Sad. Former 49er\Charger great Fred Dean passed away this week due to covid-19. He was age 68.
Dean was a huge factor in the 49ers first (and second) SB win. Everyone remembers Montana and the West coast offense, but by the numbers, that 1981 team was just average offensively. The defense was one of the best in the NFL, and Dean was a key reason. He was traded to the 49ers from SD early that season, and in his first game, the team had perhaps their signature win of the season, a 45-14 blow-out of Dallas. The year before, the Cowboys whomped the 49ers 59-14, so no one saw this coming.
The other defensive star on that team was rookie and future HOFer DB Ronnie Lott, who with two other rookies in the defensive backfield gave the team great pass coverage, allowing Dean to terrorize QBs who couldn't get rid of the ball quickly. Though not that large, he might be considered a forerunner of modern DL, who have an unworldly combination of power and speed. Dean rarely started for the 49ers, but wreaked so much damage on third and long situations that he was voted defensive player of the year. He finished his career with over 90 sacks, though most of them were unofficial, as records were not kept until well into his career.