The best San Francisco 49ers not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The San Francisco 49ers are one of four franchises with at least five Super Bowls, and they have plenty of legends worthy of second looks for the Hall of Fame.
Induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio is the greatest honor a player can receive after retirement. San Francisco 49ers fans have seen large sections of their former Super Bowl squads don gold jackets and enter football immortality, but several of their franchise legends have fallen by the wayside. This article is dedicated to reviving their cases and opening new discussions about the best 49ers not in Canton.
We’ll cover the best 49ers who are not in the Hall of Fame and name the team’s best candidate for Canton.
To be clear, just because I mention a player in this story doesn’t mean I’m advocating for him to be in the Hall of Fame. This is an opportunity to shine a light on the most dominant but underappreciated 49ers in franchise history. Think of it as at least an educational tool for younger San Francisco fans.
Let’s cover some rules that govern the Hall of Fame. A former player must be retired or inactive for at least five seasons to be eligible for enshrinement. Recently retired players like NaVorro Bowman, Frank Gore, and Joe Staley do not meet that threshold and won’t appear in this series, which will cover all 32 teams.
After 25 years on the modern-era ballot, players move to the Senior Committee, which tries to catch stars who slipped through the cracks for a quarter of a century.
The Hall of Fame usually inducts five modern-era candidates and one senior candidate each year. Unfortunately, the Hall of Fame voters don’t always afford players the respect they deserve, and they end up floating in the bloated Senior Committee pool, which is too slow and inefficient to reduce the backup of worthy senior candidates properly.
We’ll try to give these players the spotlight they deserve in this article. See you back here next week when we move to the next franchise!
*All statistics come from Pro Football Reference since NFL.com won’t load
San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame Candidates
Best Candidate: Patrick Willis, LB (2007-2014)
As one of only four franchises with five or more Super Bowls, the 49ers have their fair share of legends. While Roger Craig has a strong case for induction, Willis’ résumé is unparalleled among his peers. The star linebacker opened his career with seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections and earned five First-Team All-Pro selections during that stretch.
According to Pro Football Reference, the 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year led the NFL in tackles twice and amassed 916 in his first seven seasons. Willis retired early, wishing to avoid the long-term health effects of playing football. He made the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-2010s Team alongside future Hall of Famers Luke Kuechly and Bobby Wagner.
Willis was a finalist for the Class of 2022, but he wasn’t one of the finalists for the Class of 2021, which didn’t bother the 37-year-old. He discussed his mentality with ESPN,
“I just try to be in the now. If it takes another 20 years, that would be awesome. I'd rather see guys that are older and being able to enjoy it get my slot and I'll wait another three or four or five or 10 or 20 years to get in when I'm older ... With that being said, if it happens one day it will be awesome. If not, it will still be awesome.”
If Willis’ Canton case devolves into a battle between entrenched sides, the career-49er will have some powerful voices in his corner.
“P. Willis, that’s a young lion, man, that I talk to a lot,” Ray Lewis told the Los Angeles Times in 2013. “We just got to texting days ago. He was just really talking about the feeling and how surreal it [Super Bowl XLVII] is for him. Since he has come into this league, I’ve always been [talking with him], since we met each other at the Pro Bowl and I knew his story and why he wears 52 and all that.”
Honorable Mention: Roger Craig, RB (1983-1993)
Craig’s Hall of Fame case rests on his versatility. The Nebraska product only ran for 8,189 yards during his 11-year career. However, Craig is one of only three backs to record over 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a single season (along with Marshall Faulk and Christian McCaffrey.
Craig retired with 13,100 yards from scrimmage, three Super Bowl rings, the 1988 Offensive Player of the Year award, two All-Pro selections, and a spot on the 1980s All-Decade Team alongside three Hall of Fame running backs (Eric Dickerson, Walter Payton, and John Riggins). He also finished third in MVP voting in 1998, narrowly trailing Randall Cunningham for second place.
Craig ranks 44th all-time in rushing yards and 47th in yards from scrimmage. However, when he retired in 1993, Craig ranked 13th in rushing yards and 12th in yards from scrimmage, trailing Riggins and O.J. Simpson by under 400 yards.
Honorable Mention: Tim McDonald, S (1987-1999)
McDonald spent three of his six Pro Bowl seasons with the Cardinals but joined the 49ers in time to win Super Bowl XXIX. The dominant safety was a Second-Team All-Pro four times and retired with 40 interceptions and over 1,100 unofficial tackles. McDonald’s seven seasons with the 49ers weren’t the most productive of his career, but they were the most notable.
In his popular “State Your Case” series with Sports Illustrated, Rick Gosselin wrote, “strong safety historically is the physical position, free safety the finesse position. The strong safety is the hitter, the free safety the ballhawk. McDonald played all 13 seasons at strong safety but was a blend of both hitter and ballhawk. He retired after the 1999 season with 1,100 career tackles and 40 interceptions.”
McDonald’s ballhawk skills showed in several high-interception total seasons. He picked off seven passes in 1989 (but didn’t make an All-Pro team) before posting at least four interceptions in four more seasons (bringing his total to three in Phoenix and two in San Francisco).
Although he didn’t make the 1990s All-Decade Team, McDonald earned as many All-Pro selections as LeRoy Butler and more selections than Steve Atwater, who were both on the All-Decade team and are in the Hall of Fame. Maybe McDonald would have more Hall of Fame hype if he hadn’t wasted five seasons as a starter in Phoenix.
Honorable Mention: Billy Wilson, WR (1951-1960)
How long ago did Wilson play? San Francisco took him in a 22nd round of the 1950 NFL Draft. That should paint a pretty good picture of the era we’re talking about. Wilson spent his entire career with San Francisco, amassing six Pro Bowls, three Second-Team All-Pro selections, a 1957 First-Team All-Pro nod, three reception titles, and a receiving touchdown title.
When Wilson retired following the 1960 season, he ranked fifth in league history with 5,902 yards. Three of the players ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame, and so are the three players who were directly behind him at that time. When he hung up his cleats, Wilson ranked second all-time in receptions (407), only trailing the great Don Hutson, and seventh in receiving touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Howard Mudd, G (1964-1970)
Mudd only spent seven years in the NFL, but he made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 1966 through 1968. The run concluded with a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1968 and a spot on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-1960s Team.
While Mudd had a stellar but short career as a player, he thrived as an assistant coach. He became an offensive line coach for the San Diego Chargers in 1974. Mudd held similar positions for the Seahawks (1978-1982), Browns (1983-1988), Chiefs (1989-1992), and Seahawks again (1993-1997) before arriving in Indianapolis, where he remained from 1998 through 2009.
The Colts were Mudd’s masterpiece. The offensive line in Indianapolis allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL during Mudd’s tenure with the team, which is only made more impressive considering Peyton Manning’s high workload and lack of mobility.
Mudd closed out his football career after two seasons with the Eagles (2011-2012).
Honorable Mention: John Brodie, QB (1957-1973)
Brodie was the third overall pick in the 1957 NFL Draft. He spent his entire 17-year career at the helm for San Francisco, amassing a 74-76-8 record as a starter. He led the league in several passing stats numerous times, including completion percentage (twice), yards (three times), touchdowns (twice), and completions (three times).
Brodie also won several end-of-year awards. He was the Comeback Player of the Year in 1965 and league MVP in 1970. The Stanford product was a Second-Team All-Pro in 1965 and a First-Team All-Pro in 1970. Those years were also his only two Pro Bowl seasons.
Brodie is second in 49ers history in pass attempts, completions, and yards, third in touchdowns, and first in interceptions.
At the time of his retirement, Brodie’s 31,548 passing yards ranked fourth in league history, trailing only Y.A. Tittle, Fran Tarkenton, and Johnny Unitas.
Honorable Mention: Gene Washington, WR (1969-1979)
Washington made four consecutive Pro Bowls to open his career and was a First-Team All-Pro in 1970 and 1972. While Washington led the NFL with 1,100 receiving yards in 1970, it was the only 1,000-yard campaign of his career. He also led the league with 12 receiving touchdowns in 1972 and 21.2 yards per reception in 1974.
Washington’s production from his first four seasons (196 receptions, 3,613 yards, and 31 touchdowns) trumps his totals from his final six seasons (189 receptions, 3,242 yards, and 29 touchdowns). Unfortunately, his production dropped off too soon to challenge for the Hall of Fame.
Washington sits fourth in 49ers history in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Justin Smith, DE (2001-2014)
Smith split his 14-year career between San Francisco and Cincinnati. He was a productive player with the Bengals but finally began earning recognition during his time with the 49ers. Playing for Cincinnati is a good way to go unnoticed, as we’ll eventually discuss with the Bengals version of this article.
As a member of the 49ers, Smith strung together five consecutive Pro Bowls while earning Second-Team All-Pro selections in 2012 and 2013 and First-Team All-Pro honors in 2011. He finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting that season, topping teammates NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis.
Smith’s 884 tackles, 87 sacks, and 16 forced fumbles aren’t Hall of Fame material, but it’s worth wondering if he was severely undervalued early in his career.
Honorable Mention: Dwight Clark, WR (1979-1987)
Clark will always have a special place in the hearts of 49ers fans. A member of the same draft class as Joe Montana, Clark spent his entire career in San Francisco. Besides leading the NFL in receptions and earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 1982 and making two Pro Bowls, Clark hauled in “The Catch” that birthed the 49ers dynasty.
Clark ranks fourth in franchise history with 506 receptions, third with 6,750 receiving yards, and seventh with 48 receiving touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Randy Cross, C/G (1976-1988)
Cross was another fan favorite from the 1970s and 80s, but he simply lacks the accolades to compete for a spot in Canton. The former second round pick made three Pro Bowls and earned three Second-Team All-Pro selections (1981, 1984, 1986) during his career, which he spent entirely with San Francisco.
Cross won three Super Bowls and started at center and guard.
Editor’s Note: Dana Stubblefield, DT (1993-2003)
Stubblefield deserves mention for his on-field performance. The former first round pick was the 1993 Defensive Rookie of the Year and the 1997 Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his 11-year career with 53.5 sacks. That’s where the praise ends for Stubblefield, who is serving a 15 years to life prison sentence for rape. He won’t sniff any honor in the football community for the rest of his days.