1997 San Francisco 49ers season

American football team season August 2023 March 2026 San Francisco 49ers 1997 13–3 1st NFC West Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. Steve Mariucci Carmen Policy Marty Mornhinweg John Marshall 3Com Park Won Divisional Playoffs(vs. Vikings) 38–22Lost NFC Championship(vs. Packers) 10–23 G Kevin GoganQB Steve YoungDT Dana StubblefieldLB Ken Norton, Jr.LB Lee WoodallS Merton Hanks 49ers seasons The 1997 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 48th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 52nd overall. The team appeared in the NFC Championship Game for the fifth time in the 1990s. This season marked the 49ers' last appearance in the NFC title game until the 2011 season as well as the last time that they clinched the number 1 seed with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs until the 2019 season. The team's playoff run was ended by the Green Bay Packers for the third straight season. Offseason NFL draft 1997 NFL draft 1997 San Francisco 49ers 1 26 Jim Druckenmiller Quarterback Virginia Tech yes 2 55 Marc Edwards Fullback Notre Dame yes 3 77 Greg Clark Tight end Stanford yes no Undrafted free agents + 1997 Undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRyan LongwellKickerCaliforniaBrandon NobleDefensive tacklePenn State Personnel Staff / Coaches 1997 San Francisco 49ers Owner – Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. President – Carmen Policy Vice-president/Director of Football Operations – Dwight Clark Director of player personnel – Vinny Cerrato Head coach – Steve Mariucci Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Marty Mornhinweg Running backs – Tom Rathman Wide receivers – Larry Kirksey Tight ends – Patrick Morris Offensive line – Bobb McKittrick Offensive quality control – Greg Knapp Defensive coordinator – John Marshall Defensive line – Dwaine Board Linebackers – Richard Smith Defensive backs – Jim Mora Defensive assistant – Bill McPherson Defensive quality control – Jaime Hill Special teams Coordinator – George Stewart Physical development coordinator – Jerry Attaway Strength development coordinator – Michael Barnes 1997 San Francisco 49ers Media Guide 5–23 Organization Roster 1997 San Francisco 49ers 11 Jeff Brohm 14 Jim Druckenmiller y  8 Steve Young American football 44 Marc Edwards American football y FB 40 William Floyd American football FB 20 Garrison Hearst 41 Terry Kirby 32 Chuck Levy 88 Mark Harris American football 81 Terrell Owens 80 Jerry Rice 83 J. J. Stokes 89 Iheanyi Uwaezuoke 85 Greg Clark tight end y 86 Chad Fann 84 Brent Jones 65 Ray Brown offensive lineman G 67 Chris Dalman C 63 Derrick Deese T 66 Kevin Gogan G 77 Tim Hanshaw T 69 Rod Milstead G 75 Frank Pollack American football T 60 Joe Rudolph G 61 Jesse Sapolu C 76 Kirk Scrafford T 92 Roy Barker American football DE 90 Junior Bryant DT 56 Chris Doleman DE 91 Kevin Greene DE DE 96 Daryl Price DE 71 Albert Reese DT 94 Dana Stubblefield DT 97 Bryant Young DT 55 Kevin Mitchell linebacker MLB 51 Ken Norton Jr. OLB 50 Gary Plummer American football MLB 52 Jim Schwantz OLB 53 James Williams linebacker, born 1968 MLB 54 Lee Woodall OLB 31 Zack Bronson y FS 28 Curtis Buckley CB/S 22 Tyronne Drakeford CB 36 Merton Hanks FS 25 Brett Maxie SS 46 Tim McDonald American football SS 23 Marquez Pope CB 29 Frankie Smith American football CB 38 Darnell Walker CB 26 Rod Woodson CB  1 Gary Anderson placekicker K 57 Randy Kirk LS  3 Tommy Thompson punter P 79 Harris Barton T IR 58 Vincent Bradford American football y LB IR 59 Tom Cavallo LB IR 74 Dave Fiore T IR 95 Marvin Washington DE IR 53 active, 5 inactive, 3 practice squad -- Jeff Posey y LB -- Curtis Shearer y WR -- Carlos Thornton y DE Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 1 August 2 at San Diego Chargers L 13–20 0–1 Qualcomm Stadium 2 August 9 Seattle Seahawks W 21–17 1–1 3Com Park 3 August 18 Jacksonville Jaguars L 20–28 1–2 3Com Park 4 August 23 at Denver Broncos L 17–31 1–3 Mile High Stadiumhttps://www.profootballarchives.com/1997nflsf.html#gsc.tab=0 1997 San Francisco 49ers (NFL) Scores, Roster, Stats, Coaches, Draft Pro Football Archives June 6, 2026 Regular season Opening the 1997 season with new coach Steve Mariucci and halfback Garrison Hearst, the 49ers seemed to have shored up their one major weakness from the season before. Also, additions Kevin Gogan to the offensive line and Rod Woodson to the defense were clear improvements over the previous season's roster. However, in the first game of the season at Tampa Bay, both quarterback Steve Young and receiver Jerry Rice went down with injuries. Rice appeared to be out for the season with a serious knee injury, and Young, with yet another concussion, discussed retirement. Young eventually came back, as did Rice for 1 1 2 quarters in the second-to-last game of the season (before getting another unrelated injury to his knee), and the team, with the league's number-one defense leading the way, pulled together and finished strongly at 13–3. Schedule WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendance 1 August 31 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 6–13 0–1 Houlihan's Stadium 62,554 2 September 7 at St. Louis Rams W 15–12 1–1 Trans World Dome 64,630 3 September 14 New Orleans Saints W 33–7 2–1 3Com Park 61,838 4 September 21 Atlanta Falcons W 34–7 3–1 3Com Park 60,404 5 September 29, 1997 at Carolina Panthers W 34–21 4–1 Ericcson Stadium 70,972 6Bye 7 October 12 St. Louis Rams W 30–10 5–1 3Com Park 63,825 8 October 19 at Atlanta Falcons W 35–28 6–1 Georgia Dome 53,378 9 October 26 at New Orleans Saints W 23–0 7–1 Louisiana Superdome 60,443 10 November 2 Dallas Cowboys W 17–10 8–1 3Com Park 68,657 11 November 10, 1997 at Philadelphia Eagles W 24–12 9–1 Veterans Stadium 67,133 12 November 16 Carolina Panthers W 27–19 10–1 3Com Park 61,500 13 November 23 San Diego Chargers W 17–10 11–1 3Com Park 61,195 14 November 30 at Kansas City Chiefs L 9–44 11–2 Arrowhead Stadium 77,535 15 December 7 Minnesota Vikings W 28–17 12–2 3Com Park 55,761 16 December 15, 1997 Denver Broncos W 34–17 13–2 3Com Park 68,461 17 December 21 at Seattle Seahawks L 9–38 13–3 Kingdome 66,253 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Steve Mariucci's debut game as 49ers head coach did not go well as Steve Young was sacked by Warren Sapp on San Francisco's first drive and was benched due to injury for Jeff Brohm until the fourth quarter. Brohm made no difference in the 13–6 Bucs win. Jerry Rice’s season all but ended in injury after four catches for 38 yards. Week 2: at St. Louis Rams Jim Druckenmiller started for Young as the Niners entered the TWA Dome. The Rams scored first on a field goal while San Francisco's first drive saw a missed attempt; Druckenmiller completed only ten passes (on 28 throws) and three of them were on this drive but later in the second he completed a 25-yard touchdown (it would be the only touchdown of his NFL career). The Rams led 12–7 on four Jeff Wilkins field goals until after a Lawrence Phillips fumble with 12 minutes remaining, when Garrison Hearst burst in a 35-yard Niners score on the resulting San Francisco possession. The Rams failed on fourth down in the final five minutes to seal the 15–12 Niners win. Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints The Niners' first home game of the year was another win over the Saints, who were led this time by ex-Bears coach Mike Ditka. Despite being sacked five times Steve Young completed eighteen passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Saints quarterbacks threw a combined six interceptions in the game. Week 4: vs. Atlanta Falcons Young again blew past 30 points scored as the Niners routed the Falcons 34–7. Young completed 17 of 24 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, one a 56-yarder to Terrell Owens. Week 5: vs. Carolina Panthers After just one win in four career games against the Panthers in Carolina's first two seasons, the Niners upended the slumping Panthers 34–21. The Niners jumped to a 27–7 lead as they intercepted Kerry Collins three times. Week 7: vs. St. Louis Rams The Niners crushed the Rams at 3Com Park 30–10 as they held Tony Banks to just nine completions while sacking him four times. Week 8: at Atlanta Falcons A week after getting their first win of the season (against New Orleans) the Falcons hosted the Niners and their first drive ended in a 27-yard touchdown throw by Jamal Anderson to Bert Emanuel. The Niners scored three straight touchdowns and kept answering ensuing Falcons touchdowns with more of their own. With the score 35–28 San Francisco, the Falcons attempted an onside kick but the Niners recovered and won the game. Week 9: at New Orleans Saints The Niners traveled 470 miles southwest to the Superdome and flustered the 2–6 Saints yet again. Three Saints quarterbacks could only muster 109 yards with a pick and a fumble as the Niners rolled 23–0. Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys The playoff-level intensity of the 1992–96 period was gone as the faltering Cowboys limped into 3Com Park at 4–4 and led in the third quarter 10–7, but the surging Niners scored ten more points and then intercepted Troy Aikman in the game's final minute on a pass intended for Stepfret Williams. The 17–10 Niners win would in essence be a last hurrah for the rivalry that had dominated the league earlier in the decade. It was also the 49ers' last win over the Cowboys at home until 2022. Week 11: at Philadelphia Eagles The Niners traveled to Veterans Stadium and won 24–12, snaring three Eagles turnovers and scoring on a Merton Hanks fumble return and a Chuck Levy punt return. Week 12: vs. Carolina Panthers The Niners picked off Kerry Collins three more times and held the Panthers under 260 total yards as they reached ten straight wins 23–19. Week 13: vs. San Diego Chargers The collapse of San Diego's season after a 4–4 start continued as only a Paul Bradford fumble-return score marred San Francisco's 17–10 win. Week 14: at Kansas City Chiefs Three years after their loss to Joe Montana at Arrowhead Stadium, the Niners were crushed 44–9 as Rich Gannon threw three touchdowns and Steve Young threw three interceptions, and Jeff Brohm threw a pick-six. Week 15: vs. Minnesota Vikings Steve Young rebounded with two touchdowns in a 28–17 win over the Vikings. In a harbinger of the Vikings' subsequent season, Randall Cunningham played the whole game and had two touchdowns. Week 16: vs. Denver Broncos The Niners reached thirteen wins by crushing the Super Bowl-bound Denver Broncos 34–17. The Broncos led 17–14 in the third quarter but after a Niners field goal John Elway was picked off by Merton Hanks and Hanks scored. Another Niners field goal and a fumble-return score by Kevin Greene salted away the San Francisco win. Jerry Rice returned for this one game and had three catches and a touchdown. Week 17: at Seattle Seahawks Having secured the top playoff seed, the Niners played all three of their quarterbacks at the Kingdome, and the frustrated Seahawks ended their 8–8 season on a high note as Warren Moon erupted for four touchdowns in only his second career win (38–9) in six games against San Francisco (the other win was a 10–7 win with the Oilers in 1993). Standings Postseason 1997–98 NFL playoffs Schedule RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordStadium Wild Card First-round bye NFC Divisional Playoff January 3, 1998 Minnesota Vikings (6) W 38–22 1–0 Candlestick Park NFC Championship Game January 11, 1998 Green Bay Packers (2) L 10–23 1–1 Candlestick Park Toward the end of the season, things appeared to be going well for the team's postseason prospects. But in the second-to-last game of the season, Rice was injured again and deemed out for the playoffs. Similarly, the team's offensive heart for the season, running back Garrison Hearst, had a broken collar bone through the postseason and did not return to full health before the end of the season. Despite not having either their leading receiver or their starting running back, the 49ers were able to make it to their 7th NFC championship game in 10 years. But not having an elite receiver or solid running back showed glaringly in their loss to the Packers in the conference championship game; Hearst returned, but his injury was still a problem as he only played a few ineffective snaps. NFC Divisional Game vs. (6) Minnesota Vikings San Francisco 49ers 1997 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Divisional Playoff: Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers – Game Summary January 3, 1998 1 p.m. PDT Vikings 7 0 7 8 49ers 7 14 10 7 3Com Park 54 F C 1 or, relative humidity 88%, wind 13 mph km/h knots First quarter SF - William Floyd 1-yard rush (Gary Anderson kick). 49ers 7–0 Min - Cris Carter 66 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Eddie Murray kick). Tie 7–7 Second quarter SF - Terry Kirby 1-yard rush (Gary Anderson kick). 49ers 14–7 SF - Ken Norton 23-yard interception return (Gary Anderson kick). 49ers 21–7 Third quarter SF - Gary Anderson 34 yard field goal. 49ers 24–7 Min - Cris Carter 3 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (Eddie Murray kick). 49ers 24–14 SF - Terrell Owens 15 yard pass from Steve Young (Gary Anderson kick). 49ers 31–14 Fourth quarter SF - Terry Kirby 1-yard rush (Gary Anderson kick). 49ers 38–14 Min - Matthew Hatchette 13 yard pass from Randall Cunningham (2 point successful). 49ers 38–22 Vikings Randall Cunningham. 18-40, 331 yards, 3 TD, 1 Int Cris Carter. 6 Rec, 93 yards, 2 TD 49ers Steve Young. 21-30, 224 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int. Terry Kirby. 25 rush, 120 yards, 2 TD. JJ Stokes. 9 rec, 101 yards 49ers get in the NFC Championship game and lost the third straight time to the Packers 23-10. NFC Championship Game vs. (2) Green Bay Packers San Francisco 49ers 1997 2;text-align:center; autocollapse NFC Championship at San Francisco 49ers – Game Summary January 11, 1998 1 p.m. PDT Packers 3 10 0 10 49ers 0 3 0 7 3Com Park 54 F C 1 or, relative humidity 90%, wind 10 mph km/h knots First quarter GB - Ryan Longwell 19 yard field goal. Packers 3–0 Second quarter GB - Antonio Freeman 27 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 10–0 SF - Gary Anderson 34 yard field goal. Packers 10–3 GB - Ryan Longwell 43 yard field goal. Packers 13–3 Third quarter no scoring Fourth quarter GB - Ryan Longwell 25 yard field goal. Packers 16–3 GB - Dorsey Levens 5-yard rush (Ryan Longwell kick). Packers 23–3 SF - Chuck Levy 95 yard kickoff return. (Gary Anderson kick). Packers 23–10 Packers Brett Favre. 16-27, 222 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int Dorsey Levens. 27 rush, 114 yards, 1 TD 49ers Steve Young. 23-38, 250 yards, 0 TD, 1 Int Terrell Owens. 6 rec, 100 yards Turnovers Packers - 0 49ers - 2 The 49ers and Packers met in the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row, and for the 3rd year in a row, the Packers defeated the 49ers. The 49ers were battling multiple injuries in the game, including missing star wide receiver Jerry Rice. The lack of depth on offense showed throughout the game, as the offense generated just 3 points. The only touchdown of the game for the 49ers was Chuck Levy's 95-yard kick return for a touchdown. But by then, the Packers had a commanding 23–10 lead in the 4th quarter. With the loss, the 49ers finished the year at 14–4. As of 2025, this marks the 49ers last playoff loss to the Packers. Awards and records Steve Young, Led NFL, Passer Rating, 104.7 Rating NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, 0-7611-2480-2, p. 450 References External links 1997 49ers on Pro Football Reference 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com San Francisco 49ers Category:NFC West championship seasons Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons Category:1997 in San Francisco San