San Francisco 49ers: Owens, Bruce Named NFL Hall of Fame Finalists
Two former San Francisco 49ers wide receivers have been named finalists for the 2017 Hall of Fame class: Terrell Owens and Isaac Bruce.
On Tuesday night, 15 finalists for the 2017 NFL Hall of Fame were announced. Those 15 included two players who spent a portion of their career with the San Francisco 49ers, wide receivers Terrell Owen and Isaac Bruce.
Owens was drafted by the 49ers in 1996 during the third round (89th pick overall) out of Tennessee-Chattanooga. That year, he caught 35 passes for 520 yards and four touchdowns, the beginning of what would become an amazing NFL career. Over the next seven seasons with San Francisco, he would catch at least 60 balls every year, and crossed 1,000 yards five times. He caught double-digit touchdowns four times, including leading the league with 16 in 2001 and 13 in 2002.
Owens finished his San Francisco career as the second-most prolific receiver in franchise history, behind only the best receiver the NFL has ever seen, Jerry Rice. Owens is second in the 49ers’ record book in catches (592), receiving yards (8,572), and receiving touchdowns (81). Rice, of course, leads all three of those categories.
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After eight years with the 49ers, Owens moved on. He played the 2004 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, the first of two seasons in the City of Brotherly Love. He spent the next three seasons with the Eagles’ divisional rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, before finishing his career with one-year stints with the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals.
Owens made the playoffs eight times in his 15-year career, but never came home with a Super Bowl ring. The closest he came was in 2004, when he and Eagles lost Super Bowl XXXIX to the New England Patriots.
Overall in his career, Owens is eighth in NFL history with 1,078 receptions, second with 15,934 yards, and third with 153 touchdowns. He is the only player in NFL history with touchdowns against all 32 teams. He may be known for his flashy touchdown dances and being something of an on-field distraction, but there is no denying that Owens is one of the best in the history of this game.
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Although his stint with the 49ers was much shorter than Owens, Bruce was still once a member of the team. Bruce played 16 seasons in the NFL, but the first 14 were with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (he was drafted by Los Angeles in 1994, their final season before moving to St. Louis [of course they moved again]). The 2008 and 2009 seasons were spent with San Francisco. In 26 games in his late-30s, he caught 82 passes for 1,099 yards and seven touchdowns.
In his younger days with the Rams, Bruce was one of the most prolific pass catchers there was. Over his 14-year stint with the Rams, he caught 942 passes for 14,109 yards and 84 touchdowns. All three totals stand as the most in franchise history. As part of the “Greatest Show on Turf”, Bruce won a ring in Super Bowl XXXIV. Following his last year with San Francisco, he was traded back to the Rams, where he would retire.
Overall, Bruce is 13th in NFL history with 1,024 catches, 4th in yards with 15,208, and 12th with 91 touchdowns.
The 13 other Hall of Fame Finalists are as follows:
Morten Andersen (K) – Saints, Falcons, Giants, Chiefs, Vikings
Tony Boselli (OT) – Jaguars, Texans
Don Coryell (Coach) – Cardinals, Chargers
Terrell Davis (RB) – Broncos
Brian Dawkins (S) – Eagles, Broncos
Alan Faneca (OG) – Steelers, Jets, Cardinals
Joe Jacoby (OT) – Redskins
Ty Law (CB) – Patriots, Jets, Chiefs, Broncos
John Lynch (S) – Buccaneers, Broncos
Kevin Mawae (C) – Seahawks, Jets, Titans
Jason Taylor (DE) – Dolphins, Redskins, Jets
LaDainian Tomlinson (RB) – Chargers, Jets
Kurt Warner (QB) – Rams, Giants, Cardinals