Are the 49ers a top five franchise in NFL history?

IMO when ranking teams as "top" franchises, you not only have to take into account success, but also the fanbase and "aura" of said team. With all that, I agree with the OP's list.

1) GB
2) Dallas
3) Pittsburgh
4) Chicago
5) SF
6) NYG

Sorry, our lackluster fanbase and limited success in the 80s/90s keeps us at 5. The Packers were THE original dynasty and had a pretty dominant run through the 90s/early 00s. Their fans are highly supportive and Lambeau is one of the toughest venues to play at.

Dallas is kinda like us. Most of their fanbase exists outside the borders of Texas, and they can be found in considerable amounts in every road game the team plays. Thye get as much exposure on the airways as the Lakers do, and they have the pedigree to back up their success. I hate to say it, but they belong as number 2.

Pittsburgh has the trophies and the history. It is more of a local team, and you hardly find Steeler fans outside the boundaries of Pennsylvania. Regardless, they were the team of the 70s and have been a powerhouse this century for most years. And thats not taking into account the 90s, where they were always a force in the AFC and made the SB once in 1995.

Chicago in a tricky one. On one hand, they havent enjoyed the same amount of success as us. But on the flip side, they have a loyal fanbase, a tough venue to play at, and they boast a solid history. Not to mention there are a handful of great/dominant players that played there and stamped the Chicago Bears seal in the NFL.

I give our team the 5 spot. We were dominant for 2 decades, and for all practical purposes our golden era was really the 80s -- we took a good thumping by the Cowboys and the Packers in the 90s, with a lone SB title in 1994 that was arguable bought by Eddie D. Of all the aformentioned team, we have the weakest fanbase and the "aura" of Candlestick doesnt scare anyone. If we were to win another title or 2 this decade, I would put us above Chicago, OR if NY were to win a title or 2 this decade I would put us at 6.

But I dont think we'll ever beat GB, Dallas, or Pittsburgh.

Originally posted by modninerfan:
WTF? kinda jumbled mess is that?

Originally posted by modninerfan:

Originally posted by midrdan:
Top 10 NFL Franchises

1. Dallas
2. Pittsburgh
3. Green Bay
4. San Francisco
5. New England
6. Oakland
7. Chicago
8. Miami
9. Washington
10. New York Giants

WTF? kinda jumbled mess is that?

I have no idea how that happened. What started out as a simple top 10 list turned into the Da Vinci Code. Bottom line, yes the 49ers are a top 5 franchise.

And this was no better ... WTF?

dude lolololol you gotta virus?

LOL

2 of Chicago's and 3 of GB's championships came during a time when winning % was used to crown the champion


1932 champion Bears
7 wins 1 loss 6 ties

GB was the second best team
10 wins 3 loss 1 tie

lol

Originally posted by 9erfan4life:
LOL

2 of Chicago's and 3 of GB's championships came during a time when winning % was used to crown the champion


1932 champion Bears
7 wins 1 loss 6 ties

GB was the second best team
10 wins 3 loss 1 tie

lol

How do you tie 6 times in a season? No OT?

Originally posted by modninerfan:

Originally posted by 9erfan4life:
LOL

2 of Chicago's and 3 of GB's championships came during a time when winning % was used to crown the champion


1932 champion Bears
7 wins 1 loss 6 ties

GB was the second best team
10 wins 3 loss 1 tie

lol

How do you tie 6 times in a season? No OT?

yeah lol

teams didn't even play the same amount of games from like 1920 to 1930

1930 champion GB
10-3-1

2nd best team NY
13-4-0

lol

Originally posted by midrdan:
And this was no better ... WTF?

you might need to reformat dude

Originally posted by GNielsen:

Originally posted by 49Perspectives:
True... here is my honest opinion:
1. 49ers
2. Cowboys
3. Steelers
4. Packers
5. Patriots

One thing about adding the Patriots to the list. It's true that they are 3-2 in Super Bowls, but they've had an exptended period of dominance during a period where it's very hard to maintain dominance. On the other hand, they've been in a weak division, but that's what they used to say about the Niners, so I don't know. I do think the Giants belong on the list of the best franchises just because of their 4-1 Super bowl record.

Actually, the Patriots are 3-4 in Super Bowls.

1985 - L
1996 - L
2001 - W
2002 - W
2004 - W
2007 - L
2011 - L

Lol, Chicago.

YES

Originally posted by HudsonValley:
IMO when ranking teams as "top" franchises, you not only have to take into account success, but also the fanbase and "aura" of said team. With all that, I agree with the OP's list.

1) GB
2) Dallas
3) Pittsburgh
4) Chicago
5) SF
6) NYG

Sorry, our lackluster fanbase and limited success in the 80s/90s keeps us at 5. The Packers were THE original dynasty and had a pretty dominant run through the 90s/early 00s. Their fans are highly supportive and Lambeau is one of the toughest venues to play at.

Dallas is kinda like us. Most of their fanbase exists outside the borders of Texas, and they can be found in considerable amounts in every road game the team plays. Thye get as much exposure on the airways as the Lakers do, and they have the pedigree to back up their success. I hate to say it, but they belong as number 2.

Pittsburgh has the trophies and the history. It is more of a local team, and you hardly find Steeler fans outside the boundaries of Pennsylvania. Regardless, they were the team of the 70s and have been a powerhouse this century for most years. And thats not taking into account the 90s, where they were always a force in the AFC and made the SB once in 1995.

Chicago in a tricky one. On one hand, they havent enjoyed the same amount of success as us. But on the flip side, they have a loyal fanbase, a tough venue to play at, and they boast a solid history. Not to mention there are a handful of great/dominant players that played there and stamped the Chicago Bears seal in the NFL.

I give our team the 5 spot. We were dominant for 2 decades, and for all practical purposes our golden era was really the 80s -- we took a good thumping by the Cowboys and the Packers in the 90s, with a lone SB title in 1994 that was arguable bought by Eddie D. Of all the aformentioned team, we have the weakest fanbase and the "aura" of Candlestick doesnt scare anyone. If we were to win another title or 2 this decade, I would put us above Chicago, OR if NY were to win a title or 2 this decade I would put us at 6.

But I dont think we'll ever beat GB, Dallas, or Pittsburgh.

Your kidding right?

Greenbay has the first two superbowls and then hit or miss for the remainder of their franchise history. Both the current Pack and Favre's pack won when the league was weak on the AFC side. The Steelers won before the west coast offense existed and then went into hibernation for 30 years. The Cowpies' entire history happened before the salary cap was implemented. After that they have nothing worth talking about what with a joke of an owner/gm driving them further into irrelevancy. They used to be able to buy superbowls after the cap they were trash. Just like the Yankees they bought championships and got bandwagon fans galore with the stupid "America's Team" b******t.

The Bears? Seriously? I won't even dignify that one with a response. Keep in mind pre superbowl era and the era with 10 teams doesn't count.

Originally posted by BayArea:

Originally posted by HudsonValley:
IMO when ranking teams as "top" franchises, you not only have to take into account success, but also the fanbase and "aura" of said team. With all that, I agree with the OP's list.

1) GB
2) Dallas
3) Pittsburgh
4) Chicago
5) SF
6) NYG

Sorry, our lackluster fanbase and limited success in the 80s/90s keeps us at 5. The Packers were THE original dynasty and had a pretty dominant run through the 90s/early 00s. Their fans are highly supportive and Lambeau is one of the toughest venues to play at.

Dallas is kinda like us. Most of their fanbase exists outside the borders of Texas, and they can be found in considerable amounts in every road game the team plays. Thye get as much exposure on the airways as the Lakers do, and they have the pedigree to back up their success. I hate to say it, but they belong as number 2.

Pittsburgh has the trophies and the history. It is more of a local team, and you hardly find Steeler fans outside the boundaries of Pennsylvania. Regardless, they were the team of the 70s and have been a powerhouse this century for most years. And thats not taking into account the 90s, where they were always a force in the AFC and made the SB once in 1995.

Chicago in a tricky one. On one hand, they havent enjoyed the same amount of success as us. But on the flip side, they have a loyal fanbase, a tough venue to play at, and they boast a solid history. Not to mention there are a handful of great/dominant players that played there and stamped the Chicago Bears seal in the NFL.

I give our team the 5 spot. We were dominant for 2 decades, and for all practical purposes our golden era was really the 80s -- we took a good thumping by the Cowboys and the Packers in the 90s, with a lone SB title in 1994 that was arguable bought by Eddie D. Of all the aformentioned team, we have the weakest fanbase and the "aura" of Candlestick doesnt scare anyone. If we were to win another title or 2 this decade, I would put us above Chicago, OR if NY were to win a title or 2 this decade I would put us at 6.

But I dont think we'll ever beat GB, Dallas, or Pittsburgh.

Your kidding right?

Greenbay has the first two superbowls and then hit or miss for the remainder of their franchise history. Both the current Pack and Favre's pack won when the league was weak on the AFC side. The Steelers won before the west coast offense existed and then went into hibernation for 30 years. The Cowpies' entire history happened before the salary cap was implemented. After that they have nothing worth talking about what with a joke of an owner/gm driving them further into irrelevancy. They used to be able to buy superbowls after the cap they were trash. Just like the Yankees they bought championships and got bandwagon fans galore with the stupid "America's Team" b******t.

The Bears? Seriously? I won't even dignify that one with a response. Keep in mind pre superbowl era and the era with 10 teams doesn't count.

For me, the measure of a great franchise is not determined by wins/losses alone. I take into account the franchise's history, fanbase, player profiles, venue, etc. Based on those I agree with the OP's rankings. Sure, if we're ranking by trophies and wins, the Niners can easily be spotted in the top 2 or 3. And lets not forget the Niners werent exactly lighting it up either before Walsh/Montana came onto scene. We were a great franchise in the 80s, a good franchise in the early- mid 90s, and pretty much non-existent before that time and after (until JH came along). Regarding greatness, thats pretty much on par with the other great teams in terms of having success during a certain period and being non-existent elsewhere.

And yes, I do feel the Packers/Bears accomplishments prior to the SB era should be taken into account when ranking the "top" franchises.

I don't see how anybody could say there aren't that many Steeler fans outside of PA. That's just plain and simply incorrect.

A no brainer. We were good in our original league (second fiddler to the Browns of course), we were good in the 70s, great in the 80s and 90s and good in the early 2000s, including 16 straight 10 win seasons (and 18 of 20), and are good once again.