San Francisco 49ers

While they might no longer be quite the intimidating force on the field they once were or possess the most Super Bowl titles (they were first to win five, but have since been surpassed by the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers), the San Francisco 49ers are rivaled by no other team in the NFL when it comes to looking cool. The team’s red-gold-and-white colors and classic SF logo can be seen on jackets and bags and shirts all around the world, sometimes worn by people who have never heard of the team itself or even the NFL! The 49ers first joined the NFL in 1950 after four seasons in the short-lived AAFC, but made the playoffs only once in two decades. The team did not really come into their own until the AFL-NFL merger of 1970, which seemed to immediately spark the 49ers into life. They made the playoffs three years in a row, winning two NFL playoff games (a first, but not last, by far!), but falling to the powerful Dallas Cowboys on all three occasions. Redemption, revenge, and glory came in 1981 when, led by the incomparable Joe Montana at quarterback, the 49ers not only defeated their nemesis, the Cowboys, 28-27 on a last-minute touchdown (thanks to a leaping reception by Dwight Clark known as “The Catch”) in the NFC Championship, but went on to best the Cincinnati Bengals 26-21 in Super Bowl XVI to claim the franchise’s first-ever championship title. Buoyed even higher by soaring talents like wide receiver Jerry Rice and cornerback Ronnie, the team continued to own the 1980s, winning Super Bowl XIX by a score of 38-16 over Dan Marino’s Miami Dolphins in a matchup often described as a battle between two of the best quarterbacks of all time. The Bengals were again the victims of the 49ers’ prowess in 1988 at Super Bowl XXII, which saw the San Francisco team come from behind when 16-13 down in the fourth quarter after a memorable touchdown drive all the way from their own 8-yard line to win 20-13. The 49ers followed up this success in 1989 by repeating as champions when they demolished the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV. Montana departed in 1992, but the 49ers managed one more Super Bowl triumph without the great man, beating their old rivals the Cowboys en route to a 49-26 victory over the San Diego Chargers in 1994 at Super Bowl XXIX. Since then, the San Francisco 49ers have remained consistent contenders, even teasing their many fans with two unsuccessful Super Bowl appearances in 2012 and 2019. The team looks very strong again this year, sending tongues around the league wagging about whether 2023 could be the year that the 49ers get their hands on that sixth trophy that they want so much.