TOP 10 Most illustrious assistants

When Robert Saleh signed a five-year contract with the New York Jets, Jan. 14, he became the 35th former San Francisco assistant to use his time on the 49ers’ staff as a springboard to a future position as an NFL head coach. Several of those men made a big enough impact during their time with the team — and then later leading other teams, with 10 taking their new teams to the Super Bowl — to be included on this list of the Most Illustrious Assistant Coaches in 49ers history.

1 Mike Shanahan: The father of current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan deservedly tops this list not only because he went on to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles as head coach of the Denver Broncos, but also for what he did when handed the keys to San Francisco’s offensive machine in the heyday of the 49ers dynasty. Taking over as San Francisco’s offensive coordinator in 1992, Shanahan produced some of the greatest attacks in NFL history during his three years with the team. The 49ers led the NFL in total offense in 1992 and 1993, ranked second in that category in 1994 and reached three consecutive NFC title games with Shanahan calling the plays, winning the franchise’s last Super Bowl title during his final season with the team.