1982 San Francisco 49ers season

{{short description|NFL team season}}

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

{{Infobox NFL team season

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| year = 1982

| record = 3–6

| division_place = 11th NFC (Would have been 3rd in the NFC West)

| owner = Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr.

| general manager = Bill Walsh

| coach = Bill Walsh

| def_coach = Chuck Studley

| stadium = Candlestick Park

| playoffs = Did not qualify

| pro_bowlers = G Randy Cross
WR Dwight Clark
CB Ronnie Lott
FS Dwight Hicks

| shortnavlink = 49ers seasons

}}

File:49ers76_83.png

The 1982 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League and their 37th overall. The team was coming off a Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. However, 1982 was strike-shortened, and only nine games were played. The 49ers finished 3–6, thus missing the playoffs despite the expanded sixteen team format. Their .333 winning percentage was the worst ever for any defending NFL or AFL champion until the 2022 Los Angeles Rams, who only managed to get a .294 winning percentage. This season was the only one in an 18-season span in which the 49ers did not win at least ten games. This 49ers team was also the only team in history to win more than half its road games while losing all its home games.[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1982.htm 1982 San Francisco 49ers] The 49ers were the fifth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs.NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, {{ISBN|0-7611-2480-2}}, p. 256 This also marked the first, and as of 2023, only time in NFL history that the defending Super Bowl champion missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.

The worst running game in the league alongside a defense that went from second overall and points in 1981 to twenty-first and twenty-third respectively were the main culprits for the losing season.

Offseason

=NFL draft=

{{main article|1982 NFL draft}}

{{NFL team draft start|year=1982|teamname=San Francisco 49ers}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=2|pick=29|player=Bubba Paris|position=Tackle|college=Michigan|notes=began play with 49ers in 1983}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=5|pick=139|player=Newton Williams|position=Running back|college=Arizona State|maderoster=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=6|pick=151|player=Vince Williams|position=Running back|college=Oregon|maderoster=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=7|pick=195|player=Ron Ferrari|position=Linebacker|college=Illinois|maderoster=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=9|pick=251|player=Bryan Clark|position=Quarterback|college=Michigan State|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=10|pick=269|player=Dana McLemore|position=Defensive back|college=Hawaii|maderoster=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=10|pick=279|player=Tim Barbian|position=Defensive tackle|college=Western Illinois|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=11|pick=306|player=Gary Gibson|position=Linebacker|college=Arizona|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft entry|round=12|pick=334|player=Tim Washington|position=Defensive back|college=Fresno State|maderoster=yes|notes=}}

{{NFL team draft end|probowl=no|hof=no}}

{{small|Source:}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1982_draft.htm|title=1982 San Francisco 49ers Draftees|publisher=Pro Football Reference|access-date=February 17, 2024}}

Personnel

= Staff / Coaches=

{{NFL final staff

| year = 1982

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| front_office =

| head_coach =

  • Head coach – Bill Walsh

| offensive =

  • Quarterbacks – Sam Wyche
  • Running Backs – Billie Matthews
  • Receivers – Milt Jackson
  • Offensive line – Bobb McKittrick

| defensive =

| special_teams =

  • Special teams – Milt Jackson

| strength =

  • Strength and Conditioning – Al Vermeil

}}

= Roster =

{{NFL season roster

| year = 1982

| team = San Francisco 49ers

| quarterbacks =

{{NFLplayer| 7|Guy Benjamin}}

{{NFLplayer|16|Joe Montana}}

| running_backs =

{{NFLplayer|20|Amos Lawrence|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|25|Jeff Moore|d=American football}}

{{NFLplayer|45|Newton Williams|d=American football|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|40|Vince Williams|d=running back|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|32|Ricky Patton}}

{{NFLplayer|30|Bill Ring}}

| wide_receivers =

{{NFLplayer|87|Dwight Clark}}

{{NFLplayer|83|Renaldo Nehemiah|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|88|Freddie Solomon}}

{{NFLplayer|85|Mike Wilson|d=wide receiver}}

| tight_ends =

{{NFLplayer|89|Earl Cooper|d=American football|TE/FB}}

{{NFLplayer|81|Russ Francis}}

{{NFLplayer|86|Charle Young}}

| offensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|78|Lindsey Mason|LT}}

{{NFLplayer|60|John Choma|d=American football|T}}

{{NFLplayer|61|Dan Audick|T}}

{{NFLplayer|68|John Ayers|G}}

{{NFLplayer|51|Randy Cross|G}}

{{NFLplayer|62|Walt Downing|G}}

{{NFLplayer|56|Fred Quillan|C}}

{{NFLplayer|71|Keith Fahnhorst|T}}

| defensive_linemen =

{{NFLplayer|76|Dwaine Board|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|74|Fred Dean|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|67|Pete Kugler|DT}}

{{NFLplayer|65|Lawrence Pillers|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|72|Jeff Stover|rookie=y|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|79|Jim Stuckey|DE}}

{{NFLplayer|75|John Harty|d=American football|NT}}

{{NFLplayer|65|Lawrence Pillers|RDE}}

| linebackers =

{{NFLplayer|59|Willie Harper|LOLB}}

{{NFLplayer|63|Eric Scoggins|LB|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|55|Bob Horn|d=American football|RILB}}

{{NFLplayer|63|Terry Beeson|MLB}}

{{NFLplayer|57|Dan Bunz|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|50|Ed Judie|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|53|Milt McColl|OLB}}

{{NFLplayer|54|Ron Ferrari|LB|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|64|Jack Reynolds|d=American football|ILB}}

{{NFLplayer|58|Keena Turner|OLB}}

| defensive_back =

{{NFLplayer|22|Dwight Hicks|SS}}

{{NFLplayer|42|Ronnie Lott|FS}}

{{NFLplayer|46|Tim Washington|DB|rookie=y}}

{{NFLplayer|43|Dana McLemore|rookie=y|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|28|Lynn Thomas|d=American football|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|24|Rick Gervais|DB}}

{{NFLplayer|27|Carlton Williamson|CB}}

{{NFLplayer|47|Tim Collier|DB}}

{{NFLplayer|21|Eric Wright|d=cornerback, born 1959|CB}}

| special_teams =

{{NFLplayer| 3|Jim Miller|d=punter|P}}

{{NFLplayer|14|Ray Wersching|K}}

| reserve_lists =

{{NFLplayer|--|Ken Bungarda|T|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|--|Bryan Clark|d=American football|rookie=y|QB|IR}}

{{NFLplayer|66|Allan Kennedy|T|IR}}

| practice_squad =

}}

Preseason

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Attendance

style="background:#fcc"

! 1

| {{dow tooltip|August 14, 1982}}

| Los Angeles Raiders

| L 14–17

| 0–1

| Candlestick Park

| 61,065

style="background:#cfc"

! 2

| {{dow tooltip|August 21, 1982}}

| St. Louis Cardinals

| W 16–13

| 1–1

| Candlestick Park

| 51,931

style="background:#fcc"

! 3

| {{dow tooltip|August 28, 1982}}

| at San Diego Chargers

| L 9–23

| 1–2

| Jack Murphy Stadium

| 48,697

style="background:#cfc"

! 4

| {{dow tooltip|September 3, 1982}}

| at Seattle Seahawks

| W 17–13

| 2–2

| Kingdome

| 57,839

{{cite web|url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1982nflsf.html|title=1982 San Francisco 49ers (NFL)|publisher=Pro Football Archives|access-date=November 2, 2023}}

Regular season

= Schedule =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Week

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Date

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Opponent

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Result

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Record

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Venue

!style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"| Attendance

style="background:#fcc"

! 1

| September 12

| Los Angeles Raiders

| L 17–23

| 0–1

| Candlestick Park

| 59,748

style="background:#fcc"

! 2

| September 19

| at Denver Broncos

| L 21–24

| 0–2

| Mile High Stadium

| 73,899

style="background:#bababa"

!

| September 26

| Chicago Bears

|colspan="4" align="center"; rowspan="3" |Cancelled due to the 1982 NFL strike

style="background:#bababa"

!

| October 4

| at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

style="background:#bababa"

!

| October 10

| at New Orleans Saints

style="background:#F36; text-align:center;"

!

| October 17

| Los Angeles Rams

|colspan="4" align="center" | Rescheduled to January 2

style="background:#bababa"

!

| October 24

| at Atlanta Falcons

|colspan="6" align="center"; rowspan="4" |Cancelled due to the 1982 NFL strike

style="background:#bababa"

!

| October 31

| at Washington Redskins

style="background:#bababa"

!

| November 7

| Minnesota Vikings

style="background:#bababa"

!

| November 14

| Dallas Cowboys

style="background:#cfc"

! 3

| November 21

| at St. Louis Cardinals

| W 31–20

| 1–2

| Busch Memorial Stadium

| 38,064

style="background:#fcc"

! 4

| November 28

| New Orleans Saints

| L 20–23

| 1–3

| Candlestick Park

| 51,611

style="background:#cfc"

! 5

| December 2

| at Los Angeles Rams

| W 30–24

| 2–3

| Anaheim Stadium

| 58,574

style="background:#fcc"

! 6

| December 11

| San Diego Chargers

| L 37–41

| 2–4

| Candlestick Park

| 55,988

style="background:#fcc"

! 7

| December 19

| Atlanta Falcons

| L 7–17

| 2–5

| Candlestick Park

| 53,234

style="background:#cfc"

! 8

| December 26

| at Kansas City Chiefs

| W 26–13

| 3–5

| Arrowhead Stadium

| 24,319

style="background:#fcc"

! 9

| January 2, 1983

| Los Angeles Rams

| L 20–21

| 3–6

| Candlestick Park

| 54,256

style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}"

|colspan="8"| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

= Game summaries =

==Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Raiders==

{{See also|49ers–Raiders rivalry}}

{{Americanfootballbox

|bg=

|bg2=

|titlestyle={{Gridiron primary style|San Francisco 49ers|year=1982|border=2}}; text-align:center

|state=collapsed

|title=Week One: Los Angeles Raiders (0–0) at San Francisco 49ers (0–0)

|date=September 12, 1982

|time=4:00 p.m. EST

|road=Raiders

|R1=3 |R2=10 |R3=0 |R4=10

|home=49ers

|H1=0 |H2=14 |H3=3 |H4=0

|stadium=Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

|attendance=59,748

|weather={{convert|65|F|C|1|disp=or}}

|referee=

|TV=

|TVAnnouncers=

|reference=[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198209120sfo.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]

|scoring=

First quarter

  • LA – Chris Bahr 41-yard field goal. Raiders 3–0. Drive:

Second quarter

  • SF – Freddie Solomon 18-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick). 49ers 7–3. Drive:
  • LA – Chris Bahr 42-yard field goal. 49ers 7–6. Drive:
  • SF – Dwight Clark 41-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick). 49ers 14–6. Drive:
  • LA – Marcus Allen 3-yard run (Chris Bahr kick). 49ers 14–13. Drive:

Third quarter

  • SF – Ray Wersching 22 yard field goal. 49ers 17–13. Drive:

Fourth quarter

  • LA – Todd Christensen 3-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Chris Bahr kick). Raiders 20–17. Drive:
  • LA – Chris Bahr 43-yard field goal. Raiders 23–17. Drive:'

|stats=

;Top passers

;Top rushers

;Top receivers

  • LA – Marcus Allen – 4 receptions, 64 yards
  • SF – Dwight Clark – 6 receptions, 106 yards, TD

}}

==Week 3: at St. Louis Cardinals==

{{AFB game box start

|Title=

|Visitor=49ers

|V1=3 |V2=7 |V3=7 |V4=14

|Host=Cardinals

|H1=0 |H2=7 |H3=6 |H4=7

|Date=November 21

|Location=Busch Stadium

|StartTime=4:00 p.m.

|TimeZone=EST

|ElapsedTime=

|Attendance=38,064

|Weather={{convert|53|°F|1|disp=or}}; wind {{convert|10|mph|km/h knots}}

|Referee=Tom Dooley

|TVAnnouncers=

|TVStation=

}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry=yes |Quarter=Q1 |Time= |Team=SF|Event=Wersching 36 yard field goal |Score=SF 3–0 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter= Q2|Time= |Team=SF |Event=Moore 1 yard run (Wersching kick) |Score=SF 10–0 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter= Q2|Time= |Team=STL |Event=Green 17 yard pass from Lomax (O'Donoghue kick) |Score=SF 10–7 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q3 |Time= |Team= STL|Event=O'Donoghue 30 yard field goal |Score=Tie 10–10 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q3 |Time= |Team= STL|Event=O'Donoghue 32 yard field goal |Score=STL 13–10 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q3 |Time= |Team= SF|Event=Francis 6 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick) |Score=SF 17–13 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=SF |Event=Clark 33 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick) |Score= SF 24–13|LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=SF |Event=Cooper 17 yard pass from Montana (Wersching kick) |Score=SF 31–13 |LastEntry=}}

{{AFB Game Box Scoring Entry |FirstEntry= |Quarter=Q4 |Time= |Team=STL |Event=Anderson 2 yard run (O'Donoghue kick) |Score=SF 31–20 |LastEntry=yes}}

{{AFB game box end}}

[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198211210crd.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2015-May-22.

{{Clear}}

Standings

{{1982 NFC West standings}}

{{1982 NFC standings}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{San Francisco 49ers}}

{{San Francisco 49ers seasons}}

{{1982 NFL season by team}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:1982 San Francisco 49ers Season}}

Category:San Francisco 49ers seasons

San Francisco

Category:1982 in San Francisco

San

Category:Long stubs with short prose

{{Americanfootball-season-stub}}