How many Super Bowls have the San Francisco 49ers won?

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most followed teams in the US and around the world. A healthy portion of red and gold is always scattered throughout stadiums of the Niners opponents, and much of that fandom sprouts from the glory days of Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Can Niners make a second Super Bowl in three years?

The Niners were in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago, but lost to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lomardi trophy has eluded San Francisco since Steve Young last won one in the mid 90’s.

It’s been more than 25 years since San Francisco has won a Super Bowl, but the Niners had a reign of terror over the NFL for 15 seasons. In a span that stretched form 1981 to 1995 the Niners won five Super Bowls over the Bill Walsh/George Seifert era.

Kyle Shanahan’s team was less than 90 seconds from being kept out of the postseason in Week 18 of this regular season. Down by seven, Jimmy Garoppolo drove the Niners down the field with 1:27 seconds on the clock and no timeouts. Six plays and a minute and one second later the Niners tied the game up and eventually beat the Los Angeles Rams punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Niners weren't always mainstays in postseason

The first time the Niners went to the post season they were still a part of the All-America Football Conference in 1949, and they won their first playoff game against, get this: the New York Yankees.

Over the next 20 years they would make the playoffs just twice, once in 1957, losing to the Detroit Lions in 1957, and not returning to the post season until 1970. That playoff run was cut short by the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional round, but it was the start of a three year streak to the playoffs.

While they went to the post season in ’70, ’71, and ’72 they managed just two wins and never got past the Conference Championship.

Montana and Walsh set standard in San Fran

The first trip to the Super Bowl came in their next playoff run which came in January of 1982. Joe Montana and the Niners beat the NY Giants, the Dallas Cowboys and then the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 to secure their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins fell victim to the Niners three years later when Joe Montana threw from 331 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-16 win capping off an 18-1 season.

For three straight years after the Super Bowl win over Miami, Bill Walsh’s team would make the playoffs but lose in the their opening game of each playoff run, but in the legendary coach’s last season with the Niners he gave the city of San Francisco their third Super Bowl and it came at the expense of the Cincinnati Bengals, again.

Back to back, with two different coahces

The next year George Siefert took over on the San Fran sidelines and led the Niners to a second straight Super Bowl, destroying the Denver Broncos 55-10 to win their fourth Super Bowl in nine years. It was just the fourth time in NFL history that a team won back to back Lombardi Trophies.

The end of the Niners Goldern Era came after the 1995 Super Bowl win when Steve Young led San Francisco to a 49-26 victory win over the San Diego Chargers.

Over the next 25 years the Niners would make the playoffs 10 times, but went to the Super Bowl just once, and that came two seasons ago when Jimmy Garapollo took San Fran to the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City was down 20-10 in the fourth quarter but scored three unanswered touchdowns to win their first Lombardi Trophy for the first time since 1970.

San Francisco will head down the California coast this weekend to take on their divisional rival, and a team they beat twice during the regular season, the LA Rams. If they win on Sunday they will have a chance at their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history come February 13th.