1948 San Francisco 49ers season
American football team season
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The 1948 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's third season in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The 49ers, hoped to improve upon their 8–4–2 output from the previous season. They began the season 10–0, and finished 12–2,[1] both losses coming to eventual season champions, the Cleveland Browns.
| 1948 San Francisco 49ers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Tony Morabito |
| General manager | John Blackinger |
| Head coach | Buck Shaw |
| Home stadium | Kezar Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–2 |
| Division place | 2nd AAFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The 49ers' offense was historically prolific: they scored 495 points[2] in 1948 (averaging over 35 points per game), which was more than 100 points more than the next best output (389 points by the Browns). Despite their 12–2 record, the 49ers did not qualify for the playoffs, due to the Browns 14–0 record.
The 1948 49ers had a record-setting rushing attack: the team rushed for a staggering 3,663 yards in only fourteen games, a professional football record that still stands.[3][4]
The team's statistical leaders included Frankie Albert with 1,990 passing yards, Johnny Strzykalski with 915 rushing yards, and Alyn Beals with 591 receiving yards and 84 points scored.[5]
As of 2025, the 49ers +247 point differential remains the most by any team missing the playoffs[6]
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 18 | at Los Angeles Dons | W 42–24 | 1–0 | Rose Bowl | 58,207 |
| 2 | August 22 | Baltimore Colts | W 42–14 | 2–0 | Kezar Stadium | 35,139 |
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 29 | Buffalo Bills | W 35–14 | 1–0 | Kezar Stadium | 33,946 | [8] |
| 2 | September 5 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 36–20 | 2–0 | Kezar Stadium | 32,606 | [9] |
| 3 | September 12 | New York Yankees | W 41–0 | 3–0 | Kezar Stadium | 60,927 | [10] |
| 4 | September 19 | Los Angeles Dons | W 36–14 | 4–0 | Kezar Stadium | 45,420 | [11] |
| 5 | September 26 | at Buffalo Bills | W 38–28 | 5–0 | Civic Stadium | 31,103 | [12] |
| 6 | October 1 | at Chicago Rockets | W 31–14 | 6–0 | Soldier Field | 14,553 | [13] |
| 7 | October 10 | at Baltimore Colts | W 56–14 | 7–0 | Memorial Stadium | 22,359 | [14] |
| 8 | October 17 | at New York Yankees | W 21–7 | 8–0 | Yankee Stadium | 29,743 | [15] |
| 9 | October 24 | Baltimore Colts | W 21–10 | 9–0 | Kezar Stadium | 27,978 | [16] |
| 10 | Bye | ||||||
| 11 | November 7 | Chicago Rockets | W 44–21 | 10–0 | Kezar Stadium | 25,308 | [17] |
| 12 | November 14 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–14 | 10–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 82,769 | [18] |
| 13 | November 21 | at Brooklyn Dodgers | W 63–40 | 11–1 | Ebbets Field | 9,336 | [19] |
| 14 | November 28 | Cleveland Browns | L 28–31 | 11–2 | Kezar Stadium | 59,785 | [20] |
| 15 | December 5 | at Los Angeles Dons | W 38–21 | 12–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 51,460 | [21] |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings
| AAFC Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 6–0 | 389 | 190 | W14 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 4–2 | 495 | 248 | W1 | |
| Los Angeles Dons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 258 | 305 | L2 | |
| Chicago Rockets | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 0–6 | 202 | 439 | L11 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings.
Roster
| 1948 San Francisco 49ers final roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Receivers
|
Linemen/Linebackers
|
Backs
| ||||