The 1954 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League and their 9th overall. The team was coming off a 9–3 record in 1953, finishing one game behind the Detroit Lions for a spot in the championship game.

The 49ers got off to a strong start, beginning the season with a 4–0–1 record, as they were trying to finish on top of the conference for the first time in team history. The Niners lost their next 2 games against the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams by close scores, but they still found themselves in the playoff race as no team was running away with the conference. The 4–2–1 Niners had a huge game against the 5–1–0 Detroit Lions, which was a must-win game for San Francisco. But the Lions had other ideas, demolishing the 49ers 48–7, leaving them with a 4–3–1 record. San Francisco finished the season with 3 wins in their final 4 games, ending up in 3rd place with a 7–4–1 record.

Offensively, Y. A. Tittle had another strong season, throwing for 2,205 yards and 9 touchdowns, while completing 57.6% of his passes. Billy Wilson led the club with 60 receptions and 830 yards and 5 touchdowns. San Francisco's ground attack was overwhelming. Joe Perry rushed for an NFL-high 1,049 yards, and John Johnson rushed for 681 yards (2nd highest total in the NFL) and a team-high 9 touchdowns. Hugh McElhenny led the team with 8.0 yards per carry until he separated his shoulder on October 31 against the Chicago Bears.

Joe Perry (FB), Bruno Banducci (G) and Leo Nomellini (DT) made the Associated Press All-Pro team. Hugh McElhenny (HB), Billy Wilson (E), and Bob St. Clair (T) made the second squad.

Offseason NFL draft

Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 8 Fort Ord W 42–14 1–0 Kezar Stadium 2 August 15 New York Giants W 43–35 2–0 Kezar Stadium 3 August 21 vs. Washington Redskins W 30–7 3–0 Charles C. Hughes Stadium 4 September 29 Chicago Cardinals W 42–7 4–0 Kezar Stadium 5 September 5 Cleveland Browns W 38–21 5–0 Kezar Stadium 6 September 10 at Los Angeles Rams W 28–27 6–0 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 7 September 15 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers W 37–14 7–0 Arizona Stadium

Schedule Game Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap Sources 1 September 26 Washington Redskins W 41–7 1–0 Kezar Stadium 32,085 Recap 2 October 3 at Los Angeles Rams T 24–24 1–0–1 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 79,208 Recap 3 October 10 at Green Bay Packers W 23–17 2–0–1 Milwaukee County Stadium 15,571 Recap 4 October 17 at Chicago Bears W 31–24 3–0–1 Wrigley Field 42,935 Recap 5 October 24 Detroit Lions W 37–31 4–0–1 Kezar Stadium 58,891 Recap 6 October 31 Chicago Bears L 27–31 4–1–1 Kezar Stadium 49,833 Recap 7 November 7 Los Angeles Rams L 34–42 4–2–1 Kezar Stadium 58,758 Recap 8 November 14 at Detroit Lions L 7–48 4–3–1 Briggs Stadium 58,431 Recap 9 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 31–3 5–3–1 Forbes Field 37,001 Recap 10 November 28 at Baltimore Colts L 13–17 5–4–1 Memorial Stadium 23,875 Recap 11 December 5 Green Bay Packers W 35–0 6–4–1 Kezar Stadium 32,012 Recap 12 Baltimore Colts W 10–7 7–4–1 Kezar Stadium 25,456 Recap' Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Final roster 1954 San Francisco 49ers roster Quarterbacks

Arnie Galiffa

Running backs CB/S

Receivers

S K Offensive linemen G C/LB G/T G T C T

Defensive linemen DE DT MG/DT MG/G DE DT Linebackers

MG

Defensive backs CB/S/RB CB S CB/WR Pete Schabarum CB/RB S/CB Reserve lists LB (IR) RB (IR) MG (IR) G (Military)

rookies in italics

References