The BIZARRE DRAMA of the 1974 San Francisco 49ers

[@denisceballos9745]

Vic Washington (22) did have another kick off return for a TD besides the one vs Atlanta. In the 1972 playoff game vs Dallas he returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a TD.

[@nasetvideos]

Talk about the downfall of both player and coach--Great job telling this story!

[@DolFan316]

You'd be surprised at how many partnerships end and neither person's career or life is as good apart as they were together. Happens all the time.

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made another video about the craziness of the 1974 strike and the antics of Tom Dempsey.

[@stevek6518]

Canadian fan here, I remember Vic making a famous run in the Grey Cup where he dropped the ball it bounced right back up to him and he went on a long td run

[@elvicare35]

80 yards, longest run from scrimmage in Grey Cup history...Argo bounce?

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

The craziest thing about all this was that Dick Nolan was the most successful head coach in 49ers history until Bill Walsh.

[@shaughnziech2193]

Dick Nolan, yes?

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

@@shaughnziech2193 Fixed…I really didn’t think straight when I typed in “Mike”

[@shaughnziech2193]

@@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly I was just making sure, I get confused at 60

[@16ktsgamma]

"He's sort of forgotten in the coaching world." Tell that to his son which coached the same team and ruined Alex Smith.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Ah yes Mike Nolan, one of the worst head coaches in NFL history.

[@dallasbrubaker6054]

Dick Nolan is forgotten......Mike, not so much.

[@CraigSmithII]

@@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly See the 2005 NFL Draft in which Mike refused to draft Aaron Rodgers because he didn't like his demeanor or his QB mechanics

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

@@CraigSmithII Aaron Rodgers would not have survived on those 49ers teams with no receivers and no O Line!

[@NormalizeBeingNormal]

Can you imagine how big and large this channel would be if he had the NFL backing him ...the fact that he does this all from the muscle, on his own it's just phenomenal... best NFL channel on KZbin hand down love you #officialJaguarGator9

[@DolFan316]

9:34 The Bills were apparently *really* impressed with what Washington did against them in this game.

[@charlesmak534]

CFL football is a different brand worth watching. Glad to see they're playing games this season after last season was canceled. Go Tiger Cats!

[@badgerden7080]

Unfortunately, most non-Hamilton fans consider the Tiger Cats to be the New England Pats of the CFL. Very hated for some reason.

[@WTMNNJR]

It’s a way better game. Fair catches don’t even exist and you can punt the ball at any time. Plus the field is like 13 yards wider.

[@markbrian7179]

Dick Nolan's 49ers never got over their disastrous playoff loss to the Cowboys in 1972. Nine years later they finally got their revenge against Dallas.

[@LazyCat010]

Not a Niners fan, but I hate the Cowboys and damn The Catch was sweet! 😁

[@frankdenardo8684]

Took a decade to do it. Charlie Waters who played for the Dallas Cowboys told The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star/Telegraph "we sure let the cat out of the bag". The 1981 NFC Title or championship game was his last. He retired after that game.

[@melbea03]

Many of their veterans got old at the same time and retired right about then

[@DGriff-ix5el]

81 Laundry’s Boyz were long in the tooth. The fact that the hung in as long as the did was something in its self!

[@denisceballos9745]

That’s LA’s Hacksaw Reynolds (64) putting a lick on Vic at the end of the play at 5:30.

[@stephengrinkley9889]

That would be a 15 yard penalty today

[@richardadams4928]

That RIDICULOUS late hit at the very end ... 😮

[@malbuff]

Nolan couldn't decide on a QB after Brodie retired. That ultimately led to his demise.

[@dwightlove3704]

Why didn't Nolan try to draft Joe Gilliam ex-Steelers QB in '72 or give Gene Washington a chance to play QB he was QB in college.

[@levikatriel]

This isn’t the first time Official Jaguar Gator 9 made a video about a drama a team had during the 1974 season, as he also made one about the falcons.

[@DolFan316]

1974 was apparently just a drama-filled year in general what with Watergate, etc. The teen and college-age hippies of the '60s had integrated fully into the working world by this point and were raising a ruckus there.

[@orbyfan]

@@DolFan316 Streaking was a brief and now long-forgotten fad that year. 1974 was also the year that the World Football League began play and quickly became a laughing stock. It was a much better year for baseball, except maybe for 10c beer night in Cleveland.

[@chrisrobinson8339]

1:47. Damn nobody helped my man up.

[@marksieber4626]

This team was toast as soon as Brodie and a couple other veterans retired.

[@DNSKansas]

Vic Washington paired with Jim KIick at Wyoming to power the 1967 Cowboys to a 10-0 regular season. They lost to 6-3-1 LSU in the Sugar Bowl

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

They would meet again at the 1973 season opener-Vic for the 49ers and Kiick for the Dolphins.

[@russellseilhamer4552]

I eat, live and breathe NFL history and JG9 teaches me stuff I never knew all the time. Kudos. I think maybe Nolan lost his team by his stance in the 1974 strike. He had the Saints on the verge of the playoffs in 1978 and 79. The Collapse of 1980 was to his career what the meteors hitting earth was to the dinosaurs. What happened in 1980? Why did that sudden and epic collapse happen??

[@JonPITBZN]

The move to DB did make some sense. Washington had a serious fumbling problem. Washington also played DB professionally both before coming to SF, and afterward with the Bills. Before coming to the NFL, he had an interception in the CFL. Unrelated but I found this interesting: Washington also played receiver during one of his three CFL seasons.

[@jonnythegreek1]

What a crazy story! I'm 49er fan since 1967 and recall Vic returning the kickoff vs Dallas in the playoffs for a TD. He was a fine player, but I forgot about the beef he had with Nolan and his odd departure. Great story and research! Thanks!

[@yusefinc1096]

What the heck?!? 5 running backs in a single NFL draft? 1st, 2nd, and 4th round picks on RBs? This is why the 49ers were not so good in the 70’s.

[@DolFan316]

That alone should've been a giant neon warning sign to Washington that he was on the way out.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

The 49ers didn’t know how to draft RBs back then

[@eugenedenbrook322]

Heh, that's the truth. I think one was Delvin Williams, who turned out to be very good. However, he ended up with Miami, and I'm not sure if any of the other 4 were much better than Vic.

[@stephengrinkley9889]

IKR. I was thinking the exact same thing. I think if a coach and/or GM did that today they would be fired immediately

[@johnberger51]

Another awesome video for me to enjoy on my lunch break.

[@richbaritone67]

Vic Washington should have stayed in Canada. He would have been a hall of fame player. Same for his teammate, Margene Atkins. Atkins is quite the story.

[@sportshistorybuff]

The strange thing about those 1970-1972 49er playoff teams is that they were 1-5 against the Rams! Or maybe the strangeness is that the Rams would take it to SF 5 times out of 6, but not make the playoffs themselves.

[@DNSKansas]

The Rams won 15 in a row in San Francisco from 1966-80

[@mayduck1]

The player strikes of 1970, 1974, 1982 and 1987 caused many dustups between coaches and players and it seemed the 1974 strike caused this friction. HOF coach Joe Gibbs unlike Nolan and other coaches used strikes like 1982 and 1987 to his benefit as his teams won Super Bowls. Bill Belicheck along with Don Shula and Vince Lombardi are widely praised as great coaches which they are but Gibbs won Super Bowl's in 2 topsy turvy strike years and also won three Super Bowls with three different QB's.

[@russellseilhamer4552]

Gibbs deserves props for how he handled the 1982 and 87 strikes. I also think defensive coordinator Ritchie Pettibon should be in the HOF for his great works during the Redskin glory years

[@mayduck1]

@@russellseilhamer4552 I agree with you on Pettibon and as a Dolphins fan Bill Arnsparger who designed the no name defense moving LB's around in the 53 defense should be there too.

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

@@mayduck1 I wondered if that was a formation but 53 was linebacker Bill Matheson's number, hence the name. Always chuckle when seeing the No Names in that famous SI cover with the masks on.

[@stephengrinkley9889]

Am I the only one who initially thought that Vic Washington was playing for Rutgers?

[@scottconner7930]

47 Years Ago

[@astrostar49]

At least it's not as bad as the 1978 season. Oof. Thanks for uploading BTW.

[@taco2k3]

Ah yes, the Joe Thomas disaster years. Aka the O.J. trade. SMH

[@DariusClarki75]

Thanks for making my old Topps football cards come to life!

[@melbea03]

Vic Washington came to the Niners with huge fanfare

[@karlcooper8460]

Down below a guy mentioned that his son ruined Alex Smith as it turns out I was right his son did coach them but getting to the point Alex Smith wasn't all that to begin with I don't know what you call "ruined" Smith was a decent Qb.

[@njacobdekelaita6198]

What ruined Smith was the 49ers revolving door at Off Cord his first few years. That killed him for sure

[@karlcooper8460]

@@njacobdekelaita6198 well you could hand him that excuse if you want but looking at his career overall he was never going to get better than decent as you well can see.

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

Mike ruined Alex Smith by making him play through a shoulder injury

[@karlcooper8460]

@@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly that shouldn't have been a determining factor throughout his whole career guys get hurt all the time and play through inguries A.S was just decent at best.

[@danahogue1115]

Vic Washington ws my favorite Football player period

[@Phateagle262]

The Niners playing home games on astroturf...man that looks weird

[@Official_Kings_Versus]

Yes...and then they switched to natural grass in the '79 season

[@karlcooper8460]

Didn't he have a son that coached the Niners some years ago? Like 7years ago I wanna say.

[@joeylawn36111]

Yes - Mike Nolan - Son of Dick Nolan, was the Niners HC from 2005-08, and most recently the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys last season.

[@karlcooper8460]

@@joeylawn36111 Yea I found out from a lower posting but thanks for the info buddy.

[@AFloodofSolaceJohnWhigham]

Another great video.

[@KCBluesJams]

When I was a kid I was in the 49er minor club and every week after the game they would have a meeting at the community center with a player they gave away footballs, jerseys and everyone got a ticket to the game 👍😁

[@WTMNNJR]

Funny thing about the CFL. There was two teams called the Roughriders/ Rough Riders. One had a space the other didn’t. Now it’s just the Roughriders and Ottawa is called the Red Blacks.

[@josephnicolino8529]

In the Super Bowl era, he was the best pre Bill Walsh 49ers head coach.

[@DolFan316]

Being an NFL historian myself I know about Vic Washington, but when I checked out his PFR page, the dude fumbled a LOT. Like, once every 21 touches or so his first three seasons.

[@orbyfan]

He fumbled 11 times in 354 touches in his first two CFL seasons, once every 32.2 touches, and once in 51 touches in 1970, but he was playing flanker in 1970, where he was less likely to fumble.

[@dondajulah4168]

And his yards per carry after his solid rookie season where he posted a 4.2 YPC were 3.3 and 3.5. Going to need to put up a hell of a lot better numbers than that if you are leaving the ball on the ground every 21 touches. Not sure why it is "bizarre" to upgrade from that level of play from what was, in that era, probably as important a position on the field as QB. They draft Wilbur Jackson with the number 9 pick in the draft and he turned out to be a significant upgrade at the position. Trying to spin this into something "bizarre" makes me think this channel is going to need to slow down the cadence of the videos.

[@BigBlackRod]

Sounds like Nolan had control issues.

[@southjerseysfinest]

Love this channel

[@Casey4765]

Great video. Go Niners!

[@jonprude2557]

Awesome... Vic's coolest card is the '72 Topps PA. Cheap. Looks like Mercury Morris. 22's!

[@curtisrodriguez938]

Have you thought about a segment on the 1977 Atlanta Falcons who had a defense that allowed fewer points than any of the 1970's Steeler teams? They gave up only 9.2 points per game that season.

[@stevek6518]

Claude Humphrey

[@dwightlove3704]

Do you have footage of EX-Niners DB Jimmy Johnson

[@orbyfan]

Look closely in the Ottawa footage, and you'll see Bo Scott wearing #16. Vic Washington returned a kickoff 104 yards for a touchdown in his first CFL game in 1968, and averaged 32.8 yards per return that year. He came to camp in 1970 wanting to sit out, rather than play out, his option year, and ended up being dealt to the British Columbia Lions. The season was almost half over before he showed up there, and when he did, veteran players Ernie Pitts and A.D. Whitfield sat him down for a little talk about his attitude. He played flanker in his 9 games wit B.C. before going to the NFL. I noticed a fair number of names in that '74 49ers training camp roster who played pre-season, regular season, or post-season games in the CFL: Morrison, Holmes, Taylor, Belser, Hull, Raines, and Belk.

[@orbyfan]

He played a little bit at defensive back when he first came to Ottawa; he had 1 interception for 25 yards in 1968. The CFL had 32-man rosters then, so versatility was prized.

[@markgraham2312]

At 0:03:24 Washington steps out of bounds. It's actually at 0:03:24 and 13 frames.

[@redmustangredmustang]

Vic sadly died in 2008

[@eddiekulp1241]

Dick Nolan brought hope to the Saints , but in the end he was a utter failure like the Saints coaches before him . He won 8 games . Was a big deal to fans untill 1980 occured

[@doodleboy60]

Vic Washington was my first sports hero. Amazing speed.

[@howard385]

This exaggerates the positives and ignores the negatives of Washington's abilities. He was a fumble machine even in his best year and had a poor yards per carry average.

[@megamonkey666]

cfl history videos next pog?

[@karlcooper8460]

He may have been the best athlete but with the worst attitude that's not to say that Nolan was no Saint either.

[@joeylawn36111]

He coached mostly in the NFC West, where he just couldn't Rams home a division title.... 😉

[@karlcooper8460]

It's funny I'm 55 now I remember all of those other runners SF drafted for example Delvin Williams but not this fellow.

[@mayduck1]

Karl Cooper nice line about Nolan was no Saint either as his Saints career was a disaster.His 1979 Saints team had a 35-14 lead on MNF vs the Raiders and lost 42-35 and the 1980 season was so bad Saints fans wore paper bags over their heads calling themselves the Aints because they aint going to win any time soon.

[@karlcooper8460]

@@mayduck1 Well we mutually agree but you could raise ole Vince Lombardi out of the grave and he couldn't do anything with those saints teams that was an ownership problem.

[@mayduck1]

@@karlcooper8460 you are right as there are some bad owners in the NFL and the Ford's top the list.

[@donwilliams3078]

One of my favorite 49ers.

[@monroemitchell8175]

The Nolan's sucked in the 70s and the mid 2000s in the same freaking city. Both were dysfunctional as hell.

[@jsubicbay68]

Vic Washington returned opening kickoff for a TD vs. Dallas in NFC championship game, big congrats to Mitchell for surpassing Vic's rookie rushing record in just 10 games

[@mcleanblades9234]

11:30 ... when men were men.