How many Super Bowls have the 49ers won? All of San Francisco's past victories and appearances
The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in a heartbreaking overtime Super Bowl thriller Sunday night, 25-22.
The back-and-forth defensive battle found the two teams tied at 19 at the end of regulation after late field goals. The 49ers were forced to settle for a field goal in their first OT possession, giving the Chiefs the chance to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion in two decades.
More information on Super Bowl LVIII is available on blogs at both CBS News and CBS Sports.
There are plenty more stories to read about the run-up to the Super Bowl from both CBS San Francisco and CBS News, including fascinating 49ers Faithful fan profiles, a look at some of the Super Bowl fan experiences available, the skyrocketing price of tickets to the big game, the crackdown on counterfeit NFL merchandise in Las Vegas and the record-setting amount of gambling expected for Sunday's game.
How many Super Bowls have the 49ers won?
The 49ers have won five Super Bowls. Their first trip to the Big Game in 1982 found quarterback Joe Montana and head coach Bill Walsh leading the team to victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI, 26-21. That marked the beginning of San Francisco's decade of dynasty, with Montana helming the team to a dominant 38-16 win over the Miami Dolphins in 1985 and a heart-stopping victory four years later, beating the Bengals again four years later, 20-16, in 1989. The team accomplished the rare feat of winning back-to-back Super Bowls the following year as Montana won his third Super Bowl MVP trophy after a decisive 55-10 rout over the Denver Broncos in 1990, also his fourth championship. It wasn't until the team finally returned for Super Bowl XXIX in 1995 that quarterback Steve Young got his first win as the 49ers topped the San Diego Chargers, 49-26.
How many Super Bowls have the 49ers played in?
The 49ers have played in a total of eight Super Bowls. The team was 5-0 in the Big Game, but hit an extended drought after their fifth victory in 1995. The team didn't return to the Super Bowl for nearly two decades, finally making it back in 2012, when quarterback Colin Kaepernick led the team in a heroic rally that fell short with the Baltimore Ravens winning 34-31. The team's seventh and most recent appearance found the 49ers facing their current opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, just four years ago. That night, the Chiefs came from behind for a 31-20 win. On Sunday, the 49ers had a chance to avenge that loss, but fell short, losing to the Chiefs in overtime.
The last 49ers Super Bowl win, in detail
When the 49ers won the team's last NFL title in Super Bowl XXIX over the San Diego Chargers, San Francisco fans were in the midst of what then seemed a long five years without a Super Bowl victory as questions surrounded Joe Montana's successor at quarterback Steve Young and his ability to lead the team back to the top.
Montana delivered four Super Bowl titles and a trio of Super Bowl MVP trophies during a decade of dominance that started with the team winning its first NFL championship to close out the 1981 season. Young would revive the ghosts of glories past as he led the team through three quarters of stellar football against the Chargers. He seemed completely in command from the opening drive, with San Diego facing a 14-0 deficit just five minutes into the game. The 49ers Faithful gathered to watch the game in establishments along Miami's South Beach hardly had time to finish their first drink.
Young threw four scoring passes in the first half: a 44-yard strike to Jerry Rice, a pair of touchdown passes to Rickey Watters and a 5-yard pass to William Floyd. The San Diego defense was so threatened by the deep ball to Rice that it gave up passes to running backs Watters and Floyd and paid the price. The 49ers went into the locker room with a 28-10 lead at halftime. The team extended the advantage to 42-10 on a 9-yard Watters scoring run and a 15-yard TD pass from Young to Rice. The pair would team up one more time before the final whistle.
The Chargers threatened to mount a fourth quarter rally with a pair of touchdowns of their own, but Young would not be denied. As the clock ticked down, a sideline camera crew famously recorded the quarterback as he asked teammates to help "get this monkey off my back." With his first Super Bowl win, Young emerged from Montana's shadow and earned his own Super Bowl MVP award to cap a historic season. He eventually joined Montana in the NFL Hall of Fame. On the sidelines that day was a young 49ers ball boy whose father was on the team's coaching staff. His name was Kyle Shanahan.
The last 49ers Super Bowl appearance, in detail
The 49ers were hoping to exact revenge on the Chiefs with their rematch in Super Bowl LVIII, but it was not to be. After a tight, back-and-forth defensive battle, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to rally Kansas City to the team's second straight Super Bowl title Sunday. The 49ers struck first in the game, taking a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 55-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody, setting what was briefly the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history.
The Niners pushed their lead to 10-0 thanks to a double-pass trick play that found 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy pitching the ball back to wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who then threw it across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who sprinted 21-yards for the score. The Chiefs finally got on the board thanks to a 28-yard Harrison Butker field goal before halftime, but the 49ers defense stymied Mahomes for much of the game.
Midway through the third quarter, Butker broke Moody's record, hitting his own 57-yard field goal to cut the Niners lead to 10-6. A fumbled punt by Niners' returner Ray-Ray McCloud late in the third quarter fumbled set up a Mahomes touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, giving the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. The Niners responded early in the fourth, with Purdy and Jennings connecting for a six-yard touchdown. However, Moody's missed extra point, left the 49ers with a slim 16-13 lead.
Butker's hit another field goal from 24 yards with under six minutes to go to tie the score at 16. Moody was able to redeemed himself for his earlier miss, nailing a 53-yard field goal with under two minutes to play to give the Niners the 19-16 lead. But as he has done so many times before, Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field, setting up a 29-yard tying field goal with three seconds left to send the game to overtime. The 49ers were forced to settle for a field goal in their first OT possession. Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field, closing the game with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime to beat the 49ers 25-22, becoming the first repeat Super Bowl champs in 19 years. The latest loss for the 49ers makes the team 0-3 in the Super Bowl after its remarkable string of victories in the '80s and '90s. Falling to the Chiefs a second time in a row was especially hard for head coach Kyle Shanahan, who has now been involved in three Super Bowl loses where his team was defeated in a late rally by the opposition.
Full list of 49ers Super Bowl wins
- Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21
- Super Bowl XIX on January 20, 1985, the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16
- Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989, the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16
- Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990, the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10
- Super Bowl XXIX on January 29, 1995, the 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26
Full list of 49ers Super Bowl appearances
- Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21
- Super Bowl XIX on January 20, 1985, the 49ers beat the Miami Dolphins 38-16
- Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989, the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16
- Super Bowl XXIV on January 28, 1990, the 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10
- Super Bowl XXIX on January 29, 1995, the 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26
- Super Bowl XLVII on February 3, 2013, the Baltimore Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31
- Super Bowl LIV on February 2, 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20
- Super Bowl LVII on February 11, 2024, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22