As the 50th Super Bowl set to be played in the 49ers’ home stadium approaches, a look-back at the first 49 championship games features a distinct 49ers flavor.
Hall of Famers and 49ers legends Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Ronnie Lott were chosen to the “Super Bowl 50 Golden Team,” as voted on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s board of selectors.
“The Super Bowl 50 Golden Team is an amazing list of incredible individuals,” Hall of Fame executive vice president Joe Horrigan said in a statement. “Each name conjures up memories of some of the sport’s greatest games showcased on its biggest platform, the Super Bowl stage.
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“Unforgettable individual performances like Lynn Swann’s acrobatic catches in Super Bowl X or Joe Montana’s come-from-behind game winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII are forever etched in the collective memories of football fans and celebrated as some of the most inspiring moments in the history of the National Football League.”
Only 26 players, including three specialists, and head coach Chuck Noll were chosen to the team, which celebrates the best career performances in the Super Bowl.
Montana, the four-time Super Bowl champion, was the first player to be named MVP of the game three times. He did threw 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions in those four victories with a passer rating of 127.8.
Rice was named MVP of Super Bowl XXIII with 215 yards receiving in Bill Walsh’s final game, a 20-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Lott was the 49ers' key defensive player for the organization's first four Super Bowl titles.
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Hall of Fame pass-rusher Charles Haley, who won two Super Bowls with the 49ers and three more with the Dallas Cowboys, was also chosen to the team. Cornerback Deion Sanders was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1994, his only season with the 49ers during a Super Bowl-winning season.
SUPER BOWL 50 GOLDEN TEAM
Head coach: Chuck Noll
Offense
Quarterback: Joe Montana
Running back: Franco Harris, Emmitt Smith
Wide receiver: Jerry Rice, Lynn Swann
Tight end: Jay Novacek
Offensive tackle: Art Shell, Forrest Gregg
Offensive guard: Gene Upshaw, Larry Allen
Center: Mike Webster
Defense
Defensive end: Reggie White, Charles Haley
Interior linemen: Joe Greene, Randy White
Outside linebacker: Lawrence Taylor, Jack Ham
Inside linebacker: Jack Lambert, Ray Lewis
Cornerback: Mel Blount, Deion Sanders
Safety: Ronnie Lott, Jake Scott
Specialists
Kicker: Adam Vinatieri
Punter: Ray Guy
Return specialist: Desmond Howard