1981 San Francisco 49ers season
The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League, their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh.
The team finished the regular season with a 13–3 record. The season would be one of the franchise's most successful seasons to that point and would be "the birth of a dynasty", when the 49ers began their decade of dominance. The 49ers drew an average home attendance of 54,398 in the 1981 NFL season.
The 49ers won Super Bowl XVI by defeating the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. It was the first of five Super Bowl victories in franchise history, all within the next 13 seasons.
Quarterback Joe Montana began the 1981 season as San Francisco's starting quarterback. Montana produced two fourth-quarter comeback victories. Montana's signature game of the season was the NFC Championship Game, which culminated in "The Catch", a last-minute touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark, propelling the 49ers to victory over Dallas, and a berth in their first Super Bowl. The 49ers were undefeated in Super Bowls until Super Bowl XLVII.
Offseason
NFL Draft
A turning point for the franchise was the drafting of safety Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California. Lott would be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.Training Camp
The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Sierra College in Rocklin, California.Personnel
Staff
Roster
Pre season
Schedule
Regular season
With the offense in good shape, Walsh and the 49ers focused on overhauling the defense in 1981. Walsh took the highly unusual step of overhauling his entire secondary with rookies and untested players, bringing on board Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson and giving Dwight Hicks a prominent role. He also acquired veteran linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds and veteran defensive lineman and sack specialist Fred Dean.These new additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner, turned the 49ers into a dominant team. After a 1–2 start, the 49ers won all but one of their final games to finish with a 13–3 record, easily the best record in the team's history. Additionally, the 49ers defense yielded more than 20 points in only three games. Dean and Hicks made the Pro Bowl. The 49ers selection of Lott in the 1981 NFL Draft proved to be a seminal one. In addition to making the NFC Pro Bowl roster, Lott was voted First Team All-Pro and received nods from all 5 newspapers that voted, a significant honor for a rookie. Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the only other rookie from the 1981 NFL Draft to achieve this unanimous selection to the First Team All-Pro unit.
Led by Montana, the unusual offense was centered around the short passing game, which Walsh used as ball control. Both Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon had excellent years receiving; Clark as the possession receiver, and Solomon as more of a deep threat. The 49ers running game, however, was among the weakest for any champion in NFL history. Ricky Patton led the 49ers with only 543 yards rushing. The 49ers' most valuable running back, however, might have been Earl Cooper, whose strength was as a pass-catching back.
Schedule
Game summaries
Week 1 at Detroit Lions">1981 Detroit Lions season">Detroit Lions
Week 2 vs. Chicago Bears">1981 Chicago Bears season">Chicago Bears
Week 3 at Atlanta Falcons">1981 Atlanta Falcons season">Atlanta Falcons
was intercepted twice in 34 passes as the Niners fell to the Falcons for the eleventh time in the last eight seasons.Week 4 vs. [1981 [New Orleans Saints season|New Orleans Saints]]
Week 5 at Washington Redskins">1981 Washington Redskins season">Washington Redskins
Week 6 vs. Dallas Cowboys">1981 Dallas Cowboys season">Dallas Cowboys
Week 7 at [1981 [Green Bay Packers season|Green Bay Packers]]
Week 8 vs. [1981 [Los Angeles Rams season|Los Angeles Rams]]
Week 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers">1981 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons">1981 Atlanta Falcons season">Atlanta Falcons
Week 11 vs. Cleveland Browns">1981 Cleveland Browns season">Cleveland Browns
The Niners’ winning streak ended in a battle of nine combined field goals. Opposing quarterbacks Brian Sipe and Montana combined for 393 yards, three interceptions, and an average passer rating of 56.Week 12 at Los Angeles Rams">1981 Los Angeles Rams season">Los Angeles Rams
The game lead tied or changed eight times as the Rams wound up using quarterbacks Dan Pastorini and Pat Haden while running back Mike Guman threw a seven yard touchdown to Preston Dennard. Amos Lawrence opened the third quarter by scoring on the opening kickoff and Ronnie Lott scored after intercepting Pastorini.Week 13 vs. [1981 [New York Giants season|New York Giants]]
Week 14 at Cincinnati Bengals">1981 Cincinnati Bengals season">Cincinnati Bengals
Week 15 vs. Houston Oilers">1981 Houston Oilers season">Houston Oilers
Week 16 at New Orleans Saints">1981 New Orleans Saints season">New Orleans Saints
Game officials
Preseason
Regular season
Standings
Final statistics
Statistical comparison
Quarter-by-quarter
Individual leaders
1Completions/attempts2Carries
3Long gain
4Receptions
5Interceptions
6Punts
7Kickoff Returns
8Punt Returns
Postseason
Notes:NFC Divisional Playoff
The Giants were making their first appearance in the postseason since 1963. First year starting quarterback Joe Montana led the 49ers to victory in his first ever playoff game, completing 20 of 31 passes for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns, with 1 interception. His top target in the game was receiver Dwight Clark, who caught 5 passes for 104 yards.NFC Championship Game
The 49ers were making their third appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Their opponent was their opponent for the two previous NFC Championship Games-the Dallas Cowboys. In both previous matches, the 49ers had lost the game. The game is remembered for "The Catch".The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight—Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Solomon, and Dwight Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab. Future New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area, attended the game as a four-year-old. The 49ers were victorious despite an astonishing six turnovers, including three interceptions by Joe Montana.
A photograph of the catch, with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls reaching out to try to block the ball, was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated the following week.
[Super Bowl XVI]
Game officials
Awards and records
- Joe Montana, Super Bowl Most Valuable Player
- Bill Walsh, National Football League Coach of the Year Award
1982 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl
| Number | Player | Position | Conference |
| 87 | Dwight Clark | WR | NFC Pro Bowlers |
| 51 | Randy Cross | RG, Starter | NFC Pro Bowlers |
| 74 | Fred Dean | DE | NFC Pro Bowlers |
| 22 | Dwight Hicks | S | NFC Pro Bowlers |
| 42 | Ronnie Lott | RCB, Starter | NFC Pro Bowlers |
| 16 | Joe Montana | QB, Starter | NFC Pro Bowlers |
Media
Pre season Local TV| Channel | Play-by-play | Color commentator |
| KPIX-TV 5 |
Local Radio
| Flagship station | Play-by-play | Color commentator | Sideline reporter |
| KCBS-AM 740 | Don Klein | Wayne Walker |