San Francisco 49ers · Franchise era 4 of 7
Steve Young takes the baton: the San Francisco 49ers story
Franchise era
1991—1998
Steve Young takes the baton
San Francisco 49ers
The story in one sentence
Young escaped Montana's shadow with an MVP peak and six touchdown passes in Super Bowl XXIX, extending the dynasty into another generation.
A quarterback transition preserves greatness
Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Bryant Young gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the long reset.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1991
What came before
Bill Walsh paired precise passing with a rebuilt defense, and Montana's calm produced four Super Bowl victories without a loss.
1993-01-09
Divisional Round: Washington vs San Francisco 49ers
1995-01-15
Conference Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
1995-01-29
Super Bowl: San Diego Chargers vs San Francisco 49ers
After 1998
What came next
An explosive early-2000s offense supplied one last playoff comeback before instability took over and Willis became the next defensive foundation.
The core