Faithful Flashbacks #17: Jerry Rice’s Farewell

Faithful Flashbacks revisits Jerry Rice’s final home game with the 49ers, a Candlestick sendoff that also featured T.O.’s record day.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Aug 18, 2026, 8:00 AM Updated: 4:41 pm

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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 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

Coming in at No. 17 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in franchise history is Jerry Rice’s final home game as a 49er.

By the time the 2000 season reached its final home game, the 49ers were in a much different place than the one Rice had helped define. The Super Bowl years were in the rearview, Steve Young’s career had already ended, and San Francisco was trying to move through a transition into a new era.

Rice was one of the biggest reasons their standard had been raised. He arrived in 1985 and became the best receiver in NFL history during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. The records and Super Bowls that came from his partnership with Joe Montana and Steve Young, and the consistency all made him one of the central figures of the franchise’s best era. He had also established an argument for the best at his position in NFL history.

But all good things come to an end, and by 2000, it was time for a change. Rice was late in his career, the 49ers were moving younger in several places, and Terrell Owens had already become the team’s next top receiver. The home finale against the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park was a sendoff for a franchise legend.

Rice got to play a feature role that day. He caught seven passes for 76 yards in San Francisco’s 17-0 win, giving the home crowd one more productive afternoon before his time with the franchise came to an end. His teammates carried him off the field, a fitting sendoff to one of the greatest players the franchise had ever had.

The game also doubled as a reminder that the receiver room was already entering a new phase led by Owens. In that game, he set an NFL record with 20 receptions, finishing with 283 yards and a touchdown. It was one of the best individual receiving performances in league history, and it happened on the same day Rice was playing his final home game in a 49ers uniform.

That overlap is quite a coincidence and a fitting passing of the torch. One era was closing while another was already in place.

Rice would go on to continue his career elsewhere, but his 49ers legacy had already been secured. His final home game at Candlestick gave the franchise and its fans one last chance to recognize what he hadmeant before the greatest receiver in NFL history moved on.

More Faithful Flashbacks from Sactown Sports

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

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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