The San Francisco 49ers were established in 1946, just three years shy of the 100th anniversary of the 1849 Gold Rush in California. The weird thing about the 49ers early jerseys is that they did not have gold as a part of their color scheme. In the late 1950's and the early 1960's the 49ers wore red and gray uniforms, they looked a lot like the Ohio State football team.

In 1963 the oval SF logo on the helmet made its first appearance, but the uniforms were still gray and red.

In 1964, the 49ers finally added gold into their color scheme. The gold replaced the gray on the pants and helmets. The next significant change for the franchise did not occur until the mid-1990's. In 1994, the 49ers added black under the white numbers to make the numbers appear to be block. In 1996 the uniform was changed to the current state. More black was added to the uniform, and gold trim was added around the numbers. The helmet logo also got some of the black trim to help it stand out more.

The 49ers have retired the following jerseys: #12 John Brodie, #16 Joe Montana, #34 Joe Perry, #37 Jimmy Johnson, #39 Hugh McElhenny, #70 Charlie Krueger, #73 Leo Nomellini, #79 Bob St. Clair, and #87 Dwight Clark.