Fun Niner Championship Memories...

HailJerry · 2011-02-04T13:57:41-08:00

Every year when the Super Bowl rolls around, I think back to the Niner's glory years. In a roundabout way, it's my way of coping with the disaster of the past several years, but also a way for me to imagine what football life will look like once we have things in place. With the Harbaugh hiring, it's my sincere hope that team get back to where it was back in the 80's and 90's. Carmen Policy said that a Super Bowl win was what the organization was "honor-bound and duty-bound to achieve". I don't know if I would go that far, but I do believe that the franchise is obligated to reclaim its rightful place as one of the league's elite. Anyways, here's a fun list of thoughts and memories, from the obvious to the obscure, from our championship years (NFC Championship games and Super Bowls only) that will hopefully whet your appetite for what's to come from 2011 onward...feel free to flame away! May we be entering another glory/golden era of 49er football. This is NOT how you start a Super Bowl: Super Bowl XVI, Amos "Famous" Lawrence, opening kickoff. I'm 6, in the kitchen getting my snack while my dad is already settled into the couch when I hear him mutter a few expletives about some "dumb guy". I scamper to the TV just in time to see a replay of Lawrence fumbling away the opening kickoff. Six years old with a limited perspective, and I'm thinking, well...looks like we're going to lose the game. Glad I was wrong. What's with 92 yards?: Super Bowl XVI and Super Bowl XXIII. First 92 yard drive was a clinic on the WCO. Second 92 yard drive to solidify franchise as the team of the 80's. Most famous play, Part I: 1981/1982 NFC Championship. "Sprint Right Option". "The Catch". Need we say more? Most famous play, Part II: Super Bowl XXIII. "20 Halfback Curl X-Up". 10 yards, Montana to Taylor. Ballgame. He's fast once he gets the ball in his hands: 1988/1989 NFC Championship Game. Niner's 3rd offensive possession. 3rd and 9 at their own 39 yard line. Montana to Rice on a deep out. Rice makes the catch, splits two guys who basically whiff trying to make tackles, and he's gone...like really gone. Analysts always talk about WRs' ability to separate from DBs to make the catch, but Rice's ability to separate from the defense once the ball was in his hand was unparalleled. I hear footsteps: 1989/1990 NFC Championship. 2nd half. Jim Everett falling to the ground and curling up in a fetal position when no one was near him. If I'm not mistaken, that game shot Everett's confidence up so bad, he was never the same. Roger Craig's best Super Bowl: Super Bowl XXIII. 8 catches, 101 yards. 17 rushes, 74 yards. Yes, he scored 3 TDs in Super Bowl XIX. But that 1984 team was so dominant, I think anyone could've scored 3 TDs in that game. But the team relied on Craig and Rice so much during the 1988 season, the Super Bowl was a microcosm of the season. Defensive Ownage, Part I: Super Bowl XVI. 3rd Quarter. Dan Bunz nailing Charles Alexander at the half-yard line on 3rd-and-goal. Defensive Ownage, Part II: Super Bowl XXIII. 1st Quarter. Ickey Woods running wild through the defense. Finally, Ronnie Lott had enough, blasted him, and rendered Woods as a non-factor the rest of the way. Defense is awesome, offense is awesome, special teams sucked: Mike Cofer with 2 missed field goals (including a 19-yarder, shortest ever in Super Bowl history) in Super Bowl XXIII. Cofer with the only blemish in a Denver Bronco wipeout (missed PAT after a Brent Jones TD). The aforementioned Amos Lawrence fumble. Giving up a 93 yard kickoff return to Stanford Jennings in Super Bowl XXIII. And then another one to Andre Coleman (98 yards) in Super Bowl XXIX. And another missed field goal by Doug Brien in Super Bowl XXIX. What the...? Most impressive non-play: Super Bowl XXIII. 3rd Quarter. Tied 6-6. On the Stanford Jennings TD kickoff return, reserve WR Terry Greer catches up to Jennings and almost trips him up before Jennings scored. Dude was 34 years old, 4th WR on the team (which meant special teams duty), and came down from the CFL. I was impressed. Well, SI's Paul Zimmerman said it was a dangerous pass: Super Bowl XXIII. 1:15 left in the game. 2nd-and-20 after a Randy Cross illegal man downfield penalty. Montana-to-Rice on a deep square-in into double-coverage for 27 yards and a fresh set of downs. I remember jumping up and down and screaming thinking Rice was going to score. Stay classy, Deion, stay classy: Super Bowl XXIX. Deion Sanders picks off a Stan Humphries pass in the 2nd half in the end zone, starts to run out, and gets hit hard by Chargers RB Ronnie Harmon. Prime Time pops up, looks at Harmon, and points to the score board. On TV, you can see him mouthing the words, "look at the score..." Funny. I'll just be a footnote: Super Bowl XXIII. 2nd quarter...back to Mike Cofer's 19 yard FG miss. Actually, maybe we can't totally blame him since Randy Cross snapped it low. We got lucky, really: Super Bowl XIX. 2nd quarter, during the Niner's absolute TD deluge. I forget which one of the TD drives it was, but Montana hits WR Freddie Solomon over the middle who appears to take a step before getting hit by one of the "Blackwood Brothers" (Lynn or Glenn, I forget). He fumbles the ball, it gets picked up by Miami, but the officials rule the pass incomplete. However, replays showed that it was clearly a catch. Miami would've scored on the fumble recovery, and I think the game would've changed dramatically. I have an absolute disdain for Gary Fencik: 1984/1985 NFC Championship. Bears DB Gary Fencik picks off two of Montana's passes, one of them in the end zone. Argh. Guy McIntyre, FB: 1984/1985 NFC Championship. The "Angus" play. Didn't Mike Ditka steal Walsh's idea by putting the "Fridge" in the backfield the following year? Best NFC Championship Game intro: Pat Summerall's voice-over before the 1988/1989 NFC Championship on CBS. His best line: "Both teams have been there before, and now the road to the Super Bowl MUST go through Chicago where the stakes don't get any higher...it's the NFC Championship...!" I'm forever immortalized by NFL Films: Super Bowl XXIX. Remember that guy shown in NFL Films video standing in line outside the stadium prior to the game decked out in classic Chargers gear making that comment about a San Diego upset "just like Namath in '69, yessiree-Bob"...? What was he thinking? Weirdo...! THAT...was a terrible Cowboys series (John Madden quote): 1994/1995 NFC Championship. 2nd quarter with the Niners leading 21-7. Cowboys run a draw play to Emmitt Smith on 3rd-and-10 that gains a couple of yards. PK Chris Boniol promptly hooks his FG wide to the left, no good. Now that's a TD throw!...: 1989/1990 NFC Championship. 2nd quarter. 1st-and-goal on the 18 yard line after a Jesse Sapolu unsportsman-like penalty. Montana-to-Taylor for a TD on an absolute bullet of a throw...words can't even describe it. WOW! I scored a TD in the Super Bowl, so what...?: Super Bowl XXIV. John Elway scoring a TD late in the game. Boy, I felt bad for the guy. The turning point was the coin flip, Part I: Super Bowl XXIV. The Broncos win the toss and start on offense. Elway, possibly too psyched up, quickly throws two errant passes nowhere near his receivers. The turning point was the coin flip, Part II: Super Bowl XXIX. ABC's Dan Dierdorf comments that it might be best for the the Chargers to make a statement in the game with their defense. 1:24 into the game, Young-to-Rice for 44 yards and a TD. Next possession, 79 yards and 1:53 later, Young-to-Watters for 51 yards and a TD. Some statement. There are so many fun memories...I'm just praying that we'll get the opportunity to celebrate new memories down the line. I'll try and add more later on.

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Feb 5, 2011 at 1:15 PM

KowboyKiller
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Posts: 6,991

Feb 5, 2011 at 1:48 PM

wysiwyg
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Posts: 16,331

Since we are including Championship Games, Gotta include include Ronnie's knockdown of that pass to a wide open Flipper Anderson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDD-naRLo0A

Feb 6, 2011 at 2:24 PM

m_brockalexander
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Posts: 13,376

Nice list! Personal memory.......getting a day off from school and climbing a tree in Civic Center Plaza to see the first Super Bowl parade and celebration in 1982.

Feb 6, 2011 at 11:20 PM

gavindirishmen
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Posts: 670

Glory Years.

They'll come around again they always do.

Feb 6, 2011 at 11:22 PM

sfninerfanMax
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Posts: 1,725

Originally posted by KowboyKiller:

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