
His success in the Bay Area didn’t repeat in 1969, and the Niners ultimately parted ways with him in 1970, leading to a modestly decent tenure with the New York Giants and Washington Redskins for the next two-plus seasons.
Had McNeil replicated his 1968 numbers even once more with San Francisco, he could have easily been remembered as one of the better wide receivers in franchise history.