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1966 San Francisco 49ers season

{{short description|NFL team season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NFL team season

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| year = 1966

| record = 6–6–2

| division_place = 4th NFL Western

| owner = Josephine Morabito
Jane Morabito

| general manager = Louis Spadia

| coach = Jack Christiansen

| stadium = Kezar Stadium

| playoffs = Did not qualify

| shortnavlink = 49ers seasons

|pro_bowlers=Bruce Bosley, Howard Mudd, Dave Parks, John Thomas, Dave Wilcox, Ken Willard|AP_All-pros= John Thomas}}

File:49ers64_69.png

The 1966 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League, their 21st overall, and their fourth under head coach Jack Christiansen.

The 49ers attempted to improve on their 7–6–1 record from the previous year and make the playoffs for the first time in 8 years. However, the 49ers faltered, starting their season 0–2–1. Despite winning their next 3 games, they split their next 8 games and tied 1 game to finish the season 6–6–2, and they missed the playoffs for the ninth straight year.

Offseason

= NFL draft =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| 1966 San Francisco 49ers draft

RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNote
1

! 11

|Stan Hindman

|DE

|Ole Miss

|

2

!26

|Bob Windsor

|TE

|Kentucky

|

3

!37

|Al Randolph

|DB

|Iowa

|

3

!41

|Dan Bland

|DB

|Mississippi State

|

4

!56

|Don Parker

|G

|Virginia

|

5

!69

|Mel Phillips

|DB

|North Carolina A&T

|

5

!71

|Steve Smith

|T

|Michigan

|

6

!91

|Charlie Johnson

|DT

|Louisville

|

8

! 119

| Dick Witcher

|WR

|UCLA

|

9

!133

|Kent Kramer

|TE

|Minnesota

|

10

!147

|Ronald Sbranti

|LB

|Utah State

|

11

!166

|Preston Ridlehuber

|RB

|Georgia

|

12

!180

|Lyle Lobach

|T

|Simpson

|

13

!194

|Jim Jackson

|DB

|Western Illinois

|

14

!208

|Elmer Collett

|G

|San Francisco State

|

15

!222

|Saint Saffold

|SE

|San Jose State

|

16

!241

|Jim LeClair

|QB

|C.W. Post

|

17

!255

|Jim Breeland

|C

|Georgia Tech

|

18

!269

|Ron Parson

|DE

|Austin Peay State

|

19

!283

|Dick Fitzgerald

|T

|Nebraska

|

20

!297

|Willie Walker

|DE

|Baylor

|

Personnel

=Staff / Coaches=

{{NFL final staff

| year = 1966

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| Front Office =

  • Team Owner(s) - Josephine Morabito & Jane Morabito
  • General manager – Louis Spadia
  • Personnel Scout - Dick Gallagher

| Head Coaches =

| Offensive Coaches =

| Defensive Coaches =

| Special Teams Coaches = * None - N/A

}}

=Roster=

{{NFL season roster

| year = 1966

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| quarterbacks =

{{NFLplayer|12|John Brodie}}

{{NFLplayer|17|Billy Kilmer}}

{{NFLplayer|10|George Mira}}

| running_backs =

{{NFLplayer|44|John David Crow}}

{{NFLplayer|43|Dave Kopay}}

{{NFLplayer|22|Gary Lewis|d=running back}}

{{NFLplayer|40|Ken Willard|FB}}

| wide_receivers =

{{NFLplayer|30|Bernie Casey}}

{{NFLplayer|26|Kay McFarland|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|81|Dave Parks}}

{{NFLplayer|88|Dick Witcher|rookie=y}}

| tight_ends =

{{NFLplayer|89|Kent Kramer|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|85|Monty Stickles}}

| offensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|77|Bruce Bosley|C}}

{{NFLplayer|56|Joe Cerne|C}}

{{NFLplayer|68|Howard Mudd|G}}

{{NFLplayer|67|Walt Rock|T}}

{{NFLplayer|76|Len Rohde|T}}

{{NFLplayer|78|John Thomas|d=American football|G}}

| defensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|80|Stan Hindman|rookie=y|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|70|Charlie Krueger|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|60|Roland Lakes|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|74|Clark Miller|DE}}

| linebackers =

{{NFLplayer|50|Ed Beard|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|55|Matt Hazeltine}}

{{NFLplayer|64|Dave Wilcox}}

| defensive_back =

{{NFLplayer|39|Kermit Alexander|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|20|George Donnelly|d=American football|S}}

{{NFLplayer|37|Jimmy Johnson|d=cornerback|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|45|Elbert Kimbrough}}

{{NFLplayer|32|Mel Phillips|rookie=y|SS}}

{{NFLplayer|27|Al Randolph|rookie=y|S}}

| special_teams =

{{NFLplayer|36|Tommy Davis|d=kicker|K}}

| reserve_lists =

| practice_squad =

}}

Regular season

= Schedule =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Attendance

style="background:#ffc"

! 1

| September 11

| Minnesota Vikings

| T 20–20

| 0–0–1

| Kezar Stadium

| 29,312

2

| colspan="6"| Bye

style="background:#fcc"

! 3

| September 25

| at Baltimore Colts

| L 14–36

| 0–1–1

| Memorial Stadium

| 56,715

style="background:#fcc"

! 4

| {{dow tooltip|September 30, 1966}}

| at Los Angeles Rams

| L 3–34

| 0–2–1

| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

| 45,642

style="background:#cfc"

! 5

| October 9

| Green Bay Packers

| W 21–20

| 1–2–1

| Kezar Stadium

| 39,290

style="background:#cfc"

! 6

| October 16

| at Atlanta Falcons

| W 44–7

| 2–2–1

| Atlanta Stadium

| 54,788

style="background:#cfc"

! 7

| October 23

| Detroit Lions

| W 27–24

| 3–2–1

| Kezar Stadium

| 36,745

style="background:#fcc"

! 8

| October 30

| at Minnesota Vikings

| L 3–28

| 3–3–1

| Metropolitan Stadium

| 45,007

style="background:#cfc"

! 9

| November 6

| Los Angeles Rams

| W 21–13

| 4–3–1

| Kezar Stadium

| 35,372

style="background:#ffc"

! 10

| November 13

| at Chicago Bears

| T 30–30

| 4–3–2

| Wrigley Field

| 47,079

style="background:#fcc"

! 11

| November 20

| Philadelphia Eagles

| L 34–35

| 4–4–2

| Kezar Stadium

| 31,993

style="background:#cfc"

! 12

| November 24

| at Detroit Lions

| W 41–14

| 5–4–2

| Tiger Stadium

| 53,189

style="background:#fcc"

! 13

| December 4

| at Green Bay Packers

| L 7–20

| 5–5–2

| Milwaukee County Stadium

| 48,725

style="background:#cfc"

! 14

| December 11

| Chicago Bears

| W 41–14

| 6–5–2

| Kezar Stadium

| 37,170

style="background:#fcc"

! 15

| December 18

| Baltimore Colts

| L 14–30

| 6–6–2

| Kezar Stadium

| 40,005

  • A bye week was necessary in {{nfly|1966}}, as the league expanded to an odd-number (15) of teams (Atlanta); one team was idle each week.

= Game summaries =

== Week 1: vs Minnesota Vikings ==

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=Vikings

|V1=0 |V2= 7|V3=10 |V4=3

|Host=49ers

|H1= 6|H2=14 |H3=0 |H4=0

|Date=September 11

|Location=Kezar Stadium, San Francisco, CA

|StartTime=

|TimeZone=

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=

|Weather={{convert|60|F}}; wind 25 mph

|Referee=

|TVAnnouncers=

|TVStation=

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=Q1 |Time= |Team=SF |Event= Davis 44 yard field goal |Score= SF 3–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q1 |Time= |Team=SF |Event= Davis 46 yard field goal |Score= SF 6–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q2 |Time= |Team=SF |Event= Stickles 9 yard pass from Brodie (Davis kick) |Score= SF 13–0}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q2 |Time= |Team=MIN |Event= Mason 2 yard run (Cox kick) |Score= SF 13–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q2 |Time= |Team=SF |Event=Parks 5 yard pass from Brodie (Davis kick) |Score= SF 20–7}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q3 |Time= |Team=MIN |Event=Brown 33 yard run (Cox kick) |Score= SF 20–14}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q3 |Time= |Team=MIN |Event=Cox 26 yard field goal |Score= SF 20–17}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=MIN |Event=Cox 31 yard field goal |Score= Tie 20–20|LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196609110sfo.htm | title=Minnesota Vikings at San Francisco 49ers - September 11th, 1966 | website=Pro-Football-Reference.com}}

{{Clear}}

== Week 3: at Baltimore Colts ==

{{Americanfootballbox|title=Week Three: San Francisco 49ers (0–0–1) at Baltimore Colts (1–1)|titlestyle={{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}};text-align:center;|stadium=Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland|weather={{convert|56|F|C}}|date=September 25|reference=[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/196609250clt.htm Recap]|H3=6|R3=0|H4=14|R4=7|R1=7|R2=0|H1=6|H2=10|Home=Colts|Road=49ers|scoring=First quarter

Second quarter

  • BAL – Lou Michaels 25-yard field goal. Colts 9-7.
  • BAL – John Mackey 57-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 16-7

Third quarter

  • BAL – Lou Michaels 23-yard field goal. Colts 19–7.
  • BAL – Lou Michaels 30-yard field goal. Colts 22-7.

Fourth quarter

  • BAL – Lenny Moore 1-yard run (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 29–7.
  • BAL – Butch Wilson 7-yard pass from Johnny Unitas (Lou Michaels kick). Colts 36–7.
  • SF – Kent Kramer 17-yard pass from George Mira (Tommy Davis kick). Colts 36–14.|stats=Top passers
  • 49ers – John Brodie – 16/25, 159 yards, TD, INT
  • Colts – Johnny Unitas – 14/30, 225 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • 49ers – Dave Parks – 4 receptions, 52 yards
  • Colts – John Mackey – 3 receptions, 76 yards, TD|state=autocollapse}}

Standings

{{1966 NFL Western standings}}

Statistics

=Team leaders=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
width=150px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Category

!width=150px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Player(s)

!width=75px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Value

!width=75px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Rank

Passing yardsJohn Brodie2,8103rd
Passing touchdownsJohn Brodie166th
Rushing yardsKen Willard7635th
Rushing touchdownsKen Williard513th
Receiving yardsDave Parks

|974

5th
Receiving touchdownsDave Parks517th
PointsTommy Davis8612th
Kickoff return yardsKermit Alexander9842nd
Punt return yardsKermit Alexander1984th
InterceptionsKermit Alexander/Jimmy Johnson4t6th
Sacks

|Clark Miller

|10

11th

Note that sack totals from 1960 to 1981 are considered unofficial by the NFL.{{Cite web |title=Pre-1982 Sacks Added To Pro Football Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/blog/2021/07/pre-1982-sacks-added-to-pro-football-reference/ |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}

=League rankings=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
width=150px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Category

!width=100px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Total yards

!width=110px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| Yards per game

!width=80px style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1966|border=2}}"| NFL rank
{{small|(out of 15)}}

Passing offense2,992213.73rd
Rushing offense1,790127.96th
Total offense || 4,782 || 341.5 || 3rd
Passing defense2,250160.711th
Rushing defense1,629116.45th
Total defense || 4,179 || 298.5 || 8th

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1966.htm 1966 49ers on Pro Football Reference]
  • [http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/1966-sf 49ers Schedule on jt-sw.com]

{{San Francisco 49ers}}

{{San Francisco 49ers seasons}}

{{1966 NFL season by team}}

Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons

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Category:1966 in San Francisco