1992 San Francisco 49ers
NFC Western Division Champions!
1992 Record: 14-2 (Regular Season), 1-1 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: George Seifert
Points Scored: 431 (1st out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 236 (3rd out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: Candlestick Park in San Francisco, CA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replacing the Legend
With starting quarterback Joe Montana still injured, Steve Young took over as the full time starting quarterback and gave the team the stability it lacked at the position the previous year with Montana and Young sidelined for much of the season. Young led the NFL in passer rating by a wide margin - 16.3 points ahead of Chris Miller, provided the spark for the NFL's top-rated offense, and led the team one game away from the Super Bowl. His top target was Jerry Rice, which is far from surprising. He finished third in the NFL with 1,201 receiving yards and 4th in the NFL with 84 receptions. His opposite number, John Taylor, missed a signicant chunk of time but caught 25 passes for 483 yards and 3 touchdowns. Mike Sherrard got chance to crack the starting lineup and caught 38 balls for 607 yards - good for a 16 yard average. Tight end Brent Jones finished second n the team with 45 receptions for 428 yards. Jamie Williams and Wesley Walls gave the 49ers superior depth at that position with their block and pass catching abilities. Fullback Tom Rathman continued his exceptional blocking and finished third on the team in receptions with 44 receptions for 343 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ricky Watters missed what would have been his rookie season in 1991, but rebounded with a great rookie season in '92 with 43 receptions for 405 yards and rushed for 1,013 yards. He scored 11 touchdowns from scrimmage. The 49ers sent two offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl, left tackle Steve Wallace and left guard Guy McIntyre. Right tackle Harris Barton and center Jesse Sapolu turned in Pro Bowl calibur seasons and Roy Foster is no slouch at right guard.
The defense employed a 3-4 alignment with nose tackle Michael Carter and left end Kevin Fagan providing solid play up front. Right end Pierce Holt was the top performer with 5.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl berth. Tim Harris lined up at both outide linebacker and defensive end and finished second in the NFL with 17 sacks. The other outside linebacker, Bill Romanowski, led the team in tackles and inside linebacker Michael Walter finished second. Keith DeLong provided additional help at stopping the run from his inside linebacker position. Martin Harrison also made strides at linebacker. Don Griffin was the team's top performer at cornerback and led the team with 5 interceptions. Third year pro Eric Davis picked off 3 passes and nickleback Merton Hanks added 2 interceptions in his second season. Dana Hall called the signals from his free safety position and he picked off a pair of passes. Starting strong safety David Whitmore was adept at stopping the run, but stuggled in pass coverage.
The special teams unit struggled for much of the year. Kicker Mike Cofer struggled though a midseason slump and made 18 of 27 fiel goals. Punter Klaus Wilmsmeyer finished 14th in the NFC with a 39.1 yard gross avg. Marc Logan finished 6th in the conference with a 21.7 yard average and Alan Grant finished 8th in the NFC with an 8.6 yard punt return average.
The 1992 season opened up with a win in Giants Stadium over the Giants by 17. The defending AFC Champion Bills came to town the folowing week and the Niners lost by 3 in a shootout, 34-31. The 49ers returned to form the following week with a win in Giants Stadium - this time against the Jets by the same 31-14 score they had against the Giants in the same stadium two weeks prior. The following week meant a trip to the Superdome for another tough clash with the rival Saints - the 49ers won this time 16-10. The Rams came to Candlestick the following week and the Niners won a close 27-24 contest. The 49ers visited Foxboro and beat New England 24-12 and routed Atlanta 56-17 the following Sunday - paying them back for Atlanta's two wins against them in '91. Following the bye week, the 49ers took another week off as they lost to the struggling Cardinals by 10 in Tempe. The 49ers visited Atlanta and returned the favor by sweeping Atlanta with a 41-3 thumping. The 49ers visited Anaheim Stadium the following Sunday and beat the Rams to sweep the season series. The Eagles came to town the following week and the Niners triumphed 20-14. The AFC East leading Dolphins visited Candlestick the next week and the Niners won with ease - 27-3. The wins kept coming as the 49ers won in Minnesota and at home against Tampa Bay. That win clinched home field advantage for the 49ers throughout the NFC playoffs. Legendary quarterback Joe Montana made his first start since the start of the '91 season at home against Detroit and he completed 15 of 21 passes for 126 yards and 2 TDs in the 24-6 victory. The win gave the Niners eight straight wins to end the regular season.
The Redskins came to San Francisco fresh off their upset of Minnesota in the Wildcard round, but the 49ers were ready for the challenge and they won 20-14, which set up an NFC Championship battle against the new kids in town, the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys looked good early as they built a 24-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The 49ers got to within 4 at 24-20 as Steve Young and Jerry Rice hooked up for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:22 to play. The Cowboys stayed aggressive as Aikman threw a 70 yard completion to Alvin Harper to set up a 6 yard TD pass from Aikman to Kelvin Martin to make the score 30-20. Lin Elliott's PAT attempt was blocked, but the 49ers could not score again. The loss ended the 49ers season, but Steve Young's successful season gave 49ers fans reason to believe that another World Championship is within reach.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 6/92 at N.Y. Giants W 31-14
9/13/92 Buffalo L 31-34
9/20/92 at N.Y. Jets W 31-14
9/27/92 at New Orleans W 16-10
10/ 4/92 L.A. Rams W 27-24
10/11/92 at New England W 24-12
10/18/92 Atlanta W 56-17
10/25/92 Bye Week
11/ 1/92 at Phoenix L 14-24
11/ 9/92 at Atlanta W 41- 3
11/15/92 New Orleans W 21-20
11/22/92 at L.A. Rams W 27-10
11/29/92 Philadelphia W 20-14
12/ 6/92 Miami W 27- 3
12/13/92 at Minnesota W 20-17
12/19/92 Tampa Bay W 21-14
12/28/92 Detroit W 24- 6
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Wildcard Washington W 20-13
NFC Championship Dallas L 20-30
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wide Receiver Jerry Rice (pictured below) was voted a starter in the Pro Bowl for the seventh time after leading the 49ers with 84 receptions for 1,201 and 10 touchdowns in 1992.
Quarterback Steve Young led all NFL passers in 1992 with a fantastic 107.0 passer rating. He made the Pro Bowl squad for the first time and he started the game.
1992 San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 8 Steve Young (lefty) 6-2 205 32 7 BYU 44 8 blk crop style 3 helmet, 2 bar, wt wristbands, wt sleeves
2. 16 Joe Montana 6-2 195 36 12 Notre Dame 37 1 l. brn crop style 2 helmet, 2 bar, wt wristbands, wt sleeves
3. 13 Steve Bono 6-4 215 30 7 UCLA 73 1 brn crop 2 bar, wt sleeves
Halfbacks
1. 32 Ricky Watters 6-1 212 23 R Notre Dame 103 3 blk fade style 3 helmet, 2 bar rb, eye paint, tc extended, wt tc elbowpads, tc gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
2. 35 Dexter Carter 5-9 174 25 2 Florida State 82 4 blk flat top 2 bar rb, tc wristbands, tc rb gloves, tc elbowbands (turf)
3. 22 Amp Lee 5-11 200 21 R Florida State 48 8 blk fade style 3 helmet, 2 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt tc elbowpads (turf)
# 27 Adam Walker 5-11 200 24 R Pittsburgh 92 2 blk fade style 3 helmet, 2 bar rb, wt elbowbands, wt wristbands, wt tc elbowpads (turf)
Fullbacks
1. 44 Tom Rathman 6-1 232 30 6 Nebraska 38 4 l. brn buzz style 2 helmet, half cage, eye paint, neck roll, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, fingers taped (grass), tc gloves (turf)
2. 43 Marc Logan 6-0 212 27 5 Kentucky 71 4 blk fade 3 bar qb, eye paint, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt half sleeves (turf)
Wide Receivers
1. 80 Jerry Rice 6-2 200 30 7 M. Valley St. 206 3 blk fade 2 bar, eye paint, qb wristbands, tc gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
2. 82 John Taylor 6-1 185 30 5 Delaware St. 227 7 blk fade style 3 helmet, 2 bar, wt gloves, wt sleeves, wt elbowpads (turf)
3. 88 Mike Sherrard 6-2 187 27 2 UCLA 226 6 blk buzz style 2 helmet, 3 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves
4. 86 Odessa Turner 6-3 215 28 5 N/A 69 9 blk crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar, wt wristbands, wt sleeves, tc gloves (grass)
5. 85 Troy Kyles 6-1 185 24 1 Howard dk skin 270 8 blk flat top 3 bar, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Tight Ends
1. 84 Brent Jones 6-4 230 29 5 N/A 18 3 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, full cage, wt wristbands, wt ankles taped, wt sleeves
2. 81 Jamie Williams 6-4 246 32 9 Nebraska 204 2 blk flat top 3 bar rb, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
# 47 Chris Dressel 6-4 239 31 8 Stanford lt skin 92 11 brn crop
Left Tackles
1. 74 Steve Wallace 6-5 276 28 6 Auburn 116 13 blk buzz half cage, neck roll, right wt elbowpad, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt ankles taped
2. n/a (switch position to RE)
Left Guards
1. 62 Guy McIntyre 6-3 265 31 8 Georgia 124 18 blk crop half cage, tc extended, wt wristbands, tc gloves
2. 64 Ralph Tamm 6-4 280 26 2 N/A 84 13 brn crop half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
3. n/a (switch position to C)
Centers
1. 61 Jesse Sapolu (lefty) 6-4 260 31 8 Hawaii 14 10 blk crop half cage, neck roll, bk tc elbowpads, tc rb gloves (grass), wt wristbands (turf), wt gloves (turf)
2. 71 Brian Bollinger 6-5 285 24 R N. Carolina half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
# 60 Chuck Thomas 6-3 280 32 6 Oklahoma 21 19 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands
Right Guards
1. 67 Roy Foster 6-4 280 31 10 USC 109 13 blk buzz (2) half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
2. 63 Ricky Siglar 6-7 296 27 1 San Jose St. dk skin 111 18 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Right Tackles
1. 79 Harris Barton 6-4 290 28 5 N. Carolina 43 17 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 65 Harry Boatswain 6-4 295 22 R N/A 219 16 blk buzz half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Left Defensive Ends
1. 92 Tim Harris 6-6 258 28 6 Memphis 164 5 blk crop full cage, wt elbowpads, tc wristbands, wt gloves, wt wristbands (turf), tc gloves (turf)
2. 91 Larry Roberts 6-3 275 29 6 Alabama 36 9 blk crop style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands
Right Defensive Ends
1. 96 Dennis Brown 6-4 290 25 2 Washington 156 14 blk balding style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
2. 75 Kevin Fagan 6-4 265 27 3 Miami lt skin 77 13 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, bk tc elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
# 93 Garin Veris 6-4 255 29 6 Stanford dk skin 143 8 blk crop style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Defensive Tackles
1. 78 Pierce Holt 6-4 280 30 4 N/A 32 11 brn crop full cage, dk visor, wt wristbands, wt gloves, fingers taped
2. 95 Michael Carter 6-2 285 32 8 SMU 75 14 blk fade style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves (grass), fingers taped (turf)
# 97 Ted Washington 6-4 295 24 1 Louisville 49 14 blk bald full cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 59 Keith DeLong 6-2 250 25 3 Tennessee 5 4 brn crop half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, rubber pads (grass)
2. 56 Martin Harrison 6-5 240 25 1 Washington 52 4 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, neck roll, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
3. 58 David Wilkins 6-4 240 23 R E. Kentucky 246 6 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands
Middle Linebackers
1. 99 Michael Walter 6-3 246 32 9 Oregon 14 8 brn crop half cage, neck roll, wt wristbands, tc rb gloves
2. 90 Darin Jordan 6-2 245 28 2 Northeastern dk skin 112 10 blk bald style 3 helmet, full cage, tc extended, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), wt sleeves (grass)
3. n/a (switch position to DT)
4. n/a (switch position to ROLB)
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 53 Bill Romanowski 6-4 240 26 4 Boston Coll. 53 4 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, eye paint, rubber pads, wt wristbands, bk elbowpads (turf), tc rb gloves (turf)
2. 55 John Johnson 6-3 230 24 1 Clemson 226 4 blk bald half cage, rubber pads, wt wrist double, wt gloves, wt sleeves, bk gloves (turf)
# 98 Antonio Goss 6-4 228 26 2 N. Carolina 215 9 blk crop style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, bk rb gloves, wt sleeves
Cornerbacks
1. 29 Don Griffin 6-0 180 28 6 N/A 109 3 blk crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar, bk gloves, wt half sleeves, wt gloves (turf)
2. 25 Eric Davis 5-11 178 24 2 Jacksonv. St. 94 7 blk fade 3 bar rb, bk gloves, bk wristbands (grass)
3. 26 Michael McGruder 5-10 190 28 2 Kent State 39 3 blk crop 3 bar, tc elbowbands, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt elbowbands (turf), left bk rb glove (turf), right bk glove (turf)
4. 36 Merton Hanks 6-2 185 24 1 Iowa 154 1 blk fade style 2 helmet, 2 bar, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves, rubber pads (turf), bk rb gloves (turf)
5. 24 Alan Grant 5-10 187 26 2 Stanford 132 3 blk fade 3 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves (grass), wt half sleeves (turf)
Free Safeties
1. 28 Dana Hall 6-2 206 22 R Washington 89 6 blk crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar qb, wt gloves, wt half sleeves, tc rb gloves (turf)
2. n/a (switch position to TE)
Strong Safeties
1. 41 David Whitmore 6-0 217 25 2 S.F. Austin 91 8 blk fade style 2 helmet, full cage, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt sleeves, wt elbowbands (turf)
2. 31 Thane Gash 5-11 198 27 3 E. Tenn. St. 81 2 blk flat top half cage, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves, wt sleeves
3. n/a (switch position to HB)
Kicker
1. 6 Mike Cofer 6-1 190 28 4 N.C. State 16 2 brn crop 2 bar (thin), wt sleeves, bk shoes
Punter
1. 10 Klaus Wilmsmeyer 6-1 210 25 R Louisville 24 6 brn crop 2 bar (thin) , wt wristbands, wt sleeves (grass)
Players Not Included
# 54 Mitch Donahue DE 6-2 254 24 1 Wyoming lt skin
# 76 Jacob Green LE 6-3 263 35 12 Texas A&M dk skin 154 16 blk crop style 2 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, bk tc elbowpads (turf)
# 50 Reggie McKenzie MLB 6-1 240 29 4 Tennessee dk skin 61 13 blk crop half cage, tc extended, wt wristbands
# 14 Bill Musgrave QB 6-2 196 24 1 Oregon lt skin 2 bar, wt sleeves
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acl-cth-car-jmp-bkt-tak-thp-tha-pbk-rbk-kpr-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
S. Young 75-59-90-90-84-34-49-57-67-22-95-99-21-28-31-24-0-89-86-92
Montana 56-58-97-60-50-26-56-55-44-24-88-95-20-26-25-21-0-86-71-87
Bono 56-51-77-67-60-47-58-48-44-26-83-78-24-27-33-27-0-79-81-62
R. Watters 92-69-61-96-95-78-94-75-77-23-44-37-30-31-30-23-40-89-74-86
D. Carter 95-54-67-96-88-73-78-79-64-17-29-26-29-28-24-22-82-84-70-61
A. Lee 85-59-56-86-91-82-79-68-69-16-40-37-28-27-19-27-68-84-82-63
Rathman 62-79-88-64-70-81-83-45-65-22-27-23-57-63-27-18-10-81-84-84
M. Logan 83-66-70-78-86-73-81-48-61-26-29-24-48-43-18-21-81-83-78-67
J. Rice 92-69-93-99-96-99-99-82-80-24-25-20-41-44-21-14-20-95-84-95
J. Taylor 93-65-86-95-95-93-88-81-75-24-23-22-31-38-21-14-87-84-73-67
Sherrard 93-60-81-93-96-86-75-83-70-20-25-28-30-33-26-22-10-84-71-69
O. Turner 93-54-79-88-91-74-74-87-54-17-27-24-24-31-25-22-25-78-83-65
T. Kyles 90-54-54-88-91-71-74-80-54-16-27-24-24-29-26-22-25-80-75-77
B. Jones 70-66-88-71-77-83-65-58-74-22-20-16-67-65-21-14-8-82-83-64
J. Williams 64-70-80-58-62-78-53-52-64-24-24-24-75-68-25-19-8-75-79-84
Dressel 64-68-76-64-62-68-64-62-65-28-41-29-66-64-26-22-8-73-80-65
S. Wallace 60-91-87-62-64-18-20-46-41-30-27-21-92-92-23-14-0-73-88-65
G. McIntyre 63-93-92-59-76-24-32-41-37-29-28-22-92-96-31-17-0-70-79-82
R. Tamm 48-87-62-47-63-21-19-44-28-23-27-22-79-86-28-22-0-66-69-73
Sapolu 61-93-87-62-58-18-20-51-30-28-28-20-92-95-22-20-0-75-97-89
C. Thomas 48-83-66-57-47-25-21-51-28-23-28-24-69-75-26-18-0-60-79-66
R. Foster 53-88-90-51-68-17-15-45-29-21-33-21-86-84-29-18-0-61-87-79
Siglar 62-85-66-62-69-23-22-47-27-24-32-19-85-83-29-22-0-72-82-74
H. Barton 59-96-91-62-56-18-20-58-37-33-31-21-94-94-28-21-0-77-72-90
Boatswain 48-88-57-46-73-19-18-48-31-25-29-18-78-87-30-20-0-62-67-77
T. Harris 82-74-86-83-78-30-27-64-24-81-27-23-27-35-28-19-0-82-78-76
L. Roberts 69-85-81-68-65-27-32-49-27-81-25-20-25-36-28-22-0-86-64-84
Fagan 68-84-88-68-66-24-27-47-32-85-22-17-24-33-27-21-0-79-71-78
D. Brown 66-85-64-77-67-25-22-52-27-76-27-19-24-38-29-19-0-79-89-84
Veris 65-76-85-65-68-22-25-52-35-75-25-24-24-34-26-20-0-71-67-77
P. Holt 67-86-84-63-76-22-21-48-36-86-26-19-26-44-30-23-0-83-85-84
M. Carter 44-93-91-46-63-21-22-49-38-82-29-21-29-50-34-19-0-69-65-83
T. Washington 57-89-62-57-65-18-18-44-33-84-32-37-25-47-33-21-0-74-77-82
K. DeLong 75-78-79-73-82-42-38-58-28-92-28-21-28-47-28-17-0-83-84-78
M. Harrison 80-68-63-83-80-33-35-59-24-77-25-22-23-44-24-23-0-75-66-69
D. Wilkins 77-67-55-76-75-38-35-61-24-75-27-23-24-42-28-21-0-73-77-69
M. Walter 72-76-89-72-73-40-37-47-23-90-29-22-28-48-26-23-0-84-68-76
D. Jordan 71-75-61-67-69-38-35-52-30-84-27-22-26-45-29-21-0-75-65-72
Romanowski 79-78-84-85-79-49-34-65-33-91-34-35-20-22-35-20-0-85-87-88
J. Johnson 74-74-64-75-73-46-41-61-27-82-25-21-26-47-31-24-0-78-74-71
A. Goss 78-68-56-78-74-37-39-66-23-81-22-21-22-36-23-19-0-78-76-71
D. Griffin 96-52-88-95-94-64-51-83-27-71-21-20-18-24-22-21-71-88-86-60
E. Davis 94-49-79-95-94-54-48-85-20-74-16-19-10-16-16-18-55-83-85-70
M. Hanks 88-51-69-90-86-62-46-84-24-83-23-22-18-25-25-21-73-84-88-73
McGruder 89-52-68-90-89-61-45-78-24-59-23-22-18-23-21-21-10-77-68-70
A. Grant 92-46-65-92-89-48-40-73-26-55-20-22-18-21-20-22-77-84-82-64
D. Hall 92-54-64-92-91-56-43-79-27-76-25-20-20-27-23-22-10-83-77-74
D. Whitmore 81-70-71-79-85-52-38-76-32-96-31-18-31-48-33-21-10-79-72-74
T. Gash 82-68-74-81-82-53-40-60-28-79-32-19-21-28-28-24-10-84-87-77
M. Cofer 59-26-71-58-52-37-31-61-16-17-24-24-15-14-85-81-0-61-83-53
Wilmsmeyer 46-39-56-44-50-45-45-54-18-21-56-43-15-20-83-90-0-57-70-48
Tight End Brent Jones hurdles a tackler after one of his 45 catches in 1992. He represented the NFC in the Pro Bowl.
Halfback Ricky Watters had a great first full season as a starter in the NFL. He rushed for over 1,000 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry in 1992.
Defensive End Pierce Holt earned a Pro Bowl berth in 1992 after registering 5.5 sacks and starting all 16 contests.
1992 San Francisco 49ers Individual Leaders
Passing: Steve Young, 3465 yds., 66.7 comp. pct, 25 TDs, 107.0 rating
Rushing: Ricky Watters, 1013 yds., 9 TDs, 4.9 yds./carry
Receiving: Jerry Rice, 84 rec., 1201 yds., 10 TDs
Touchdowns: Ricky Watters & Jerry Rice, 11
QB Sacks: Tim Harris, 17.0
Interceptions: Don Griffin, 5 int., 4 yds., 0 TDs
Scoring: Mike Cofer, 107 pts. (18 FG’s, 53 PAT’s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1992 NFC WEST STANDINGS
1st Place – San Francisco (14-2)
2nd Place – New Orleans (12-4)
3rd Place – Atlanta (6-10)
4th Place – L.A. Rams (6-10)