1955 San Francisco 49ers season
Encyclopedia
The 1955
San Francisco 49ers
season was the team's sixth season in the NFL
, and were coming off a 7-4-1 record in 1954, finishing in 3rd place in the Western Conference.
San Francisco would replace head coach Buck Shaw
, who had been the only head coach of the club. The new coach would be Red Strader
, who had previously been the head coach of the New York Yanks
from 1950-1951, where he had a record of 8-14-2 in his 2 seasons there.
The 49ers started the year with 2 losses at home, but would rebound with 2 road victories and sat with a .500 record after 4 games. San Francisco would split their next 2 games at home and have a 3-3 record. The team would then fall into a slump, and lose their next 5 games, before winning their final game of the season, and finish the season with a 4-8-0 record, their worst season since the team's first season in the NFL in 1950, when they finished 3-9-0.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle threw for 2185 yards, completing 51.2% of his passes, and had a league high 17 TD passes. However, Tittle would have 28 passes that were intercepted. Billy Wilson
was Tittle's favorite target, as he would have a team high 53 receptions for 831 yards and 7 TD's. Joe Perry
led the club by rushing for 701 yards, while Dickie Moegle rushed for a team high 5 TD's.
1955 NFL season
The 1955 NFL season was the 36th regular season of the National Football League. NBC paid $100,000 to replace DuMont as the national television network for the NFL Championship Game...
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
season was the team's sixth season in the NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and were coming off a 7-4-1 record in 1954, finishing in 3rd place in the Western Conference.
San Francisco would replace head coach Buck Shaw
Buck Shaw
Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach for Santa Clara University, the University of California, Berkeley, the San Francisco 49ers, the United States Air Force Academy, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, who had been the only head coach of the club. The new coach would be Red Strader
Red Strader
Norman "Red" Strader was a football player and coach who served in both capacities at the collegiate and professional levels. In the college ranks, he spent two years as head coach at St...
, who had previously been the head coach of the New York Yanks
New York Yanks
The New York Yanks American football team played in the National Football League under that name in the 1950 and 1951 seasons. In 1949, Boston Yanks owner Ted Collins had requested the NFL to fold his Boston team and give him a new one in New York City...
from 1950-1951, where he had a record of 8-14-2 in his 2 seasons there.
The 49ers started the year with 2 losses at home, but would rebound with 2 road victories and sat with a .500 record after 4 games. San Francisco would split their next 2 games at home and have a 3-3 record. The team would then fall into a slump, and lose their next 5 games, before winning their final game of the season, and finish the season with a 4-8-0 record, their worst season since the team's first season in the NFL in 1950, when they finished 3-9-0.
Offensively, Y.A. Tittle threw for 2185 yards, completing 51.2% of his passes, and had a league high 17 TD passes. However, Tittle would have 28 passes that were intercepted. Billy Wilson
Billy Wilson (American football)
Billy Wilson was an American football wide receiver who played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1951 to 1960...
was Tittle's favorite target, as he would have a team high 53 receptions for 831 yards and 7 TD's. Joe Perry
Joe Perry (American football)
Fletcher Joseph "Joe" Perry was a professional American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers from 1948 to 1950 , then 1950 to 1960 when the 49ers were absorbed into the NFL, the Baltimore Colts from 1961–1962, and finally back to the 49ers for his final year in football,...
led the club by rushing for 701 yards, while Dickie Moegle rushed for a team high 5 TD's.
Schedule
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | September 25 | Los Angeles Rams | 23-14 | San Francisco 49ers | 0-1-0 |
| 2 | October 2 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
38-3 | San Francisco 49ers | 0-2-0 |
| 3 | October 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 20-19 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
1-2-0 |
| 4 | October 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 27-24 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
2-2-0 |
| 5 | October 23 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
34-23 | San Francisco 49ers | 2-3-0 |
| 6 | October 30 | Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
38-21 | San Francisco 49ers | 3-3-0 |
| 7 | November 6 | San Francisco 49ers | 27-14 | Los Angeles Rams | 3-4-0 |
| 8 | November 13 | San Francisco 49ers | 7-0 | Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
3-5-0 |
| 9 | November 20 | San Francisco 49ers | 27-21 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
3-6-0 |
| 10 | November 27 | San Francisco 49ers | 26-14 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
3-7-0 |
| 11 | December 4 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
28-7 | San Francisco 49ers | 3-8-0 |
| 12 | December 11 | Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
35-24 | San Francisco 49ers | 4-8-0 |
Standings
| Western Conference | G | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | .708 | 260 | 231 |
| Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 294 | 251 |
| Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 258 | 276 |
| Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls.... |
12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | .458 | 214 | 239 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 216 | 298 |
| Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 230 | 275 |