1989 San Francisco 49ers

1989 San Francisco 49ers: A Championship In Transition

Dan Flaherty NFL History Articles, Sports History Articles 1989 NFL, 1989 San Francisco 49ers, NFL history, San Francisco 49ers history, sports history articles

The 1989 San Francisco 49ers came into the NFL season as a rare breed—a defending champion in a transitional state. Under the leadership of Bill Walsh and the quarterbacking of Joe Montana, they won the Super Bowl in 1981, 1984 and again in 1988. Even though Walsh had retired after the come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Bengals to cap the previous year’s title run, the expectations at Candlestick Park were the same—to repeat. George Seifert had been elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach.

1989 Sports: Michigan's Miracle, A Series Earthquake & Gretzky Changes Sides

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Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of sports history articles aimed at preserving the best moments of the modern sports era, from 1976 to the present. The focus is team sports—college & pro basketball and football, major league baseball and hockey.
This article offers a snapshot of 1989 sports, a year that saw an amazing sequence of events unfold for Michigan basketball, the World Series marred by an earthquake and Wayne Gretzky changing sides

Triumph & Tragedy In 1989 San Francisco Sports: The 49ers & Giants

Dan Flaherty Sports History Articles 1989 San Francisco 49ers, 1989 San Francisco Giants, 1989 Super Bowl, 1989 World Series, San Francisco 49ers history, San Francisco Giants history

Sports in San Francisco for the year 1989 was a time of great triumph overshadowed by greater tragedy. Nothing can make up for the loss of life that resulted from an October earthquake that happened right before Game 3 of the World Series. But just as the city of New Orleans found joy in the Saints as they recovered from Hurricane Katrina, so too could the San Francisco of 1989 look back on the Giants’ run to the National League pennant and look ahead to the 49ers drive for a second straight Super Bowl title and fourth in nine years. The Notebook looks back on both teams.