Faithful Flashbacks #71: Ted Ginn’s Jr.’s Special Sunday

Faithful Flashbacks #71: Ted Ginn Jr. secures an opening day victory with two special teams touchdowns within one minute of each other.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Jun 1, 2026, 8:00 AM Updated: 8:22 am

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th. Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

Jim Harbaugh’s first game as 49ers head coach was a memorable one, to say the least. After spending years attempting to fight their way back into relevance, they hoped the shift to Harbaugh would change the tide.

San Francisco’s first regular-season game under his leadership in 2011 came against their division rival, the Seattle Seahawks. It was the beginning of what would become many battles between Harbaugh’s 49ers and Carroll’s Seahawks.

Jumping out to a 16-0 halftime lead at home, the 49ers were under control early but unable to maintain that advantage as Seattle crawled back to take a 19-17 lead in the fourth quarter. That’s when Ted Ginn Jr. stole the spotlight and secured his place on our “Faithful Flahbacks” countdown.

Receiving a kickoff, down 19-17, with just under four minutes left, Ginn Jr. dramatically returned it 102 yards for a touchdown to instantly regain his team’s lead. The defense did their job right after, as the Seahawks were punting the ball not much later with 2:46 to play.

Ginn Jr. was back to receive the punt and displayed some of the same magic he did just a few minutes earlier. Fifty-five yards later, he was in the end zone once again.

🚨🚨ALL-TIME #NFL MOMENT🚨🚨

When Ted Ginn Jr. returned two kicks for touchdowns in a single game for the #49ers on September 11, 2011, just 59 seconds apart in the fourth quarter.

This is the last time San Fran had a punt return TD… 15-years-ago.

😱 pic.twitter.com/krWFE8sePh

— MLFootball (@MLFootball) May 19, 2026

Returning a kickoff and punt return for touchdowns to secure a late-game victory on the opening day of a new era is the definition of memorable.

Ginn Jr. secured the 33-17 victory for San Francisco, earning Harbaugh his first win as an NFL head coach. While it wasn’t their cleanest performance as a group, their special teams unit and Ginn’s return skills helped them add to the win column.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

June 9-10, 2026 – Mandatory Minicamps
Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT

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