Ask anyone about O.J. Simpson's football career and they’ll start talking about Buffalo. They'll mention the snow, the 2,000-yard season in 1973, and the Electric Company offensive line. It makes sense. That’s where he became a legend. But the final chapter of his playing days? That happened in Northern California.
The OJ Simpson San Francisco 49ers era is often treated as a footnote, or worse, a trivia question. Honestly, it was a mess.
He didn't just end up there by accident. Simpson was a San Francisco kid through and through. He grew up in the Potrero Hill projects, went to Galileo High School, and dominated at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) before ever setting foot at USC. For the city, seeing "The Juice" in a 49ers uniform in 1978 felt like a homecoming that was decades overdue.
It just didn't go the way anyone planned.
The Trade That Changed Everything (And Not in a Good Way)
By 1977, Simpson was breaking down. His knees were shot. He’d played nine seasons in Buffalo, taking a physical pounding as the focal point of an offense that basically just handed him the ball and prayed.
The 49ers were under new ownership. Eddie DeBartolo Jr. had just taken over and he wanted a splash. He wanted a star. On March 24, 1978, he got one.
The Niners sent a haul to the Buffalo Bills to get O.J. back home. We’re talking:
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- A 1978 second-round pick.
- A 1978 third-round pick.
- A 1979 first-round pick.
- A 1980 second-round pick.
- A 1980 fourth-round pick.
Five picks. For a 31-year-old running back with a heavy limp.
It was a desperation move. To put it bluntly, it was one of the worst trades in the history of the franchise. Because the 49ers were terrible in 1978 (they went 2-14), that 1979 first-round pick they gave away became the number one overall pick in the draft. Buffalo used it to take Tom Cousineau, who never even played for them, but eventually, that value trickled through the league.
Meanwhile, San Francisco was left with a shell of a superstar.
Two Years of "What If"
Watching the OJ Simpson San Francisco 49ers years on tape is sort of heartbreaking if you remember him at his peak. The burst was gone. That gliding, effortless speed that made him look like he was running on air? Replaced by a choppy, labored gait.
In 1978, Simpson managed only 593 rushing yards. He scored one rushing touchdown. One. For a guy who used to find the end zone for fun, it was a reality check.
Then came 1979.
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This is the year things got weird. A guy named Bill Walsh took over as head coach. He brought in a system that would eventually become the "West Coast Offense." He also drafted a skinny quarterback from Notre Dame named Joe Montana.
So, for one strange season, the 49ers roster had both O.J. Simpson and Joe Montana. It’s like a glitch in the Matrix. The greatest of the past and the greatest of the future sharing a locker room.
Simpson’s 1979 stats:
- 13 games played.
- 460 rushing yards.
- 3.8 yards per carry.
- 3 touchdowns.
He wasn't even the leading rusher on his own team. That honor went to Paul Hofer, a rugged back who actually fit Walsh’s system better than the aging icon.
The Final Bow in Atlanta
O.J.'s final NFL game wasn't in San Francisco. It was on the road.
December 16, 1979. Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
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The 49ers lost to the Falcons 31-21. Simpson didn't do much—just two carries for 12 yards. But his final play was vintage, in a small way. He took a handoff on first-and-10 in the fourth quarter and rumbled for 10 yards. A first down.
He walked off the field with his fist in the air. Most people in the stands knew it was over. He knew it was over. The 49ers finished 2-14 again, but the seeds of the 80s dynasty were already planted.
Why the OJ Simpson San Francisco 49ers Era Still Matters
You can't talk about the 49ers' rise to power without talking about how bad things were before Walsh. The Simpson trade was the "rock bottom" moment. It was the move that proved you couldn't just buy a championship with aging names.
Interestingly, because the team was so depleted of draft picks thanks to the O.J. trade, Bill Walsh was forced to get creative. He had to find "diamonds in the rough" in later rounds. That’s how he found Dwight Clark in the 10th round. It's how the team built a different kind of identity—one based on scouting and scheme rather than star power.
What to Remember
If you're looking back at this era, don't just look at the box scores. Look at the transition.
- Local Hero: Despite the bad stats, the San Francisco crowd loved him. He was a Potrero Hill legend returning to the city that raised him.
- The Cost of Fame: The trade showed the league that "win-now" moves with aging vets rarely work.
- The Bridge: Simpson served as a bridge between the old-school NFL and the modern, pass-heavy era Walsh was about to unleash.
If you want to understand the full scope of NFL history, you have to look at these "lost" years. They aren't pretty, but they're real.
To see how the team recovered from this, you should check out the 1979 NFL Draft results to see exactly who the 49ers managed to snag despite having no first-round pick. It’s a masterclass in scouting.