7 NFC Conference Championships

Lore & Background

The 49ers began play in 1946 as charter members of the All-America Football Conference. They joined the NFL in the AAFC-NFL merger in 1950; from then through 1969 they did not win a division or conference title, and only finished as high as second once. After winning three consecutive division titles from 1970 to 1972, they would return to losing in 1973 and achieved only one winning season for the rest of the decade. From 1981 to 1998, the 49ers had one of the most successful stretches of dominance in NFL history.

Armed with Bill Walsh's innovative West Coast offense, Hall of Fame level quarterback play in Joe Montana and later Steve Young, and a dominant defense, the 49ers would win five Super Bowls in 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, and 1994, and made the playoffs every year but 1982 and 1991. Another playoff drought lasted from –, a stretch of eight non-winning seasons. This drought came to end under rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh when the 49ers won their division with a 13–3 record in .

From 2011 to 2013, they earned three straight berths in the NFC Championship Game, which included a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. They would have another stretch of non-winning seasons from – before a 13–3 turnaround season in 2019 under head coach Kyle Shanahan saw them win the NFC, but lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. Since then, the 49ers have been to two NFC Conference Championship Games (NFCCG) and another Super Bowl, losing both NFCCGs on the road and losing Super Bowl LVIII once again to the Chiefs.

Reader's Guide

This list documents the season-by-season record of the 49ers franchise from to present, including postseason records and league awards for individual players or head coaches.