With the Denver Broncos triumph over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 50 teams have now claimed their spots in history as Super Bowl champions.
But how can we compare, contrast and ultimately differentiate each winner from the others? Well, lucky for us, Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News recently took a crack at it.
The writer ranked each Super Bowl-winning team in descending order from 50th to 1st. The 2015 Broncos came in at No. 39 and the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins topped everyone at No. 1.
But what about the five San Francisco 49ers teams to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? We've got you covered below.
No. 33 - 1988 San Francisco 49ers
Record: 10-6
Super Bowl score: 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16
Hall of Famers: 6
DeCourcy comment: "It took only a 10-6 record to win the NFC West, and that also got the 49ers the conference's No. 2 seed. The 49ers had to go on the road to play the Chicago Bears for a spot in the Super Bowl, but they obliterated a team that had seemed, at that point, to be the favorite to advance. The Super Bowl took more doing, as Cincinnati pulled ahead with a field goal that left 3:44 on the clock. But Joe Montana drove the 49ers from their own 8-yard line in 11 plays that left the Bengals no time to recover. It was one last piece of brilliance from Bill Walsh before he ended his coaching career."
No. 26 - 1981 San Francisco 49ers
Record: 13-3
Super Bowl score: 49ers 26, Cincinnati Bengals 21
Hall of Famers: 5
DeCourcy comment: "The first of Bill Walsh's Super Bowl championships didn't just launch a dynasty; this team revolutionized the game. It wasn't a loud revolution, but the power running game of prior decades was supplanted by a team that moved the ball with short passes, often to 'backs. The 49ers 'backs caught a combined 117 passes in 1981; Oakland's 'backs got only 80 the prior season. So it didn't matter that San Francisco didn't have a back likely to go for 100 yards. It had Joe Montana, and a new approach to the game."
No. 19 - 1994 San Francisco 49ers
Record: 13-3
Super Bowl score: 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26
Hall of Famers: 5
DeCourcy comment: "George Seifert led this team to his second Super Bowl title in six years as coach, then won a combined 23 regular-season games over the next two years and lost his job... He certainly had tremendous players at his disposal, including the Hall-of-Fame connection of Steve Young to Jerry Rice."
No. 3 - 1989 San Francisco 49ers
Record: 14-2
Super Bowl score: 49ers 55, Denver Broncos 10
Hall of Famers: 5
DeCourcy comment: "Bill Walsh's retirement following the 1988 season put George Seifert in a curious position. He was taking over a Super Bowl team, so there really wasn't much room for improvement. Or was there? The '88 squad had to rally to win the title and needed a late winning streak to make the playoffs. The 49ers were gun-to-wire dominant in Seifert's rookie year and weren't even challenged in the postseason, winning three games by a combined 100 points. The combined margin of the team's two defeats? Five points."
No. 2 - 1984 San Francisco 49ers
Record: 15-1
Super Bowl score: 49ers 38, Miami Dolphins 16
Hall of Famers: 5
DeCourcy comment: "Although their successors as champs drew far more headlines (the '85 Chicago Bears), this team is very much in the argument for the greatest of all time. For one, consider what they did in the Super Bowl to a Miami team that destroyed the AFC with young Dan Marino's passing wizardry. The 49ers put them down 12 by halftime, then ended it in the third quarter. Marino was sacked four times and completed no pass longer than 30 yards. The 49ers lost only a 3-point decision in an October game against Pittsburgh."
