In general, when looking at who the top five San Francisco 49ers players are, it is clear there is a lot that can be debated. That then brought on the question, who are the best 49ers players to never win a Super Bowl? There have been some great players on this team, but either never got one or still has not. The 49ers last won the Super Bowl in 1995 when Steve Young was the quarterback. Since it has been over 20 years, there are many great players who never got a ring. Here are the best 49ers players to never win a Super Bowl.
Best 49ers Players
It would be too long of a list to name every great player who retired before ever winning a Super Bowl. These are just some of the most notable players. This list will also consist of players from both before and after the Super Bowl times of this franchise. Of course, some players will be missed, but there are a lot of athletes who can be named. San Francisco has always had strong players, but it just did not work out for them. Here is a look at some of the best 49ers players to never win a Super Bowl in no particular order.
Former 49ers ILB Patrick Willis (52) – Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee/MCT/Sipa USA
Patrick Willis
On the defensive side of the ball is linebacker Patrick Willis. The linebacker is arguably one of the best 49ers players in general, depending on personal preference. Even if someone does not agree with that statement, it is clear he is one of the best to never win it all. Willis was with the 49ers for just eight years before retiring young. In his eight years, Willis had 950 combined tackles, 733 of which were solo, and 60 tackles for loss, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had 41 quarterback hits and 20.5 sacks.
As for turnovers, Willis ended his career with eight interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown. He also had 16 forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries. The linebacker has been eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for a couple of years now but keeps missing out on the honor. Willis is one of the best 49ers players to play the game, and it is a shame he never won a Super Bowl despite coming so close to it.
Frank Gore
On the offensive side of the ball is running back Frank Gore. Gore was with the San Francisco 49ers for ten years and played in the NFL for 16 years before retiring. The other teams Gore was on at some point in his career were the Colts, Bills, Jets, and Dolphins. Either way, he has never been a Super Bowl champion.
In his ten years with the 49ers, Gore rushed for 11,073 yards and 64 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had 342 receptions for 2,883 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Gore was a great player with the 49ers, and extremely important to the offense. While, just like Willis, he came close to winning it all, he just missed out. Gore is one of the best 49ers players, and now he is back with the team in the front office.
Former 49ers RB Frank Gore (21) – Michael Macor/The Chronicle
Dave Wilcox
Taking it before the Super Bowl times was Dave Wilcox. He was a linebacker with San Francisco for 11 years, which was his entire professional career. Wilcox was with the team from 1964 up until the 1974 season. The linebacker is one of the players who retired right before the 49ers began winning multiple rings. Wilcox never won a championship but was still one of the best 49ers players.
In his career, Wilcox had 14 interceptions and returned one for a touchdown, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had 12 fumble recoveries, one of which was returned for a touchdown. While there may be many current San Francisco fans who never got to see Wilcox play, he was a special player for the franchise.
Terrell Owens
A surprising player to never win a Super Bowl is wide receiver Terrell Owens. Sometimes it is forgotten that one of the best 49ers players did not win a Super Bowl, but he joined the team in 1996. Owens was in the league for 15 years on five different teams. Aside from the 49ers, Ownes was with the Cowboys, Eagles, Bills, and Bengals.
In Owens’ eight years with the 49ers, he had 592 receptions for 8,572 yards and 81 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. Owens rarely rushed the ball, but he ended up with 162 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Aside from the obvious Jerry Rice, Owens was one of the best 49ers wide receivers. While he’s such a notable player, he never was able to win a Super Bowl.
Former 49ers WR Terrell Owens (81) – Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Joe Perry
Once again, looking back to before the Super Bowl era, one of the best 49ers players to never win it all was Joe Perry. The fullback was with San Francisco in the extremely early days of the San Francisco franchise. He joined the team in 1948, and his last year was not until 1962. Now, it should be noted that there were two years in there when he left the team to play for Baltimore, but he did come back to finish his career. It was also a fairly long career for Perry.
In his 14 seasons with the 49ers, Perry had 8,689 rushing yards and 68 touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference. He also had 204 receptions for 1,505 yards and 11 touchdowns. While, just like Wilcox, there are many fans who never got to watch him play, that does not take away from all he did. Those players that came before the Joe Montana days also deserve recognition. Perry is still one of the best 49ers players and should be discussed as such.
These are just some of the many best 49ers players to never win it all. Of course, these are also only the players who retired. The players currently on the San Francisco 49ers deserve to win it all too. Hopefully, this can be the year that the 49ers finally get their sixth Super Bowl win.
