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1971 San Francisco 49ers season

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1971 San Francisco 49ers season
OwnerJosephine Morabito
Jane Morabito
General managerLouis Spadia
Head coachDick Nolan
Home fieldCandlestick Park
Results
Record9–5
Division place1st NFC West
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Redskins) 24–20
Lost NFC Championship
(at Cowboys) 3–14
Pro BowlersC Forrest Blue
TE Ted Kwalick
WR Gene Washington
RB Vic Washington
OLB Dave Wilcox
CB Jimmy Johnson
CB Bruce Taylor

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.

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.

Offseason

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Main article: 1971 NFL draft
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  
Source:[1]

Personnel

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Staff / Coaches

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1971 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office

  • Team Owner(s) - Josephine Morabito & Jane Morabito
  • General manager / Team President – Louis Spadia
  • Personnel Scout - Dick Gallagher

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches



Roster

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1971 San Francisco 49ers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad


Rookies in italics

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 August 8 Cleveland Browns W 38–24 1–0 Candlestick Park 40,000
2 August 13 at Miami 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 at Oakland Raiders L 28–34 3–1–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,696
6 September 9 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–23 3–2–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 55,607

[2]

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 19 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–20 0–1 Atlanta Stadium 56,990
2 September 26 at New Orleans Saints W 38–20 1–1 Tulane Stadium 81,595
3 October 3 at Philadelphia 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 at St. 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 at Minnesota 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 at Los Angeles Rams L 6–17 6–4 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 80,050
11 November 28 at New 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.

Standings

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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.

Postseason

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See also: 1971–72 NFL playoffs

Schedule

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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 at Dallas Cowboys L 3–14 1–1 Texas Stadium 63,409

Game summaries

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NFC Championship: vs. Dallas Cowboys

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NFC Championship: Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 0 303
Cowboys 0 7 0714

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

References

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  1. ^ "1971 San Francisco 49ers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  2. ^ "1971 San Francisco 49ers (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
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