| 1954 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Tony Morabito |
| General manager | Louis Spadia |
| Head coach | Buck Shaw |
| Home field | Kezar Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–4–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
The 1954 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 5th season in the National Football League and their 9th overall. The team was coming off a 9–3 record in 1953, finishing one game behind the Detroit Lions for a spot in the championship game.
The 49ers got 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 first time in team history. The Niners lost their next 2 games against the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams by close scores, but 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. But the Lions had other ideas, demolishing the 49ers 48–7, leaving them with a 4–3–1 record. San Francisco finished the season with 3 wins in their final 4 games, ending up in 3rd place with a 7–4–1 record.
Offensively, Y. A. Tittle had another strong season, throwing for 2,205 yards and 9 touchdowns, while completing 57.6% of his passes. Billy Wilson led the club with 60 receptions and 830 yards and 5 touchdowns. San Francisco's ground attack was overwhelming. Joe Perry rushed for an NFL-high 1,049 yards, and John Johnson rushed for 681 yards (2nd highest total in the NFL) and a team-high 9 touchdowns. Hugh McElhenny led 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.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1954 San Francisco 49ers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Bernie Faloney | Back | Maryland | signed with Edmonton Eskimos ( WIFU) |
| 2 | 23 | Leo Rucka | Linebacker | Rice | played with 49ers in 1956. |
| 3 | 35 | Steve Korcheck | Center | George Washington | decided to play professional baseball. |
| 4 | 47 | Charlie Boxold | Back | Kansas | |
| 5 | 55 | Bob Hantla | Guard | Maryland | |
| 5 | 59 | Frank Mincevich | Guard | South Carolina | |
| 6 | 71 | Floyd Sagely | Defensive back | Arkansas | |
| 7 | 83 | Sid Youngelman | Defensive tackle | Alabama | played with 49ers in 1955. |
| 9 | 107 | Ted Connolly * | Guard | Tulsa | |
| 11 | 131 | John Skocko | End | USC | |
| 12 | 143 | Hal Easterwood | Center | Mississippi State | returned to play at MSU. |
| 13 | 155 | Morgan Williams | Guard | TCU | |
| 14 | 167 | Sammy Williams | Back | California | |
| 15 | 171 | Ed Gossage | Tackle | Georgia Tech | |
| 15 | 179 | Sam Palumbo | Guard | Notre Dame | returned to Notre Dame |
| 16 | 191 | Bobby Fiveash | Back | Florida State | |
| 17 | 203 | Carl Kautz | Tackle | Texas Tech | |
| 18 | 215 | Morris Kay | End | Kansas | |
| 19 | 227 | Bob Edmiston | Tackle | Temple | |
| 20 | 239 | Frank Dipietro | Back | Georgia | |
| 21 | 251 | Howard Alsup | Tackle | Middle Tennessee | |
| 22 | 263 | Ralph Reynolds | Back | North Texas State | |
| 23 | 275 | LeRoy Fenstemaker | Back | Rice | |
| 24 | 287 | Jerry Daniels | Tackle | Tennessee Tech | |
| 25 | 299 | John Platt | Back | Elon | |
| 26 | 311 | Pete Bello | Center | Pasadena CC | |
| 27 | 323 | Gayford Baker | Guard | Omaha | |
| 28 | 335 | Bob Garbrecht | Back | Rice | |
| 29 | 347 | Ted Dunn | Back | Murray State | |
| 30 | 359 | Don Folks | End | Houston | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
- Source: [1]
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 26 | Washington Redskins | W 41–7 | 1–0 | Kezar Stadium | 32,085 | Recap |
| 2 | October 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | T 24–24 | 1–0–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 79,208 | Recap |
| 3 | October 10 | at Green Bay Packers | W 23–17 | 2–0–1 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 15,571 | Recap |
| 4 | October 17 | at Chicago Bears | W 31–24 | 3–0–1 | Wrigley Field | 42,935 | Recap |
| 5 | October 24 | Detroit Lions | W 37–31 | 4–0–1 | Kezar Stadium | 58,891 | Recap |
| 6 | October 31 | Chicago Bears | L 27–31 | 4–1–1 | Kezar Stadium | 49,833 | Recap |
| 7 | November 7 | Los Angeles Rams | L 34–42 | 4–2–1 | Kezar Stadium | 58,758 | Recap |
| 8 | November 14 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–48 | 4–3–1 | Briggs Stadium | 58,431 | Recap |
| 9 | November 20 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 31–3 | 5–3–1 | Forbes Field | 37,001 | Recap |
| 10 | November 28 | at Baltimore Colts | L 13–17 | 5–4–1 | Memorial Stadium | 23,875 | Recap |
| 11 | December 5 | Green Bay Packers | W 35–0 | 6–4–1 | Kezar Stadium | 32,012 | Recap |
| 12 | December 11 | Baltimore Colts | W 10–7 | 7–4–1 | Kezar Stadium | 25,456 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 8–2 | 337 | 189 | W1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 301 | 279 | W4 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 5–4–1 | 313 | 251 | W2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 4–5–1 | 314 | 285 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–7 | 234 | 251 | L4 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 131 | 279 | L1 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
References
- ^ "1954 San Francisco 49ers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved February 20, 2024.