1953 San Francisco 49ers season |
Head coach |
Buck Shaw |
Home field |
Kezar Stadium |
Results |
Record |
9–3–0 |
Division place |
2nd NFL Western |
Playoff finish |
did not qualify |
Uniform |
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The 1953 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's fourth season in the NFL, and were coming off a 7–5–0 record in 1952.
The 49ers would play consistent football all season long, never losing consecutive games throughout the season en route to a franchise best 9–3–0 record. However, the 49ers would lose both games against the Detroit Lions, who finished the season 10–2–0 to win the Western Conference and earn a spot in the NFL Championship game.
Offensively, San Francisco was led by quarterback Y.A. Tittle, who threw for 2121 yards and 20 TD's while completing 57.5% of his passes. Running back Joe Perry had another great season, rushing for 1018 yards along with 10 TD's, while Hugh McElhenny rushed for 503 yards and 3 TD's, and caught 30 passes for 474 yards and 6 TD's. Wide receiver Billy Wilson would catch a team high 51 passes for 840 yards and 10 TD's.
Schedule
# |
Date |
Visitor |
Score |
Home |
Record |
Attendance |
1 |
September 27 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
31–21 |
San Francisco 49ers |
1–0–0 |
25,000 |
2 |
October 4 |
Los Angeles Rams |
31–30 |
San Francisco 49ers |
2–0–0 |
41,446 |
3 |
October 11 |
San Francisco 49ers |
24–21 |
Detroit Lions |
2–1–0 |
56,080 |
4 |
October 18 |
San Francisco 49ers |
35–28 |
Chicago Bears |
3–1–0 |
36,909 |
5 |
October 25 |
Detroit Lions |
14–10 |
San Francisco 49ers |
3–2–0 |
52,300 |
6 |
November 1 |
Chicago Bears |
24–14 |
San Francisco 49ers |
4–2–0 |
26,308 |
7 |
November 8 |
San Francisco 49ers |
31–27 |
Los Angeles Rams |
5–2–0 |
85,856 |
8 |
November 15 |
San Francisco 49ers |
23–21 |
Cleveland Browns |
5–3–0 |
80,698 |
9 |
November 22 |
San Francisco 49ers |
37–7 |
Green Bay Packers |
6–3–0 |
16,378 |
10 |
November 29 |
San Francisco 49ers |
38–21 |
Baltimore Colts |
7–3–0 |
26,005 |
11 |
December 6 |
Green Bay Packers |
48–14 |
San Francisco 49ers |
8–3–0 |
31,337 |
12 |
December 13 |
Baltimore Colts |
45–14 |
San Francisco 49ers |
9–3–0 |
23,932 |
Game summaries
Week 1
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Total |
Eagles |
7 |
0 |
7 |
7 |
21 |
• 49ers |
14 |
3 |
7 |
7 |
31 |
- Date: September 27
- Location: Kezar Stadium
- Game attendance: 44,587
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Scoring summary |
|
Q1 |
|
SF |
Arenas 18 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) |
SF 7–0 |
|
Q1 |
|
PHI |
Burk 1 yard run (Walston kick) |
Tie 7–7 |
|
Q1 |
|
SF |
Tittle 1 yard run (Soltau kick) |
SF 14–7 |
|
Q2 |
|
SF |
Soltau 39 yard field goal |
SF 17–7 |
|
Q3 |
|
SF |
Wilson 39 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) |
SF 24–7 |
|
Q3 |
|
PHI |
Walston 3 yard pass from Burk (Walston kick) |
SF 24–14 |
|
Q4 |
|
SF |
Wilson 37 yard pass from Tittle (Soltau kick) |
SF 31–14 |
|
Q4 |
|
PHI |
Pihos 10 yard pass from Thomason (Pollard kick) |
SF 31–21 |
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[1]
Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Pro Bowl
San Francisco's players selected for the Pro Bowl:
References
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Franchise |
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Stadiums |
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Culture |
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Lore |
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Rivalries |
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Key figures |
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Division championships (20) |
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Conference championships (7) |
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League championships (5) |
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Retired numbers |
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Current league affiliations |
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Former league affiliation |
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