The 5 best punters in the history of the San Francisco 49ers

Let's take a look at the five best punters in San Francisco 49ers history.

Punting is often a thankless job.

At least for fans, a punt is an indication the offense failed, which usually leads to a grumble from fans when a special teams unit comes on the field to boot the ball back to the other team instead of trying to score points.

However, a good and consistent punter can do a lot for his team's prospects for victory. Punting can flip field position and pin an opposing offense deep within its own territory, perhaps even backed up against its own goal line.

While a punt is never regarded as a highlight-reel play, unless it's blocked, it's nevertheless vital. And the San Francisco 49ers have had a handful of notable punters in their storied history, one dating back to 1946.

Interestingly enough, there are only a few Niners punters who had any sort of significant longevity with the franchise, including a few recent additions to what we'll consider an all-time list.

Longevity matters in our rankings, as well as net punt yards and boots inside another team's 20-yard line. Of course, personal accolades are taken into account, too.

Here are the five best punters San Francisco has ever had.

49ers' 5 best punters in franchise history

While they don't make the top-five list, there are a few punters who deserve a mention here.

Did you know that 49ers quarterbacks Franke Albert and Steve Spurrier served as punters in addition to throwing the ball? Albert even led the AAFC in 1949 with a punt average of 48.2 yards.

Max Runager, meanwhile, secured two Super Bowl rings with the Niners during the 1980s, too.

They don't quite make the five best, though.

No. 5: Mitch Wishnowsky (2019-present)

The fact the current San Francisco punter, Mitch Wishnowsky, appears on this list tells you a good deal regarding the lack of longevity for these specialists in team history.

But Wishnowsky received a second contract from the 49ers after surprisingly being drafted by them in Round 4 in 2019.

The Australian-born booter set a career-best average in punts in 2023 with 42.7, and at least 50 percent of his punts the last two years have landed within opponents' 20-yard lines.

His 13,148 punt yards already rank fifth best in franchise history.

No. 4: Bradley Pinion (2015-2018)

Prior to drafting Wishnowsky, the Niners drafted another in 2015 in Bradley Pinion, who managed to put up some impressive net numbers because San Francisco's offense was so bad during his tenure in the Bay Area.

During his four-year tenure, Pinion amassed 13,148 punt yards while averaging 43.7 yards per punt before leaving via free agency in 2019.

Pinion wasn't particularly special and is associated with some of those bad 49ers teams, but he nevertheless has a modest team tenure and ranks fourth on the team's punt-yardage list.

No. 3: Tom Wittum (1973-1977)

Getting our recent punters out of the way, it might be surprising to know the Niners have actually had a few Pro Bowlers at the position during their history, including Tom Wittum, who graced special teams during the mid 1970s.

In Wittum's first two years with San Francisco, he secured Pro Bowl accolades despite not leading the NFL in any particular category in either of those two seasons.

His average yards per punt during his five years with the 49ers (40.8) might not seem like much, but he did manage to finish his pro career, entirely with the Niners, with 15,494 punt yards.

That puts him at No. 3 on the team's all-time list.

No. 2: Tommy Davis (1959-1969)

There's a pretty large gap between Wittum and the next San Francisco punter on this list, Tommy Davis, who spent an exceptionally long time with the 49ers that lasted 11 years and also included two Pro Bowl accolades.

More impressive, though, Davis had three punts that were the longest in the NFL during their respective years, boots of 71, 74 and 82 yards, and he also led the NFL with an average of 45.6 yards per punt in 1962.

What also helps separate Davis from the rest of the pack is that the league was far less specialized during his time, and he also doubled as the Niners' place kicker during those years, converting 130 of 276 field-goal tries while missing only two of his 350 extra-point tries, giving him an honorable mention nod on our list of best San Francisco kickers.

Davis was probably a far better punter than kicker, though, and his 22,833 total punt yards ranks second in franchise history behind only the clear-cut No. 1 punter the 49ers have ever had.

No. 1: Andy Lee (2004-2014)

For years, Andy Lee was arguably one of the best weapons the Niners had, which not only says a lot about him but also takes into consideration just how bad San Francisco was for much of his time donning the red and gold.

As Davis is far ahead of the other punters on this list, Lee is far ahead of Davis, leading the NFL in punts and total punt yards in 2005 and 2007 (remember, the 49ers offense was atrocious then) while securing three Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro selections during his Ninerrs tenure.

Additionally, Lee averaged a whopping 50.9 punt yards in 2011 despite San Francisco's offense getting back on track under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh that year.

Staying pace with Davis, in terms of longevity, Lee had nearly double the former's total punt yards during his 49ers career, amassing a team-best 43,468 yards over that 11-year span before giving way to Pinion.