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Faithful Flashbacks #68: Bill Walsh’s First Draft

In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Once again, we’re going back in time a bit to appreciate a moment from the late 1970s. When Bill Walsh was named general manager and head coach that offseason, they entered the NFL draft without a first-round selection. Yet they still managed to walk away with a class that would help define their eventual dynasty.

Hired just months prior, looking to establish an upward direction as a franchise, their draft room in the 711 Nevada Street headquarters ended up nailing their picks. After watching the first round go by, UCLA running back James Owens was their first addition in the second round, but their next pick certainly did.

In the third round, San Francisco selected Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana. A bit later, in the 10th round, Walsh took Clemson wide reciever Dwight Clark with the 249th overall pick. Just two years later, those two were the core of a play that helped kickstart their dynasty. Beating the Cowboys in that 1981 NFC Championship game clenched their first Super Bowl appearance, which they went on to win over the Bengals.

Drafting two Hall of Famers, including one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, without owning a first-round pick coming into the night was an impactful way for Walsh to kick off his tenure with San Francisco.

The impact that class had in turning their franchise around and beginning an era where they were a clear dynasty was enough for Bill Walsh’s first draft to come in at No. 68 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in 49ers franchise history.