Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports


Jed York says 49ers looking to honor Niner greats but not retire more numbers

Jun 20, 2019 at 1:43 PM--


Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, and perhaps a few others. Those are the names of players many among the Niners Faithful would love to see have their numbers retired by the San Francisco 49ers. The last former player to receive that honor was Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, whose No. 80 was forever taken out of rotation in 2010.

Rice's number may be the last retired, too — at least for a while.

The 49ers' 12 retired numbers are tied with the New York Giants for the second-most in the NFL (the Chicago Bears have retired 14). By comparison, the Pittsburgh Steelers, a storied franchise itself, has retired just two numbers in its 86-year history.

The 49ers have no plans to increase their total anytime soon. They are not closing the door on the possibility but are taking a Steelers-esque approach to honor their greats.

In September, Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens will become the 28th inductee into the Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame. That's the blueprint for how 49ers CEO Jed York and the organization plan to continue honoring the players most recognized for their contributions to the franchise's storied history.

"Retiring a number requires a pretty Herculean effort to get there, which it should," York told Matt Barrows of The Athletic. "With a ring of honor, I think you can honor more players that way. Again, if there's a specific reason to retire somebody's jersey, it doesn't preclude you from doing that."

RELATED Ownership the reason why the 49ers are at the forefront of diversity and inclusion, says Hannah Gordon

Numbers already retired, like Rice's and Joe Montana's, are safe. You probably aren't going to see a 49ers quarterback don No. 16 again, or a receiver running out of the game-day tunnel wearing No. 80.

There are also the logistics of retiring too many numbers and the problems it can create. NFL teams are allowed to carry a 90-man roster during the offseason, which means number limitations for organizations who retire too many. That's why you will often see a pair of players wearing the same number during offseason practices. The situation is less of an issue once rosters are cut down before the start of the regular season.

There could also be an issue should a prominent free agent come in and not be able to retain the number he wore with his former team. Barrows uses the example of longtime Rams receiver Isaac Bruce, who wore No. 88 during his two seasons in San Francisco rather than the No. 80 for which he is better remembered.

York instead believes the 49ers should simply take certain numbers out of circulation for a while rather than retire them indefinitely. He points to the college game as an example, where it becomes an honor for a player to wear the number of a former great.

"Everybody who comes into Levi's Stadium should know that Patrick Willis wore 52 for the San Francisco 49ers," York added. "There's no question about it. Everybody should know that Frank Gore wore 21. Everybody should know that Justin Smith wore 94, T.O. 81. But I don't know if you want to take those numbers out of circulation in perpetuity."

For now, future honorees will have to settle for having their numbers displayed on the 49ers' Ring of Honor.

Click here to read Barrows' in-depth feature for The Athletic.

Poll

  • Do you agree with the 49ers not adding to their list of retired numbers?
  • I'm fine with no more retiring of numbers
    71%
  • I think there are more numbers worth retiring
    29%
  • 779 votes



LISTEN

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



Isaiah Oliver discusses strengths, looking to help 49ers in any way

By David Bonilla
Mar 16

It should be comforting to San Francisco 49ers fans to learn that Falcons fans on social media were unhappy with the news that cornerback Isaiah Oliver wasn't returning to Atlanta. Oliver signed a two-year deal with the Niners and will likely compete for the nickel cornerback spot made vacant by the departure of Jimmie Ward to the Houston Texans. Oliver has played 77 percent of his 510 defensive snaps in the slot over the last two seasons, per Pro Football Focus. "I definitely felt much more comfortable in there," Oliver said on Thursday, speaking to 49ers reporters for the first time. "I felt like I was able to kind of play to my strengths a little more. Just being around the ball,



Javon Hargrave loved "everything but the taxes" in deal to join 49ers

By David Bonilla
Mar 17

After a very productive season with the Philadelphia Eagles, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave earned a big payday with the San Francisco 49ers, signing a four-year deal worth up to $84 million. That is life-changing money for the 30-year-old. Hargrave joined KNBR on Friday to discuss the move from Philly to the Bay Area. "I was talking to them before I even signed, and one thing I even told him, even the players that had [contacted] me was just it ain't really too much convincing you all can do," Hargrave said. "You ain't really got to convince me. I guess they thought I was playing at the time, but it ain't really hard to convince when you go into a team that's built on winning, and one, they trying to come pay me big money." Going from one stacked



Ben Roethlisberger says 49ers reached out after Jimmy Garoppolo injury

By David Bonilla
Mar 21

The San Francisco 49ers made a call to former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the 2022 season after Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a broken foot. Despite rookie Brock Purdy stepping in and leading the team to a December 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, the 49ers understandably opted to look into all their options, including finding out if Roethlisberger might be interested in temporarily pausing his retirement. "Last year, there were some truths to the Niners thing," Roethlisberger told Mark Madden at 105.9 The X,



Jason Kelce: 49ers adding Javon Hargrave "not going to make it any easier" for Eagles

By David Bonilla
Mar 19

Adding Javon Hargrave was a huge (and shocking) addition by the San Francisco 49ers. While it seems like a perfect fit and addresses a significant team need, no one saw it coming. The Niners didn't have considerable salary cap space, so signing Hargrave to a four-year, $84 million deal was unexpected. The former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle, nicknamed "Grave Digger," joins a defensive line that includes NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead, bolstering the middle of that unit. One of the defender's former teammates is happy for Hargrave and his financial good fortune. However, he also knows the loss could be problematic for the defending NFC champions in the upcoming season. "I'm happy for my man, Grave Digger," Eagles


Featured

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone