The top spot on any list of the greatest San Francisco 49ers head coaches of all time is not hard to predict: It’s Hall of Famer Bill Walsh (shocker). However, when it comes to this team’s history, there are some interesting coaching legacies worth comparing head-to-head. For example, was Jim Harbaugh’s tenure in the Bay Area better than Kyle Shanahan’s current reign?

Keep reading this Betway Insider top 10 list to find out. As usual, all stats are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Who is the San Francisco 49ers’ head coach for the 2023 NFL season?

The 49ers’ 2023 head coach is Kyle Shanahan, who has run the team since 2017. Shanahan’s 49ers coaching staff includes offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks

San Francisco 49ers Head Coach History

When fans think about head coaches for the San Francisco 49ers, they inevitably end up recalling NFL legend Bill Walsh, the father of the West Coast Offense. Other notable coaches for the 49ers have included George Seifert and Jim Harbaugh.

Ranking the 10 Greatest Head Coaches in San Francisco 49ers History

  1. Mike Singletary

Seasons with 49ers: 2008 to 2010

Former 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, a Pro Football Hall of Famer from his playing days, was only officially at the helm of the 49ers for one full season. Here is a look at how his tenure played out:

  • He was the interim head coach in 2008, closing the season at 5-4.
  • He guided the team to an 8-8 record in 2009 with an offense led by quarterbacks Alex Smith and Shaun Hill. The 49ers came within two wins of the NFC West division title.
  • He started the 2010 season with a 5-10 record and was fired.

On one hand, the 49ers had not had much success in the early years of the 21st century before Singletary took over and at least kept them competitive. On the other hand, Jim Harbaugh succeeded Singletary and really turned things around with many of the same players.

  1. Red Hickey

Seasons with 49ers: 1959 to 1963

Howard “Red” Hickey coached one of the most exciting NFL teams of the 1950s … exciting in that they were more captivating than elite. Hickey’s 49ers offense included future Hall of Famers in quarterback Y.A. Tittle and running back Hugh McElhenny and showcased what was electric play-calling back in that era.

Hickey’s teams were never bad: He guided San Francisco to records of 7-5, 7-5, 7-5, 7-6-1, and 6-8. The 49ers might not have won their division under his leadership, but Hickey was creative enough with the offense to invent something called the shotgun. You might have heard of it.

  1. Frankie Albert

Seasons with 49ers: 1956 to 1958

Red Hickey was preceded as 49ers head coach by Frankie Albert, who guided the franchise from 1956 to 1958. Albert led San Francisco to its only playoff appearance of the 1950s, although the team lost a gut-wrenching 1957 Western Conference championship game to the Detroit Lions by four points.

Albert also coached Hall of Fame QB Y.A. Tittle and RB Hugh McElhenny in San Francisco’s “million dollar backfield.” However, these stars were not enough to win a championship, and the team moved on from Albert after a 6-6 season in 1958. 

  1. Buck Shaw

Seasons with 49ers: 1946 to 1954

Who was the first coach of the San Francisco 49ers? The answer to that trivia question is Buck Shaw, who led the team for four seasons in the old All-America Football Conference (AAFC) from 1946 to 1949 and five seasons in the NFL from 1950 to 1954. Shaw also coached Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle, but his first star QB was a familiar name and future 49ers coach: Frankie Albert.

Shaw helped the 49ers win their first playoff game in 1949, beating the New York Yankees (football) in the first round of the 1949 AAFC playoffs. San Francisco would go on to lose to the Cleveland Browns in the championship game -- the furthest the franchise would go in postseason play until winning Super Bowl XVI more than 30 years later.

  1. Steve Mariucci

Seasons with 49ers: 1997 to 2002

Now a popular analyst on NFL Network, Steve Mariucci once looked like he would be the coach to continue the 49ers dynasty into the 21st century. A “West Coast Offense” guy who honed his trade as QB Brett Favre’s quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, Mariucci’s San Francisco career started off with a bang. The 49ers went 13-3 in his first season before falling to Favre and Green Bay in the 1997 playoffs.

Mariucci’s 49ers went 12-4 in 1998 before slumping to four- and six-win seasons in 1999 and 2000. He returned the team to the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, this time with star QB Jeff Garcia and WR Terrell Owens on offense. That team failed to reach the NFC Championship Game, and Mariucci was let go.

  1. Dick Nolan

Seasons with 49ers: 1968 to 1975

Former San Francisco head coach DIck Nolan oversaw the first period of sustained success in franchise history. After missing the postseason for two consecutive seasons to start his 49ers tenure, Nolan guided the team to three straight division titles from 1970 to 1972, buoyed by MVP-level performances by quarterback John Brodie,

However, the 49ers fell to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs in each of those seasons. After three more non-playoff years, Nolan was let go.

  1. Jim Harbaugh

Seasons with 49ers: 2011 to 2014

The current coach of college football’s Michigan Wolverines (who was suspended for part of this season), Jim Harbaugh dramatically transformed the 49ers' fate in the early 2010s. He immediately turned a 6-10 team from 2010 into a 13-3 group that went to the following season’s NFC Championship Game. The 2011 49ers only missed a trip to the Super Bowl because Kyle Williams muffed a punt return in OT.

The 49ers were back in 2012, marching to the Super Bowl only to fall one goal-line stand short of glory in losing to Baltimore. Harbaugh’s team then lost the following year’s NFC Championship Game to the rival Seattle Seahawks before going 8-8 and missing the postseason altogether in 2014.

  1. Kyle Shanahan

Seasons with 49ers: 2017 to present

Like Jim Harbaugh, current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has also led his team to three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. He has also had a rotating cast of quarterbacks that has included veteran journeyman Brian Hoyer, the consistent Jimmy Garoppolo, first-round flop Trey Lance, and finally “Mr. Irrelevant” Brock Purdy.

The 49ers are again one of the best teams in the NFL in 2023 and appear poised to challenge for a Super Bowl championship.

  1. George Seifert

Seasons with 49ers: 1989 to 1996

Former 49ers head coach George Seifert was a defensive backs coach and defensive coordinator for the team in the 1980s, when he helped turn young players such as Ronnie Lott into superstars. He took over as the main man in 1989 and kept the franchise humming. San Francisco won Super Bowl XXIV in Seifert’s first year the helm, going 14-2 that season with a vintage MVP performance by Joe Montana.

Impressively, Seifert won his next Super Bowl with Steve Young at quarterback, making him one of the few NFL coaches to win Super Bowls with different quarterbacks.

Seifert’s 98 wins are the second-most in franchise history.

  1. Bill Walsh

Seasons with 49ers: 1979 to 1988

Former San Francisco head coach Bill Wash isn’t just the best coach in 49ers history -- he’s on the short list for consideration as one of the greatest (and most transformative) head coaches of all time.

Here are just a few reasons why Walsh is unquestionably one of the all-time greats:

  • He founded the West Coast Offense.
  • He drafted Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott.
  • He won three Super Bowl championships as an NFL head coach.
  • He was twice named the NFL Coach of the Year.
  • He was named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team and 100th Anniversary Team.
  • He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The only thing Walsh is missing is longevity, because he made a decision to retire from coaching and go into broadcasting after the 1988 season, much to the chagrin of 49ers fans.

Parameters of Rankings

The rankings are based on a combination of each coach’s individual accomplishments, overall team success, each coach’s franchise legacy, and personal accolades and honors won by each coach during his years with the 49ers.

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