It Was 30 Years Ago Today...



The Sporting Green wasn't always green.

Before we start in on this week's flashback to the 1981 season, I want to take a moment to praise the 2011 49ers for their performance this past Sunday in Philadelphia. As far as I know, that's biggest road comeback victory in franchise history. The only bigger comebacks that have been identified have all been at home, most notably the 21 and 28 point comebacks against the Bengals and Saints. I'm still waiting for confirmation, but if the 49ers ever erased a greater deficit on the road, it must've happened during the early NFL or AAFC years.

For the past several seasons, the 49ers have had opportunities to win games like last week's, but they've always failed to close the game out. Last week, the 49ers succeeeded thrice: by driving for the winning score, stopping the opposing offense, and subsequently running out the clock. On Sunday, the Niners did something that hasn't happened very often during the past decade: they added another chapter to their lore.

And now, this week's flashback: Week 5 of the 1981 season. I doubt this matchup was greeted by much more than a collective yawn by the rest of the league: the 2-2 49ers facing the winless Redskins in Washington. Little did anybody know that this game would feature two teams with Hall of Fame head coaches that would claim the NFC Championship over the next four seasons, including three Lombardi trophies.

The Niners raced out to an early 7-0 lead, on a Ricky Patton 16-yard dash into the end zone (if you would have told me that Ricky Patton, who led the team in rushing yardage that year with a whopping 543 yards, actually had a single run of more than 10 yards during the '81 season, I'd request another Jaegermeister and challenge you to a duel).

That's when things got interesting, and when the 1981 49ers started to kick things into gear. Shortly thereafter, Dwight Hicks picked up a fumble - in midair (I think Carlton Williamson laid the hit on the Redskin receiver) - and returned it 80 yards for another touchdown. 14-0. Keep in mind, that this kind of thing NEVER happened to the 49ers up to that point - if anything, it would have been the Niners who popped the ball into the air and into the waiting arms of an opposing defensive back. We couldn't believe our good fortune!

Suddenly, the 49ers smelled blood, and the game was basically over by halftime with a 24-3 lead following a Johnny Davis 1-yard plunge (now THAT's the Johnny Davis I remember) and a Matt Bahr (subbing for the injured Ray Wersching) field goal.

I remember watching this game with my family on TV and thinking "What happens now? We rarely have a lead at halftime, and now we're in the midst of a blowout? What do we do? Make a sandwich?" We were stunned - this was how the OTHER half - the teams that played us every week - felt. Not us. But I remember liking it, and wanting more...

Of course, Dwight Hicks wasn't done. In the third period, he picked off an errant Joe Theismann pass for another touchdown to put the game away at 30-3. Despite a couple of late Redskin touchdowns, the victory was definitive and a message was sent to the rest of the league: "We Are Legit - we are coming after YOU." And Dwight Hicks cemented his place in Niner history as the first defensive player to record two touchdowns in a single game.

Still, despite the highlight-reel big plays, the Niners weren't much more than a blip on the NFL's cultural landscape. They'd have to prove themselves against the establishment before anybody would take them seriously. And with America's Team rolling into town the following Sunday, they wouldn't have to wait very long.

Next Week: The 49ers make a statement against the Cowboys - and a dynasty is born.