athlore
HomeDiscoverLibrarySign inCreate account
↗
⌂Home◎Discover⌕Library
MINDOLEMAN56

Chris Doleman

Retired

San Francisco 49ers · DE-LB

Chris Doleman recorded 219 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 14 rostered seasons with San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings.

▶Best highlights

0.0

tackles/gm

15

playoff games

14

indexed seasons

219

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Chris Doleman's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Chris Doleman's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the Divisional Round against Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, Chris Doleman recorded 2 sacks in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman
  2. #2. In the Divisional Round against San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, Chris Doleman recorded 1 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman
  3. #3. In the conference championship against Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers, Chris Doleman supplied a defining performance in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman
  4. #4. Against San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints, Chris Doleman recorded 4 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman
  5. #5. Against Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, Chris Doleman recorded 4 sacks in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Chris Doleman

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Divisional Round
1987
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 9, 1988

Minnesota Vikings vs San Francisco 49ers

Divisional Round · Jan 9, 1988

0 tackles · 2 sacks · 0 INT

Divisional Round
1998
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
ATLANTAFALCONS
JAN 9, 1999

San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons

Divisional Round · Jan 9, 1999

0 tackles · 1 sacks · 0 INT

Conference Championship
1997
GREEN BAYPACKERS
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
JAN 11, 1998

Green Bay Packers vs San Francisco 49ers

Conference Championship · Jan 11, 1998

0 tackles · 0 sacks · 0 INT

Regular Season
1998
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
OCT 11, 1998

San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints

Regular Season · Oct 11, 1998

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Regular Season
1989
CINCINNATIBENGALS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
DEC 25, 1989

Cincinnati Bengals vs Minnesota Vikings

Regular Season · Dec 25, 1989

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Chris Doleman's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 4 sacks

Regular Season
1998
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
OCT 11, 1998

San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints

Regular Season · Oct 11, 1998

0 tackles · 4 sacks · 0 INT

Career high: 1 interception

Regular Season
1996
SAN FRANCISCO49ERS
PITTSBURGHSTEELERS
DEC 15, 1996

San Francisco 49ers vs Pittsburgh Steelers

Regular Season · Dec 15, 1996

0 tackles · 0 sacks · 1 INT

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Chris Doleman's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1980–1991

01
MINDOLEMAN56Chris Doleman
MINCARTER—Anthony Carter
MINBROWNER47Joey Browner

Carter arrives as an unlikely new cornerstone

Minnesota Vikings · Between Tarkenton and the Dome

Minnesota remained dangerous, including a surprise 1987 NFC title-game run, while assembling the stars of its next offense.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1992–2000

02
MINDOLEMAN56Chris Doleman
MINCARTER80Cris Carter
MINMOSS84Randy Moss

The league's most explosive offense

Minnesota Vikings · Carter, Moss and the 1998 heartbreak

Moss transformed the league as a rookie and the 15–1 Vikings set a scoring record before falling in overtime one game short of the Super Bowl.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1989–1996

03
ATLDOLEMAN56Chris Doleman
ATLSANDERS21Deion Sanders
ATLRISON89Andre Rison

Deion Sanders makes Atlanta an event

Atlanta Falcons · Prime Time changes the temperature

Sanders brought speed and swagger to a franchise still searching for consistency, setting the tone for a bolder Atlanta football identity.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1981–1996

04
NYJDOLEMAN56Chris Doleman
NYJGASTINEAU99Mark Gastineau
NYJKLECKO—Joe Klecko

Pass rush returns the Jets to January

New York Jets · The Sack Exchange and more near misses

The Sack Exchange led consecutive playoff teams, and the 1986 club began 10–1 before injuries and an overtime loss ended its run.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1991–1998

05
SFDOLEMAN56Chris Doleman
SFYOUNG8Steve Young
SFRICE80Jerry Rice

A quarterback transition preserves greatness

San Francisco 49ers · Steve Young takes the baton

Young escaped Montana's shadow with an MVP peak and six touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXIX, extending the dynasty into another generation.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

NFL sacks leader · 198914 NFL seasons219 career games143 career sacksCollege: Pittsburgh15 playoff appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 8, 1985Most recent: Jan 9, 1999

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history