Joe Montana
Notre Dame alum Joe Montana is an all-time great quarterback who holds many 49er and NFL passing records. His career achievements include 2,929 completions for 35,142 yards (1979-1992), Super Bowl MVP in 1982, 1985, 1990, as well as NFL player of the year and Offensive Player in 1989. One of the many highlights of Montana’s […]
Ronnie Lott
Heralded as an All-American at USC, Ronnie Lott proved his worth immediately as a 49er rookie in 1981. His statistics are not as numerous only because they do not catalog the ferocity of his hundreds, maybe thousands, of tackles. He was at the forefront of the 49er resurgence in the ’80s, noted as one of […]
Lou Spadia
Lou Spadia, a San Francisco native, devoted his life to athletics. He played baseball at Jackson playground in the Potrero District and Mission High. Following Navy duty in WWII, he went to the original Forty-Niners in 1946 as an office boy and rose to its president by 1967. After the sale of the 49ers in […]
Gordy Soltau
All-Big Ten at the University of Minnesota in 1950, Gordy Soltau starred as a pass-catching end and kicker for the 49ers. In 1952 and 1953, he led the NFL in scoring. During his nine seasons as a 49er, he led the team in scoring with 644 points, 25 touchdowns, and 70 field goals. He was […]
Tommie Smith
Tommie Smith entered San Jose State on a basketball scholarship but concentrated on track under Coach Bud Winter and became the only man, all time, to hold 11 simultaneous World and Olympic records: 200-meter dash, Olympic and World record, set in Mexico City in 1968, 19.83; 220-yard dash, 19.5; 400 meters, 44.5; 440-yard indoor, 46.2; […]