The 1971 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 26th overall. The 49ers appeared in the NFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. The team moved into a new home, eleven-year-old Candlestick Park, which they shared with the baseball Giants.
| 1971 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Josephine Morabito Jane Morabito |
| General manager | Louis Spadia |
| Head coach | Dick Nolan |
| Home field | Candlestick Park |
| Results | |
| Record | 9–5 |
| Division place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Redskins) 24–20 Lost NFC Championship (atCowboys) 3–14 |
| Pro Bowlers | C Forrest Blue TE Ted Kwalick WR Gene Washington RB Vic Washington OLB Dave Wilcox CB Jimmy Johnson CB Bruce Taylor |
| |
After winning two of their first three games on the road, the 49ers lost their first game at Candlestick Park to the Los Angeles Rams 20–13. The 49ers rebounded and successfully defended their NFC West title by posting a 9–5 record. For a second year in a row, the 49ers’ season ended in disappointment with a 14–3 loss in the NFC Championship Game to the Dallas Cowboys, this time on the road.
| 1971 San Francisco 49ers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Tim Anderson | DB | Ohio State | Signed with Toronto Argonauts (CFL) |
| 2 | 37 | Ernie Janet | G | Washington | |
| 2 | 49 | Joe Orduna | RB | Nebraska | |
| 3 | 55 | Sam Dickerson | WR | USC | |
| 3 | 75 | Willie Parker | C | North Texas State | |
| 4 | 101 | Tony Harris | DB | Toledo | |
| 5 | 114 | Dean Shaternick | T | Kansas State | |
| 5 | 122 | George Wells | LB | New Mexico State | Signed with Toronto Argonauts (CFL) |
| 5 | 127 | Marty Huff | LB | Michigan | Made roster in 1972 |
| 6 | 153 | Al Bresler | WR | Auburn | |
| 7 | 179 | John Watson | G | Oklahoma | |
| 8 | 205 | Jim McCann | P | Arizona State | |
| 9 | 231 | Therman Couch | LB | Iowa State | |
| 10 | 236 | Ron Cardo | RB | Wisconsin–Oshkosh | |
| 10 | 257 | Ernie Jennings | WR | Air Force | |
| 11 | 283 | Joe Reed | QB | Mississippi State | Made roster in 1972 |
| 12 | 309 | Jim Bunch | DT | Wisconsin–Platteville | |
| 13 | 335 | John Bullock | RB | Purdue | |
| 14 | 361 | Bill Dunstan | DT | Utah State | |
| 15 | 387 | John Lennon | T | Colgate | |
| 16 | 414 | Dave Pursell | DT | Kentucky | |
| 17 | 438 | Leroy Charlton | DB | Florida A&M | |
| Made roster | |||||
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Practice squad
| ||||||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 38–24 | 1–0 | Candlestick Park | 40,000 |
| 2 | August 13 | atMiami Dolphins | T 17–17 | 1–0–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 57,008 |
| 3 | August 22 | San Diego Chargers | W 28–17 | 2–0–1 | Candlestick Park | 40,000 |
| 4 | August 28 | vs. Denver Broncos | W 33–17 | 3–0–1 | Joe Albi Stadium | 33,184 |
| 5 | September 4 | atOakland Raiders | L 28–34 | 3–1–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,696 |
| 6 | September 9 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 20–23 | 3–2–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 55,607 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | atAtlanta Falcons | L 17–20 | 0–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 56,990 | |
| 2 | September 26 | atNew Orleans Saints | W 38–20 | 1–1 | Tulane Stadium | 81,595 | |
| 3 | October 3 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 31–3 | 2–1 | Veterans Stadium | 65,358 | |
| 4 | October 10 | Los Angeles Rams | L 13–20 | 2–2 | Candlestick Park | 44,000 | |
| 5 | October 17 | Chicago Bears | W 13–0 | 3–2 | Candlestick Park | 44,000 | |
| 6 | October 24 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 26–14 | 4–2 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 50,419 | |
| 7 | October 31 | New England Patriots | W 27–10 | 5–2 | Candlestick Park | 45,092 | |
| 8 | November 7 | atMinnesota Vikings | W 13–9 | 6–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 49,784 | |
| 9 | November 14 | New Orleans Saints | L 20–26 | 6–3 | Candlestick Park | 45,138 | |
| 10 | November 21 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 6–17 | 6–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 80,050 | |
| 11 | November 28 | atNew York Jets | W 24–21 | 7–4 | Shea Stadium | 63,936 | |
| 12 | December 6 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–26 | 7–5 | Candlestick Park | 45,306 | |
| 13 | December 12 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–3 | 8–5 | Candlestick Park | 44,582 | |
| 14 | December 19 | Detroit Lions | W 31–27 | 9–5 | Candlestick Park | 45,580 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 | 5 | 0 | .643 | 2–4 | 7–4 | 300 | 216 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 4–1–1 | 7–3–1 | 313 | 260 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 3–2–1 | 4–6–1 | 274 | 277 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4 | 8 | 2 | .333 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 266 | 347 | L3 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | December 26 | Washington Redskins | W 24–20 | 1–0 | Candlestick Park | 45,327 |
| NFC Championship | January 2, 1972 | atDallas Cowboys | L 3–14 | 1–1 | Texas Stadium | 63,409 |
NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atTexas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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