1954 San Francisco 49ers season
Encyclopedia
The 1954
San Francisco 49ers
season was the team's fifth season in the NFL
, and were coming off a 9-3-0 record in 1953, finishing one game behind the Detroit Lions
for a spot in the Championship game.
The 49ers would get 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 1st time in team history. The Niners would lose their next 2 games against the Chicago Bears
and Los Angeles Rams by close scores, however, 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. The Lions though had other ideas, demolishing the 49ers 48-7, as they fell to a 4-3-1 record. San Francisco would finish the season with 3 wins in their final 4 games, and finished the year in 3rd place with a 7-4-1 record.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle had another strong season, throwing for 2205 yards and 9 TD's, while completing 57.6% of his passes. Billy Wilson
led the club with 60 receptions and 830 yards and 5 TD's. San Francisco's ground attack was overwhelming. Joe Perry
rushed for a NFL high 1,049 yards, and John Johnson
rushed for 681 yards (2nd highest total in the NFL) and a team high 9 TD's. Hugh McElhenny was leading 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.
1954 NFL season
The 1954 NFL season was the 35th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended when the Cleveland Browns defeated the Detroit Lions in the NFL Championship Game.-Major rule changes:...
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
season was the team's fifth season in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and were coming off a 9-3-0 record in 1953, finishing one game behind the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
for a spot in the Championship game.
The 49ers would get 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 1st time in team history. The Niners would lose their next 2 games against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Los Angeles Rams by close scores, however, 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
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
, which was a must-win game for San Francisco. The Lions though had other ideas, demolishing the 49ers 48-7, as they fell to a 4-3-1 record. San Francisco would finish the season with 3 wins in their final 4 games, and finished the year in 3rd place with a 7-4-1 record.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle had another strong season, throwing for 2205 yards and 9 TD's, while completing 57.6% of his passes. Billy Wilson
Billy Wilson (American football)
Billy Wilson was an American football wide receiver who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1951 to 1960...
led the club with 60 receptions and 830 yards and 5 TD's. San Francisco's ground attack was overwhelming. Joe Perry
Joe Perry (American football)
Fletcher Joseph "Joe" Perry was a professional American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1950 , then 1950 to 1960 when the 49ers were absorbed into the NFL, the Baltimore Colts from 1961–1962, and finally back to the 49ers for his final year in football,...
rushed for a NFL high 1,049 yards, and John Johnson
John Henry Johnson
John Henry Johnson was an American football fullback. He played from 1954 to 1965 for the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League...
rushed for 681 yards (2nd highest total in the NFL) and a team high 9 TD's. Hugh McElhenny was leading 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.
Schedule
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | September 26 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
41-7 | San Francisco 49ers | 1-0-0 |
| 2 | October 3 | San Francisco 49ers | 24-24 | Los Angeles Rams | 1-0-1 |
| 3 | October 10 | San Francisco 49ers | 23-17 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
2-0-1 |
| 4 | October 17 | San Francisco 49ers | 31-24 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
3-0-1 |
| 5 | October 24 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
37-31 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-0-1 |
| 6 | October 31 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
31-27 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-1-1 |
| 7 | November 7 | Los Angeles Rams | 42-34 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-2-1 |
| 8 | November 14 | San Francisco 49ers | 48-7 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
4-3-1 |
| 9 | November 20 | San Francisco 49ers | 31-3 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
5-3-1 |
| 10 | November 28 | San Francisco 49ers | 17-13 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
5-4-1 |
| 11 | December 5 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
35-0 | San Francisco 49ers | 6-4-1 |
| 12 | December 11 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
10-7 | San Francisco 49ers | 7-4-1 |
Standings
| Western Conference | G | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | .792 | 337 | 189 |
| Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 301 | 279 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | .625 | 313 | 251 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | .542 | 314 | 285 |
| Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 234 | 251 |
| Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 131 | 279 |