Glenn Dickey's 49ers: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the NFL's Greatest Dynasty

By Glenn Dickey

A record 5 Super Bowl victories. The unmatched feat of 16 consecutive winning seasons. For over 20 years, the legendary San Francisco 49ers dominated the NFL and earned the title of the most successful team in the history of professional football. But all that glitters is not gold. Front-office shakeups, bitter rivalries, aging stars, a punishing salary cap, and ownership embroiled in personal crises have taken a bruising toll. Long at the top of the football world, this fabled franchise is struggling to recapture its former glory. And one man has witnessed it all. Celebrated San Francisco sportswriter and 49er insiderGlenn Dickeyreveals the untold story of this extraordinary organization-the good, the bad, and the ugly. He takes you beyond the headlines and into the minds of those who made the back-room deals, the men who played like heroes, and the personnel who built and destroyed the 49er dynasty. Spanning the glory days of Joe Montana to the twilight years of Steve Young, from "The Catch" to the devastating 4-12 season in 1999, this candid account takes you into the trenches and through the breathtaking highs and heartbreaking lows of a team that has played some of the greatest football the world will ever see.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761522328
• ISBN13: 9780761522324
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Behind the Scenes

Dickey uncovered the nasty, behind the scenes goings on in 49ers: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth the NFL's Greatest Dynasty. DeBartalo's love/hate relationship with his "genius" coach was certainly not well known nor was Walsh's with Montana. No one would have dreamed that Walsh's job security was in a constant state of flux. George Siefert's handling of the Montana/Young controversy was also very interesting. These are but a few of the many, many stories related in the book that obviously came from many hours of close up and personal contact with those people involved. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Great fun

This is a gossipy, entertaining book about what really happens with a pro football team. I'm a 49er fan, but I think even those who are fans of other teams would love the inside stuff in this book. The chapter about Eddie DeBartolo's rollicking ride through Las Vegas is a classic, and I got a totally different view of Eddie D after reading about all his conflicts with Bill Walsh, Carmen Policy and his sister. Great fun.

A must-read!

Since leaving San Francisco 10 years ago, I've had to follow my beloved 49ers from a continent away. Now, with Glenn Dickey's book, I can catch up with what I missed. Finally, I know why Joe Montana left and what they were thinking - or not - when they drafted Jim Druckenmiller. I even learned about things I thought I already knew from the years I watched as a season ticket holder. I would never have guessed about the friction between Bill Walsh and Montana, for instance. This is a must-read for 49er fans.

A well-informed tour

Glenn Dickey serves as a well-informed tour director as he guides you through two decades of intense, magical, and sometimes crazy 49ER history. His ability to draw upon a vast reservoir of knowledge and information enables him to provide his readers with the feeling that they are observing the inner working s of the 49ER dynasty from the position of an insider. The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Forty Niners will prove to be interesting reading to any sports fan or student of organizational psychology.

Intriguing look at a dynasty's underbelly

As a long time Forty Niner fan, I found this book a fascinating read. Throughout their long run as the preeminent franchise in the NFL, the Forty Niner PR machine always created an image of cool effeciency and smooth sailing. In this book, Glenn Dickey gives you a look at often tumultous goings on behind that facade. If you are a Niner fan, or are just interested in seeing how an empire can be built, and then destroyed by those who built it, I think you would enjoy this book.