The 1951 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 2nd season in the National Football League and their 6th overall. The team was coming off a 3–9 record in 1950.
The 49ers won their first ever NFL road game on October 14 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, after losing their first 7 in the league. The Niners were in playoff contention all year long, finishing 7–4–1, just a half game out of first place in the National Conference. Their biggest win of the season was a 44–17 victory over their California rivals, the Los Angeles Rams.
Frankie Albert and Y. A. Tittle split time at quarterback, with Albert throwing for 1,116 yards, while Tittle led the club with 8 TDs and completed 55.3% of his passes. Joe Perry once again led the team in rushing with 677 yards and 3 TDs, and wide receiver Gordie Soltau led the club with 59 catches for 826 yards and 7 TDs.
Offseason NFL draft
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 19 Washington Redskins W 45–14 1–0 Kezar Stadium 27,280 2 August 26 Chicago Bears L 7–24 1–1 Kezar Stadium 38,836 3 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–7 2–1 Archbold Stadium 18,000 4 vs. Green Bay Packers W 20–0 3–1 Parade Stadium 19,021 5 September 23 vs. Chicago Cardinals W 37–17 4–1 Creighton Stadium 10,000
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 30 Cleveland Browns W 24–10 1–0 Kezar Stadium 48,263 Recap 2 at Philadelphia Eagles L 14–21 1–1 Shibe Park 23,827 Recap 3 October 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 28–24 2–1 Forbes Field 27,124 Recap 4 October 21 at Chicago Bears L 7–13 2–2 Wrigley Field 42,296 Recap 5 October 28 Los Angeles Rams W 44–17 3–2 Kezar Stadium 49,538 Recap 6 November 4 at Los Angeles Rams L 16–23 3–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 54,346 Recap 7 November 11 New York Yanks W 19–14 4–3 Kezar Stadium 25,538 Recap 8 November 18 Chicago Cardinals L 21–27 4–4 Kezar Stadium 19,658 Recap 9 November 25 at New York Yanks T 10–10 4–4–1 Yankee Stadium 10,184 Recap 10 December 2 at Detroit Lions W 20–10 5–4–1 Briggs Stadium 46,467 Recap 11 December 9 Green Bay Packers W 31–19 6–4–1 Kezar Stadium 15,121 Recap 12 December 16 Detroit Lions W 21–17 7–4–1 Kezar Stadium 27,276 Recap Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: at Chicago Bears
Week 5: vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 6: at Los Angeles Rams
Week 7: vs. New York Yanks
Week 8: vs. Chicago Cardinals
Week 9: at New York Yanks
Week 10: at Detroit Lions
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 12: vs. Detroit Lions
Standings
Roster 1951 San Francisco 49ers final roster Quarterbacks P
Running backs
P/OLB
Pete Schabarum
Receivers DE
K Linemen G/MG DE DT DT G MG/G DE C T/DT G T/DT Linebackers MLB OLB/G OLB/CB OLB/FB OLB/C
Defensive backs CB S CB CB/RB Reserve list CB (Military) WR (IR) T (Military) DE/WR (IR)
rookies in italics
Pro Bowl San Francisco's players selected for the Pro Bowl:
Player PositionJim Cason Defensive backRay Collins Defensive lineLeo Nomellini Defensive lineGordie Soltau Wide receiver
References
External links 1951 49ers on Pro Football Reference SHRP Sports