Major honours
An original AAFC member that joined the NFL in 1950, the 49ers became a different organisation when Bill Walsh inherited a 2–14 team in 1979. Walsh built the West Coast offence — short, precise passes replacing the running game — and won Super Bowl XVI in his third season. With Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, then Steve Young, they took Super Bowls XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX, going five-for-five in title games through XXIX. That perfect run ended with Super Bowl XLVII loss to Baltimore in 2013; they then lost consecutive Super Bowls LIV and LVIII to Kansas City. Walsh's coaching tree through Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid, and others reshaped offensive language across the league.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
NFC Championship battles with Dallas in the 1970s and 1990s saw two dynasties block each other's path — 'The Catch' in the 1981 season was the hinge. Recently, division foes Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams have split the West.