1973 San Francisco 49ers season

1973 San Francisco 49ers season
OwnerJosephine Morabito
Jane Morabito
General managerLouis Spadia
Head coachDick Nolan
Home fieldCandlestick Park
Results
Record5–9
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersC Forrest Blue
G Woody Peoples
TE Ted Kwalick
OLB Dave Wilcox
P Tom Wittum

The 1973 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League and their 28th overall. They began the season hoping to improve on their previous years' output of 8–5–1, and looking to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. However, the team finished 5–9 [1] and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years. After the season, quarterback John Brodie retired after 17 years in the NFL, all with the 49ers.[2]

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1973 NFL draft
1973 San Francisco 49ers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 18 Mike Holmes  Wide receiver Texas Southern played with the 49ers beginning in 1974
2 41 Willie Harper  Linebacker Nebraska
5 112 Mike Fulk  Linebacker Indiana
5 122 Ed Beverly  Wide receiver Arizona State
6 149 Arthur Moore  Nose tackle Tulsa
7 174 John Mitchell  Linebacker Alabama
8 201 Dave Atkins  Running back UTEP
9 226 Roger Praetorius  Running back Syracuse
10 253 Charlie Hunt  Linebacker Florida State
11 278 Tom Dahlberg  Running back Gustavus Adolphus
12 305 Larry Pettus  Tackle Tennessee State
13 330 Alan Kelso  Center Washington
14 357 Dennis Morrison  Quarterback Kansas State played with the 49ers in 1974
15 382 Mike Bettiga  Wide receiver Humboldt State played with the 49ers in 1974
16 409 Mike Oven  Tight end Georgia Tech
17 434 Bob Erickson  Guard North Dakota State
      Made roster  

Personnel

Staff / Coaches

1973 San Francisco 49ers staff

Front office

  • Team Owner(s) - Josephine Morabito & Jane Morabito
  • General manager / Team President – Louis Spadia
  • Personnel Scout - Dick Gallagher

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches



Roster

1973 San Francisco 49ers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams


Rookies in italics

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 July 28 vs. New England Patriots W 20–7 1–0 Fawcett Stadium 19,685
2 August 6 at Cleveland Browns W 27–16 2–0 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 65,707
3 August 11 vs. New York Jets L 14–34 2–1 Tampa Stadium 46,477
4 August 19 San Diego Chargers W 19–7 3–1 Candlestick Park 54,977
5 August 26 Denver Broncos W 43–7 4–1 Candlestick Park 59,097
6 September 1 at Oakland Raiders L 17–23 4–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,612
7 September 7 at Los Angeles Rams L 10–38 4–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 57,687

[3]

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 16 at Miami Dolphins L 13–21 0–1 Miami Orange Bowl 68,275
2 September 23 at Denver Broncos W 36–34 1–1 Mile High Stadium 50,966
3 September 30 Los Angeles Rams L 20–40 1–2 Candlestick Park 57,487
4 October 7 at Atlanta Falcons W 13–9 2–2 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 51,107
5 October 14 Minnesota Vikings L 13–17 2–3 Candlestick Park 56,438
6 October 21 New Orleans Saints W 40–0 3–3 Candlestick Park 52,881
7 October 28 Atlanta Falcons L 3–17 3–4 Candlestick Park 56,825
8 November 4 at Detroit Lions L 20–30 3–5 Tiger Stadium 49,531
9 November 11 at Washington Redskins L 9–33 3–6 RFK Stadium 54,381
10 November 18 at Los Angeles Rams L 13–31 3–7 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 78,358
11 November 26 Green Bay Packers W 20–6 4–7 Candlestick Park 49,244
12 December 2 Philadelphia Eagles W 38–28 5–7 Candlestick Park 51,155
13 December 9 at New Orleans Saints L 10–16 5–8 Tulane Stadium 62,490
14 December 15 Pittsburgh Steelers L 14–37 5–9 Candlestick Park 52,252
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 2: at Denver Broncos

1 234Total
• 49ers 0 20106 36
Broncos 10 3714 34
Scoring summary
1DENJerry Simmons 18 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)Broncos 7–0
1DENJim Turner 34 yard field goalBroncos 10–0
2DENJim Turner 28 yard field goalBroncos 13–0
2SFBruce Gossett 22 yard field goalBroncos 13–3
2SFJimmy Thomas 5 yard run (Bruce Gossett kick)Broncos 13–10
2SFJohn Brodie 1 yard run (Bruce Gossett kick)49ers 17–13
2SFBruce Gossett 39 yard field goal49ers 20–13
3SFBruce Gossett 14 yard field goal49ers 23–13
3SFVic Washington 1 yard run (Bruce Gossett kick)49ers 30–13
3DENFloyd Little 1 yard run (Jim Turner kick)49ers 30–20
4SFBruce Gossett 46 yard field goal49ers 33–20
4DENGene Washington 19 yard pass from Charley Johnson (Jim Turner kick)49ers 33–27
4DENFloyd Little 1 yard run (Jim Turner kick)Broncos 34–33
4SFBruce Gossett 39 yard field goal49ers 36–34

[4]

Standings

NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Los Angeles Rams 12 2 0 .857 5–1 9–2 388 178 W6
Atlanta Falcons 9 5 0 .643 4–2 7–4 318 224 W1
San Francisco 49ers 5 9 0 .357 2–4 4–7 262 319 L2
New Orleans Saints 5 9 0 .357 1–5 4–7 163 312 L1

References

  1. ^ "1973 San Francisco 49ers Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ "Brodie will sub Bible for passing". Wilmington Morning Star. UPI. November 23, 1973. p. 7C.
  3. ^ "1973 San Francisco 49ers (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  4. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos - September 23rd, 1973". Pro-Football-Reference.com.


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