San Francisco 49ers Head Coach History: Know Their Most Successful Coach

February 9, 2024

The San Francisco 49ers NFL team is one of the most competitive teams in league history. They have made 30 playoff appearances and clinched several titles. From division titles to the conference championship and also the Super Bowl. They have a historic reign in the NFL, and a lot of credit goes to their players and coaching staff. Their coaches have brought the best out of every player on the team. Talking about coaches, who is their most successful coach in history? So let us look at the San Francisco 49ers head coach history and find out their most successful coach.

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach History

As of the 2023 season, 20 different coaches have coached the 49ers. Here is the coaches’ complete list, stats, and records.

1. Buck Shaw (1946-1954)

Season: 9
Regular season record: 71-39-4
Regular season win percentage: 0.640
Playoff appearances: 1
Playoffs record: 1-1
Titles: nil

2. Red Strader (1955)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 4-8
Regular season win percentage: 0.333
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

3. Frankie Albert (1956-1958)

Season: 3
Regular season record: 19-16-1
Regular season win percentage: 0.542
Playoff appearances: 1
Playoffs record: 0-1
Titles: nil

4. Red Hickey (1959-1963)

Season: 5
Regular season record: 27-27-1
Regular season win percentage: 0.500
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

In case you missed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach History: Know Their Most Successful Coach

5. Jack Christiansen (1963-1967)

Season: 5
Regular season record: 26-38-3
Regular season win percentage: 0.410
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

6. Dick Nolan (1968-1975)

Season: 8
Regular season record: 54-53-5
Regular season win percentage: 0.504
Playoff appearances: 3
Playoffs record: 2-3
Titles: 3x Division

7. Monte Clark (1976)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 8-6
Regular season win percentage: 0.571
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

8. Ken Meyer (1977)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 5-9
Regular season win percentage: 0.357
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

Also read: Green Bay Packers Head Coach History: Know Their Most Successful Coach

9. Pete McCulley (1978)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 1-8
Regular season win percentage: 0.111
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

10. Fred O’Connor (1978)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 1-6
Regular season win percentage: 0.143
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

11. Bill Walsh (1979-1988)

Season: 10
Regular season record: 92-59-1
Regular season win percentage: 0.609
Playoff appearances: 7
Playoffs record: 10-4
Titles: 3x Super Bowl, 3x Conference, and 7x Division

12. George Seifert (1989-1996)

Season: 8
Regular season record: 98-30
Regular season win percentage: 0.766
Playoff appearances: 7
Playoffs record: 10-5
Titles: 2x Super Bowl, 2x Conference, and 6x Division

13. Steve Mariucci (1997-2002)

Season: 6
Regular season record: 57-39
Regular season win percentage: 0.594
Playoff appearances: 4
Playoffs record: 3-4
Titles: 2x Division

14. Dennis Erickson (2003-2004)

Season: 2
Regular season record: 9-23
Regular season win percentage: 0.281
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

15. Mike Nolan (2005-2008)

Season: 4
Regular season record: 18-37
Regular season win percentage: 0.327
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

16. Mike Singletary (2008-2010)

Season: 3
Regular season record: 18-22
Regular season win percentage: 0.450
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

Also read: Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach History: Know Their Most Successful Coach

17. Jim Harbaugh (2011-2014)

Season: 4
Regular season record: 44-19-1
Regular season win percentage: 0.695
Playoff appearances: 3
Playoffs record: 5-3
Titles: 1x Conference and 2x Division

18. Jim Tomsula (2015)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 5-11
Regular season win percentage: 0.313
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

19. Chip Kelly (2016)

Season: 1
Regular season record: 2-14
Regular season win percentage: 0.125
Playoff appearances: nil
Playoffs record: nil
Titles: nil

20. Kyle Shanahan (2017-present)

Season: 7
Regular season record: 64-51
Regular season win percentage: 0.557
Playoff appearances: 4
Playoffs record: 8-3
Titles: 2x Conference and 3x Division

Most Successful Coach in San Francisco 49ers History

Bill Walsh and George Seifert are the most successful coaches in the 49ers’ history.

Under Walsh, the team reached the playoffs on seven occasions. He was on the team for ten years (1979-1988) and has a record of 92-59-1. When it comes to the postseason, he has a record of 10-4. Walsh helped the 49ers win seven division titles, three conference championships, and three Super Bowls.

Similarly, under George Seifert, the team reached the playoffs seven times. He was on the team for eight years (1989-1996) and has a record of 98-30. When it comes to the postseason, he has a record of 10-5. Seifert helped the 49ers win six division titles, two conferences, and two Super Bowl championships.

Thank you for reading. Leave us a comment if you liked it.

Do follow us on: Google News | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | LinkedIn

Have a good day ahead 🙂