The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th overall and their third under head coach Bill Walsh.
The 49ers were 13–3 in the regular season for their first winning season in five years and first playoff appearance in nine years. The franchise's most successful season to date, it was considered to be "the birth of a dynasty", when the 49ers began a decade of dominance over much of the NFL. The 49ers drew an average home attendance of 54,398 in the season.
The 49ers won Super Bowl XVI, defeating the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals 26–21. It was the first of five Super Bowl victories in franchise history, all within the next thirteen seasons. From 1981 to 1997, the 49ers would have thirteen NFC West titles, eight NFC top seeds, and seven seasons with the NFL's best regular season record.
Third-year quarterback Joe Montana began the season as the starter, and produced two fourth-quarter comeback victories. His signature game of the season was the NFC Championship Game, which culminated in "The Catch", a last-minute touchdown pass from Montana to Dwight Clark, propelling the 49ers to victory over Dallas and a berth in their first Super Bowl. The 49ers were undefeated in their first five Super Bowls.
NFL Films produced a documentary about the team's season entitled A Very Special Team; it was narrated by John Facenda. On March 23, 2007, NFL Network aired America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, the 1981 San Francisco 49ers, with team commentary from Dwight Clark, Ronnie Lott and Randy Cross, and narrated by Gene Hackman.
Offseason NFL draft A turning point for the franchise was the drafting of safety Ronnie Lott from the University of Southern California, later inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, they also drafted cornerback Eric Wright from Missouri and safety Carlton Williamson from Pittsburgh.
1981 San Francisco 49ers draft Round Selection Player Position College Notes 1 8 Ronnie Lott CB USC 2 36 John Harty DT Iowa from Washington Traded to the Bears 40 Eric Wright CB Missouri from Chicago 3 65 Carlton Williamson SS Pittsburgh 4 Traded to the Cowboys 5 121 Lynn Thomas CB Pittsburgh 122 Arrington Jones RB Winston-Salem State from Chicago 6 147 Pete Kugler DT Penn State 7 Traded to the Eagles 8 203 Garry White RB Minnesota 9 Traded to the Bengals 10 Traded to the Colts 11 286 Ron DeBose TE UCLA 12 313 Major Ogilvie RB Alabama 322 Joe Adams QB Tennessee State from Pittsburgh
Training camp The 1981 San Francisco 49ers season held training camp at Red Morten Park in Redwood City, California.
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Preseason
Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 at Seattle Seahawks 7:30p.m. PDT KPIX-TV W 27–24 1–0 Kingdome Recap 2 San Diego Chargers 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV L 28–31 1–1 Candlestick Park Recap 3 Seattle Seahawks 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV W 24–22 2–1 Candlestick Park Recap 4 at Oakland Raiders 6:00p.m. PDT KPIX-TV L 7–21 2–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap
Preseason Game summaries
Week P1 (Wednesday, August 5, 1981): at Seattle Seahawks
Point spread: Over/under: Time of game:
49ersGame StatisticsSeahawks First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession
Week P2 (Saturday, August 15, 1981): vs. San Diego Chargers
Point spread: Over/under: Time of game:
ChargersGame Statistics49ers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession
Week P3 (Saturday, August 22, 1981) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Point spread: Over/under: Time of game:
SeahawksGame Statistics49ers First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession
Week P4 (Saturday, August 29, 1981): at Oakland Raiders
Point spread: Over/under: Time of game:
49ersGame StatisticsRaiders First downs Rushes–yards Passing yards Sacked–yards Net passing yards Total yards Return yards Fumbles–lost Penalties–yards Time of possession
Regular season With the offense in good shape, Walsh and the 49ers focused on overhauling the defense in 1981. Walsh took the highly unusual step of overhauling his entire secondary with rookies and untested players, bringing on board Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright and Carlton Williamson and giving Dwight Hicks a prominent role. He also acquired veteran linebacker Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds and veteran defensive lineman and sack specialist Fred Dean.
These new additions, when added to existing defensive mainstays like Keena Turner, turned the 49ers into a dominant team. After a 1–2 start, the 49ers won all but one of their final games to finish with a 13–3 record, easily the best record in the team's history. Additionally, the 49ers defense yielded more than 20 points in only three games. Dean and Hicks made the Pro Bowl. The 49ers selection of Lott in the 1981 NFL draft proved to be a seminal one. In addition to making the NFC Pro Bowl roster, Lott was voted First-Team All-Pro and received nods from all 5 newspapers that voted, a significant honor for a rookie. Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the only other rookie from the 1981 NFL draft to achieve this unanimous selection to the First Team All-Pro unit.
Led by Montana, the unusual offense was centered around the short passing game, which Walsh used as ball control. Both Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon had excellent years receiving; Clark as the possession receiver, and Solomon as more of a deep threat. The 49ers running game, however, was among the weakest for any champion in NFL history. Ricky Patton led the 49ers with only 543 yards rushing. The 49ers' most valuable running back, however, might have been Earl Cooper, whose strength was as a pass-catching back (he had 51 catches during the season).
Schedule Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 6 at Detroit Lions 10:00a.m. PDT CBS L 17–24 0–1 Pontiac Silverdome 63,710 Recap 2 September 13 Chicago Bears 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 28–17 1–1 Candlestick Park 49,520 Recap 3 September 20 at Atlanta Falcons 10:00a.m. PDT CBS L 17–34 1–2 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 56,653 Recap 4 September 27 New Orleans Saints 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 21–14 2–2 Candlestick Park 44,433 Recap 5 October 4 at Washington Redskins 10:00a.m. PDT CBS W 30–17 3–2 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 51,843 Recap 6 October 11 Dallas Cowboys 1:00p.m. PDT CBS W 45–14 4–2 Candlestick Park 57,574 Recap 7 October 18 at Green Bay Packers(at Milwaukee) 11:00a.m. PDT CBS W 13–3 5–2 Milwaukee County Stadium 50,171 Recap 8 October 25 Los Angeles Rams 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 20–17 6–2 Candlestick Park 59,190 Recap 9 November 1 at Pittsburgh Steelers 10:00a.m. PST CBS W 17–14 7–2 Three Rivers Stadium 52,878 Recap 10 November 8 Atlanta Falcons 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 17–14 8–2 Candlestick Park 59,127 Recap 11 November 15 Cleveland Browns 1:00p.m. PST NBC L 12–15 8–3 Candlestick Park 52,455 Recap 12 November 22 at Los Angeles Rams 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 33–31 9–3 Anaheim Stadium 63,456 Recap 13 November 29 New York Giants 1:00p.m. PST CBS W 17–10 10–3 Candlestick Park 57,186 Recap 14 December 6 at Cincinnati Bengals 10:00a.m. PDT CBS W 21–3 11–3 Riverfront Stadium 56,796 Recap 15 December 13 Houston Oilers 1:00p.m. PST NBC W 28–6 12–3 Candlestick Park55,707 Recap 16 December 20 at New Orleans Saints 11:00a.m. PST CBS W 21–17 13–3 Louisiana Superdome 43,639 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Regular season game summaries
Week 1 (Sunday, September 6, 1981): at Detroit Lions The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03.
Point spread: 49ers +4 Over/under: 40.0 (over) Time of game:
49ersGame StatisticsLions19 First downs 2133–121 Rushes–yards 30–127195 Passing yards 19618–28–1 16–27–14–19 Sacked–yards 4–28176 Net passing yards 168297 Total yards 295105 Return yards 473–33.7 4–46.22–2 Fumbles–lost 1–18–54 Penalties–yards 7–6531:56 Time of possession 28:04
Individual stats Passing: Montana – 18/28, 195 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Patton – 15 CAR, 72 YDS, 1 TD; Easley – 7 CAR, 23 YDS; Cooper – 9 CAR, 22 YDS; Montana – 2 CAR, 4 YDS Receiving: Solomon – 8 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD; Clark – 5 REC, 57 YDS; Cooper – 3 REC, 11 YDS; Young – 2 REC, 33 YDS Kickoff returns: Jones – 3 KR, 43 YDS; Patton – 1 KR, 0 YDS Punt returns: Hicks – 2 PR, 46 YDS; Solomon – 2 PR, 16 YDS Punting: Miller – 3 PUNTS, 101 YDS Kicking: Wersching – 2/2 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Pillers – 2.0; Harper – 1.0; McColl – 1.0 Interceptions: Reynolds – 1 INT, 0 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Wersching 32
Week 2 (Sunday, September 13, 1981): vs. Chicago Bears The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03.
Point spread: 49ers Pick Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game:
BearsGame Statistics49ers18 First downs 2036–123 Rushes–yards 32–125216 Passing yards 28719–33–1 20–32–01–0 Sacked–yards 0–0216 Net passing yards 287339 Total yards 412106 Return yards 1106–41.5 5–38.02–2 Fumbles–lost 2–24–16 Penalties–yards 3–2525:16 Time of possession 34:44
Individual stats Passing: Montana – 20/32, 287 YDS, 3 TDs Rushing: Patton – 14 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 14 CAR, 67 YDS; Easley – 3 CAR, 5 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, –3 YDS Receiving: Clark – 6 REC, 81 YDS; Solomon – 5 REC, 113 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 4 REC, 28 YDS; Patton – 2 REC, 34 YDS, 1 TD; Young – 2 REC, 19 YDS, 1 TD; Elliott – 1 REC, 12 YDS Kickoff returns: Lott – 3 KR, 55 YDS; Davis – 1 KR, 0 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 4 PR, 40 YDS; Hicks – 1 PR, 7 YDS Punting: Miller – 5 PUNTS, 190 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 4/4 PAT, 0/2 FG Sacks: Board – 0.5; Harty – 0.5 Interceptions: Hicks – 1 INT, 8 YDS 49ers Missed Field Goals: Bahr 39, 48
Week 3 (Sunday, September 20, 1981): at Atlanta Falcons The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03.
Point spread: 49ers +9 Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game:
49ersGame StatisticsFalcons23 First downs 1830–113 Rushes–yards 34–163274 Passing yards 22224–34–2 14–23–01–1 Sacked–yards 2–22273 Net passing yards 200386 Total yards 363110 Return yards 1993–35.3 3–36.71–1 Fumbles–lost 2–03–25 Penalties–yards 4v5032:08 Time of possession 27:52
Individual stats Passing: Montana – 24/34, 274 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs Rushing: Cooper – 9 CAR, 40 YDS; Patton – 12 CAR, 30 YDS; Easley – 4 CAR, 18 YDS; Elliott – 4 CAR, 17 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 0 YDS Receiving: Clark – 9 REC, 77 YDS; Young – 3 REC, 55 YDS, 1 TD; Solomon – 3 REC, 36 YDS, 1 TD; Cooper – 3 REC, 29 YDS; Wilson – 2 REC, 34 YDS; Patton – 2 REC, 16 YDS; Hofer – 1 REC, 22 YDS; Peets – 1 REC, 5 YDS Kickoff returns: Lott – 3 KR, 56 YDS; Ring – 1 KR, 23 YDS; Wilson – 1 KR, 22 YDS Punt returns: Solomon – 2 PR, 9 YDS Punting: Miller – 3 PUNTS, 160 YDS Kicking: Bahr – 2/2 PAT, 1/2 FG Sacks: Board – 2.0 49ers Missed Field Goals: Bahr 24 (Blocked)
Joe Montana was intercepted twice in 34 passes (24 completed) as the Niners fell to the Falcons for the eleventh time in the last eight seasons.
Week 4 (Sunday, September 27, 1981): vs. New Orleans Saints The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Sep-03.
Point spread: 49ers –6 Over/under: 43.0 (under) Time of game:
SaintsGame Statistics49ers18 First downs 1537–163 Rushes–yards 39–146250 Passing yards 17521–38–2 16–22–10–0 Sacked–yards 1–7250 Net passing yards 168413 Total yards 314192 Return yards 1026–40.2 9–45.13–2 Fumbles–lost 1–111–106 Penalties–yards 8–7930:44 Time of possession 29:16
Individual stats Passing: Montana – 16/22, 175 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Davis – 11 CAR, 48 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 14 CAR, 42 YDS; Hofer – 4 CAR, 19 YDS; Montana – 3 CAR, 17 YDS; Cooper – 5 CAR, 10 YDS; Easley – 1 CAR, 5 YDS; Solomon – 1 CAR, 5 YDS Receiving: Young – 3 REC, 41 YDS; Clark – 3 REC, 30 YDS; Cooper – 3 REC, 6 YDS; Solomon – 2 REC, 80 YDS, 1 TD; Patton – 2 REC, 8 YDS; Hofer – 2 REC, 7 YDS; Lawrence – 1 REC, 3 YDS