10 greatest San Francisco 49ers of all time

Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana (16) of the San Francisco 49ers throws a pass during the 49ers 36-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the 1987 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 9, 1988 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Arthur Anderson/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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SAN FRANCISCO – OCTOBER 6: Cornerback Jimmy Johnson #37 of the San Francisco 49ers returns an interception against the St. Louis Cardinals at Candlestick Park on October 6, 1974 in San Francisco, California. The Cardinals defeated the Niners 34-9. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images) /

The NFC team from the Bay Area has forged quite an impressive legacy.

It’s a franchise that actually was born in 1946 in the now-defunct All-America Football Conference. The San Francisco 49ers spent four years in that league and then that the franchise along with the Cleveland Browns and a version of the Baltimore Colts joined the NFL in 1950.

The club had its share of good teams along the way but also some very low points. In 1979, Bill Walsh was hired to be the coach and in the third round that year the Niners drafted Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana. And that and numerous other moves along the way changed the course of the history of this franchise.

The 49ers have won five Super Bowls and are currently the reigning NFC West and conference champions. It’s another franchise where zeroing in on its 10 greatest players was not an easy task.

10. CB Jimmy Johnson

The franchise has its share of stars in the Pro Football Hall of Fame such as tackle Bob St. Clair and outside linebacker Dave Wilcox, who missed only one game in 11 seasons with the club. All told, “The Indimidator” was a seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro totaled 26 takeaways (14 interceptions and 12 fumble recoveries) in 153 outings with the Niners.

There was also cornerback Jimmy Johnson, who spent 16 seasons with the club from 1961-76 and certainly had a nose for the football. The five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro amassed an impressive 47 interceptions with the club, returning two for score. The sixth overall pick in the 1961 NFL Draft from UCLA also recovered seven fumbles.

Both Wilcox and Johnson were member of three playoff teams from 1970-72 and the latter was enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in 1994.