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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LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 21: Quarterback John Brodie #12 of the San Francisco 49ers turns to handoff against the Los Angeles Rams in an NFL game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 21, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. The 49ers defeated the Rams 17-6. (Photo by James Flores/Getty Images) /

6. QB John Brodie

You could make an argument that he is the most underappreciated quarterback in the annals of the franchise and certainly has gone somewhat history unnoticed despite his long and solid playing career.

John Brodie from Stanford University was the third overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft. He would go on to spend 17 seasons with the franchise and played in an era where the passing game took a back seat to the ground attack. But Brodie certainly made his presence felt when he was on the field.

His career numbers do not do him justice and some of that had to do with the rules of that era. The two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 1970 twice led the league in touchdown passes. In 1965, he put together a huge year by hitting on 61.9 percent of his throws for 3,112 yards and nearly twice as many scored (30) as picks (16). He played in 201 regular-season contests with the club (158 starts) and amassed 31,548 yards though the air and 214 TD passes, albeit 224 interceptions.

Brodie (who went onto becoming an outstanding NFL analyst on television) led the team to the playoffs three straight years from 1970-72 but each season was ended by the Dallas Cowboys, the first two instances coming in the NFC title game.