Potential 49ers Super Bowls that never happened.

going back over the years, we played for the conference championship game 12 times since 1970, but only 5 times went on to the Super Bowl. we won all 5 times obviously, but its frustrating to look back at how many more SB rings we were 1 game away from, but couldnt get it done.

1970- wouldve played the Colts
1971- wouldve played the Dolphins
1983- wouldve played the Raiders
1990- wouldve played the Bills
1992- wouldve played the Bills
1993- wouldve played the Bills
1997- wouldve played the Patriots

as amazing as our 5 championships are, there were 7 more within spitting distance, but we lost. All I see when I look at those 3 against Buffalo are 3 more Lombardi trophies that wouldve been in our case, no doubt.

Cowboys screwed us out of 4 of those, Giants, Redskins, and Packers 1 each.

1997 = would've played Broncos btw, (Pats = 1996)

2 Games Away (lost in Divisional):

1972 - lost to Dallas, would've faced 'Skins, then undefeated Miami
1986 - lost to NYG, would've faced 'Skins, then Denver
1987 - lost to Vikings, would've played 'Skins, then Denver
1995 - lost to GB, would've played Dallas, then Steelers
1996 - lost to GB, would've played Panthers, then Patriots
1998 - lost to Falcons, would've played Vikings, then Broncos
2002 - lost to Tampa Bay, would've played Eagles, then Raiders

92 was particularly painful since we were robbed. It's a different game with that Rice TD standing. 83 is the same, but it was before my time and my frustration is historical rather than personal.

I prefer not to remember 90

93 & 97 we didn't stand a chance, so they hurt less.

I forget the year, but Steve Young was QB and the 9ers played Atlanta in the Playoffs. I thought they could have gone all the way but Garrison Hearst broke his ankle and they lost the game. Its like they were a different team when he went out.

Originally posted by kemp_j:
I forget the year, but Steve Young was QB and the 9ers played Atlanta in the Playoffs. I thought they could have gone all the way but Garrison Hearst broke his ankle and they lost the game. Its like they were a different team when he went out.

Wasn't that 1998-1999?

Originally posted by backontop:

Originally posted by kemp_j:
I forget the year, but Steve Young was QB and the 9ers played Atlanta in the Playoffs. I thought they could have gone all the way but Garrison Hearst broke his ankle and they lost the game. Its like they were a different team when he went out.

Wasn't that 1998-1999?

Yes your right, I just looked it up. It was Jan 1999, coming off the 98 season. Hearst was a beast of a rb for the 9ers.
He was second in rushing to Jamal Anderson that year.........

Originally posted by kemp_j:

Originally posted by backontop:

Originally posted by kemp_j:
I forget the year, but Steve Young was QB and the 9ers played Atlanta in the Playoffs. I thought they could have gone all the way but Garrison Hearst broke his ankle and they lost the game. Its like they were a different team when he went out.

Wasn't that 1998-1999?

Yes your right, I just looked it up. It was Jan 1999, coming off the 98 season. Hearst was a beast of a rb for the 9ers.
He was second in rushing to Jamal Anderson that year.........

Originally posted by Dr_Bill_Walsh:
1997 = would've played Broncos btw, (Pats = 1996)

2 Games Away (lost in Divisional):

1972 - lost to Dallas, would've faced 'Skins, then undefeated Miami
1986 - lost to NYG, would've faced 'Skins, then Denver
1987 - lost to Vikings, would've played 'Skins, then Denver
1995 - lost to GB, would've played Dallas, then Steelers
1996 - lost to GB, would've played Panthers, then Patriots
1998 - lost to Falcons, would've played Vikings, then Broncos
2002 - lost to Tampa Bay, would've played Eagles, then Raiders

Originally posted by kemp_j:

Originally posted by backontop:

Originally posted by kemp_j:
I forget the year, but Steve Young was QB and the 9ers played Atlanta in the Playoffs. I thought they could have gone all the way but Garrison Hearst broke his ankle and they lost the game. Its like they were a different team when he went out.

Wasn't that 1998-1999?

Yes your right, I just looked it up. It was Jan 1999, coming off the 98 season. Hearst was a beast of a rb for the 9ers.
He was second in rushing to Jamal Anderson that year.........

Jamal Anderson...I hear that name and all I picture is him trucking Merton Hanks and carrying him into the endzone

NFLN should do an "America's Game: the Lost Rings" for the 1990 loss to the Giants

Originally posted by paulk205:

92 was particularly painful since we were robbed. It's a different game with that Rice TD standing. 83 is the same, but it was before my time and my frustration is historical rather than personal.

I prefer not to remember 90

93 & 97 we didn't stand a chance, so they hurt less.

I think the 97 team was very good. Had the #1 defense garrison Hearst and had beat Denver on Monday night.

83 and 90 stick out because we were the best team both years. The Washington Establishment took it away from us in 83 and the fumble by Craig still hurts to this day because we would have been the only team to win 3 Super Bowls in a row. Also the 91 team that finished with a 10-6 record after winning the last 6 in row was the best team that year but a slow start cost us the playoffs. Steve Bono was great those last games. Have to add 87, I still have nightmares of Anthony Carter making a lifetime of circus catches in one game.

Originally posted by Niners99:
going back over the years, we played for the conference championship game 12 times since 1970, but only 5 times went on to the Super Bowl. we won all 5 times obviously, but its frustrating to look back at how many more SB rings we were 1 game away from, but couldnt get it done.

1970- wouldve played the Colts
1971- wouldve played the Dolphins
1983- wouldve played the Raiders
1990- wouldve played the Bills
1992- wouldve played the Bills
1993- wouldve played the Bills
1997- wouldve played the Patriots

as amazing as our 5 championships are, there were 7 more within spitting distance, but we lost. All I see when I look at those 3 against Buffalo are 3 more Lombardi trophies that wouldve been in our case, no doubt.

Cowboys screwed us out of 4 of those, Giants, Redskins, and Packers 1 each.

This is why the catch is the catch, all you younger fans who want to call every great play "the catch 3.0" or some other BS, don't understand the pain and anger that those losses were to us 70's fans. So you underestimate the joy that was the catch!

For the younger folks on here, I grew up a Vikings fan (grew up in Minnesota). I will take those losses listed here any day over
Vikings and Bills fans that had to endure being "stood up at the alter" four times.

Having said that, the real Catch and the subsequent defensive stand, couple with the Plowboys destruction of the 49ers over the years
make that game stand out more than anything else that has happened in the distant past.

Yes the '84,88,89 and 94 SB teams were great, but that one turned around a franchise. Let's hope we actually have a play such as that
in '11, as we've been "wandering in the wilderness" for a long, long time.

I think the more interesting thing to look at is that was started by a College Coach from Stanford. Hopefully this new era has the same result
with a coach from Stanford.

1990 was the big one. 49ers were one Roger Craig fumble away from going to the Superbowl where it would have been a three-peat. All the others you can discuss and disagree on but 1990 was really the the closest this team got without winning an actual Superbowl, that damn fumble...............

I don't think we wanted any part of the Raiders in 1983. They were peaking and rolling at the at the end of the season while we never hit our rhythym. We barely got by Detroit at home in the divisional round to make it to the NFC Championship, we had to sweat out a missed Eddie Murray FG. IDK, maybe if you give Walsh two weeks he can beat anybody, but I really thnk it would have been a tall order. And there's no way I could be content knowing that our only Superbowl loss was to the Raiders . . . so in that light I really don't regret losing that game in D.C. so much.