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Remember the 49ers’ first Super Bowl victory with these celebratory photos from 1982

See how iconic players from the Joe Montana dynasty team—and their loyal fans—marked the Niners’ victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Fans celebrate the 49ers Super Bowl win with a bonfire at Union and Buchanan streets on Jan. 24, 1982. | Eric Luse/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | Source: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
By Ethan Kassel

The San Francisco 49ers are two wins away from their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history, but they haven’t won one since 1995. Memories of those celebrations may be fuzzy at best for those who can recall “The Catch”—and younger generations of fans might not even recognize Joe Montana if they passed him on the street, much less Dwight Clark, who passed away in 2018.

Here are photos from Jan. 24, 1982, ranging from the game itself, a 26-21 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, to the streets of San Francisco after the clock hit zero.

San Francisco 49ers tight end Earl Cooper (49) high-fives offensive lineman Fred Quillan (56) after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during Super Bowl XVI, in Pontiac, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1982. | Mickey Pfleger/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images | Source: Sports Illustrated via Getty Images
Fans celebrating the 49ers' Super Bowl XVI win celebrate by climbing on top of a Muni bus on Union Street on Jan. 24, 1982. | Eric Luse/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | Source: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
A man in white raises his arms in victory as football players in white and red uniforms celebrate around him in a crowded stadium.
Head Coach Bill Walsh of the San Francisco 49ers is carried on the shoulders of two of his players after the 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XVI at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1982. The Niners won the Super Bowl 26 -21. | Focus on Sport/Getty Images | Source: Getty Images
49ers fans go wild in the Castro after their team had won Super Bowl XVI, the city's first major championship win on Jan. 24, 1982. | Eric Luse/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | Source: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
A football quarterback in a white and gold uniform prepares to throw the ball while teammates block opponents on the field.
Joe Montana rolls out to pass during Super Bowl XVI against the Cincinnati Bengals at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1982. | Wally McNamee/Corbis via Getty Images | Source: Corbis via Getty Images
A man in a football uniform stands on the roof of a car, holding a helmet and smiling, while people inside the car look out the windows.
49ers fans would go wild after their team won Super Bow XVI, the city's first major championship, on Jan. 24, 1982. The crowds would bring traffic in the Mission District to a standstill. | John O'Hara/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images | Source: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images
San Francisco 49ers defensive back Lynn Thomas (28) holds up the ball after recovering a fumble by Cris Collinsworth of the Cincinnati Bengals as safety Carlton Williamson (27) looks on during Super Bowl XVI at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, on Jan. 24, 1982. The 49ers defeated the Bengals 26-21. | George Gojkovich/Getty Images | Source: Getty Images
A double exposure of 49ers fans celebrating on Irving Street and Eighth Avenue in San Francisco’s Sunset District after the San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowl XVI on Jan. 24, 1982 | Courtesy OpenSFHistory
After the San Francisco 49ers won Super Bowl XVI, fans celebrate by driving in a convertible past San Francisco Federal Savings on Irving Street and Eighth Avenue in San Francisco’s Sunset District on Jan. 24, 1982. | Courtesy OpenSFHistory

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