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| Former BYU Cougars (left to right) Tom Holmoe, Bill Ring, and Todd Shell. It has not been uncommon for the San Francisco 49ers roster to have multiple BYU players at the same time (Courtesy Tom Holmoe/Source DeseretNews.com) |
Fred Warner may be one of the newest San Francisco 49ers, but there is nothing new about BYU Cougars being part of this storied NFL franchise. There is a rich history between the two ball clubs.
Below is a synopsis of the contributions made by each former Cougar who has donned the red and gold.
Wayne Baker
Baker was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 1975 draft. That was his only season in the NFL. He played in 14 games, which is how long the season was at that time. Tackle stats are not available from that time period, but Pro Football Reference credits Baker with four kickoff returns for 45 yards.
Rex Berry
Berry wasn't taken by the 49ers in the 1951 draft until the 14th round. He would have been picked a lot sooner if people had known how good he would be. Berry played six years in San Francisco. He is credited for playing in 66 games during that time. He is also credited with 22 interceptions. Three were returned for touchdowns. His best season was 1953 when he intercepted seven passes and had a total of 142 return yards with one touchdown.
Brian Billick
Billick came to San Francisco as an 11th round draft pick in 1977. He didn't last long, in fact, he didn't even make the final roster that season.
Casey Boyette
Boyette was drafted by the 49ers in the ninth round of the 1968 draft, but he opted to stay at BYU and finish his playing eligibility. He never did have an NFL career.
Ty Detmer
One of Detmer's many stops during his NFL career was in San Francisco. He was there for the 1998 season. Detmer started one game that year, and finished the season with a stat line of 24 completions, 38 attempts (63.2%), 312 yards, and four touchdowns with three interceptions. His passer rating was 91.1.
Brandon Doman
Another Cougar quarterback who played by the Bay was Doman. Unlike Detmer, he was actually drafted by the 49ers. They selected him in the fifth round of the 2002 draft. Doman never played in a game, but he was on the active roster during the 2002 and 2004 seasons.
Travis Hall
After a decade in Atlanta, Hall came to San Francisco to play one final season in the NFL in 2005. He saw the field in all 16 games, and started one. As a 49er, he registered 18 tackles, half a sack, one pass defensed, and two forced fumbles.
Tim Handshaw
Handshaw and Hall entered the NFL at the same time, only Handshaw went straight to San Francisco. He was drafted by the 49ers in the fourth round. He had a four-year NFL career (1995-98), all in San Francisco, where he played in 30 games and started three. All three starts came during the 1997 season.
Tom Holmoe
BYU's current athletic director spent six seasons with the 49ers. He was drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round of the 1983 draft. The next two seasons (1983 and 1984), he played in all 16 games each year. The two parted ways for 1985, but Holmoe returned for the 1986-89 seasons. During those final four seasons, he played in an additional 50 games, intercepted seven passes and returned those interceptions a total of 172 yards. Two of those picks were returned for touchdowns, one of which was 78 yards long. His best season was 1986. Holmoe had three interceptions that year, including the two for touchdowns, for a total of 149 return yards.
Holmoe returned to San Francisco as a coach for two seasons. From 1994-95, he coached the defensive backs.
Mike Loper
Loper was a 49ers draft pick in 1969 in the eighth round, but he was not able to make the team.
Bart Oates
Oates came to the 49ers in 1994 after playing nine seasons for the New York Giants. He played two seasons in San Francisco starting 29 of the 32 games he played.
Dennis Patera
Patera was a placekicker who was taken by the 49ers in the 17th round of the 1968 draft. He played in San Francisco that one season, and kicked in five games. He made two of eight field goal attempts, and 10 of 13 extra points for a total of 16 points scored.
Kirk Pendleton
Pendleton was another draft pick who couldn't make the final roster. The wide receiver was taken in the 11th round of the 1984 draft.
Owen Pochman
Pochman spent 2003, the final year of his three-year NFL career, in San Francisco. As a 49er, he kicked in six games making eight of 15 field goal attempts (long was 48 yards, two were blocked), and nine of 10 extra points. He scored a total of 33 points. Pochman also handled kickoff duties. One of his 25 kickoffs was a touchback.
Bill Ring
Ring was a running back for the 49ers from 1981-86. He played in 69 games over his six-year career, and carried the ball 183 times for 732 yards and scored seven touchdowns. He also caught 45 passes for 336 yards and one touchdown. Ring's most active season was 1983 when he carried the ball 64 times for 254 yards and scored two touchdowns. Through the air, he caught 23 passes for 182 yards.
Todd Shell
Shell was a first round draft pick by the 49ers (24th overall) in 1984. He played four seasons in San Francisco. The first two years were his most active. He played in 31 of his 38 career games in 1984 and 1985. For his career, he made seven sacks and intercepted five passes for 115 yards, including a 53 yard touchdown return his rookie season.
Vince Stroth
Stroth is a little known offensive lineman who played at BYU from 1979 to 1982. He worked hard for a three-year NFL career after going undrafted. His first year on an active roster was 1985 with the San Francisco 49ers. He played in one game that season.
Fred Warner
Warner was just drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Jamal Willis
Willis gets credit from NFL.com for having played two seasons (1995-96) with the 49ers, but he only saw action in games during the 1995 season. In those 11 games, he carried the ball 12 times for 35 yards. His longest run was 15 yards and twice he picked up first downs. He also caught three passes for eight yards. Willis' largest contribution as a 49er came on special teams. He returned 17 kickoffs for 427 yards (25.1 yard average). His longest was 39 yards, and 13 of his returns were over 20 yards.
Last, but definitely not least, Young put together a Hall of Fame career during his 13 seasons (1987-99) with the 49ers. He played in 150 games and started 114 of those games. He completed 2,400 of his 3,648 pass attempts (65.8%) for 29,907 yards and 221 touchdowns with just 86 interceptions. He had a passer rating over 100 eight of those 13 seasons. Young passed for over 3,000 yards in six seasons, including two seasons with over 4,000 yards. He completed over 66 percent of his passes in seven different seasons. Twice, he had 35 or more touchdown passes in a season.
Young was also known as a threat to run with the ball. He carried the ball 608 times as a 49er, gained 3,581 yards (5.9 yard average), and scored 37 touchdowns.
Although he had several great seasons, the 1994 campaign still stands out as his best. That year, Young completed 324 of 461 passes (70.3%) for 3,969 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. His 112.8 passer rating was an NFL record. On the ground, he picked up 293 yards on 58 carries (5.1 yard average) and scored seven touchdowns (career high).
Young was named the league MVP twice (1992, 1994) and Super Bowl MVP once (XXIX).
The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com
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