| Year: | 1989 |
| Nflchampion: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Regular Season: | September 10 – December 25, 1989 |
| Playoffs Start: | December 31, 1989 |
| Afcchampion: | Denver Broncos |
| Nfcchampion: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Sb Name: | XXIV |
| Sb Date: | January 28, 1990 |
| Sb Site: | Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Pb Date: | February 4, 1990 |
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement. Paul Tagliabue was eventually chosen to succeed him, taking over on November 5.
Due to damage caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake to Candlestick Park, the New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers game on October 22 was played at Stanford Stadium in Stanford.
The NFL instituted a new "free agent" system for this season, Plan B, which allowed teams to have the first chance on re-signing 37 of their players. If a team did not make a deal and that player signs elsewhere, the team would receive compensation; it would be used until 1992.[1] [2]
The season ended with Super Bowl XXIV where the 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos 55–10 at the Louisiana Superdome.
See main article: article and Herschel Walker trade.
See main article: article and 1989 NFL Draft. The 1989 NFL Draft was held from April 23 to 24, 1989, at New York City's Marriott Marquis. With the first pick, the Dallas Cowboys selected quarterback Troy Aikman from the University of California, Los Angeles. Selecting third, the Detroit Lions drafted Barry Sanders, who would retire as the NFL's second all-time leading scorer (since broken).
Fred Silva retired during the 1989 off-season. He joined the NFL in 1968 as a line judge before being promoted to referee in 1969. Games that he officiated include Super Bowl XIV and the Freezer Bowl.
Dale Hamer, the head linesman for Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XXII, and Howard Roe were promoted to referee. In addition to replacing Silva, an extra 16th officiating crew was added to help handle the weekly workload of 14 games.
Walt Coleman was hired as a line judge. He was promoted to referee in 1995 and was a crew chief through 2018.
A member of the Patriots' All-1960s (AFL) Team, Long died on December 16, 1989.
On June 17, Matuszak, a member of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XV championship teams, died of an accidental propoxyphene overdose.[11]
On April 26, 1989, Monroe, a member of the San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl XIX championship team, was found dead at his home at 7:58 a.m.[12]
Moore, a New England Patriots 1983 NFL draft selection, was shot and killed in October 1989, following a robbery outside a convenience store in Memphis.[13]
A member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins Super Bowl VII championship team; Moore suffered a heart attack at his home in Miami on August 19, 1989, and was pronounced dead at Coral Reef Hospital that afternoon.[14]
A member of the Baltimore Colts' NFL championship teams in 1958 and 1959, Plunkett died on November 18, 1989.
Having served as an NFL umpire from 1958 to 1983, Sinkovitz also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1947 to 1952. An official for Super Bowl XV, he died on August 6, 1989.
A former quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Thomas died on April 30, 1989.
A quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles during the World War II era, died on April 22, 1989.
A member of the Green Bay Packers 1944 NFL Championship Game team, Tollefson died on August 20, 1989.
Having played in 44 NFL games between 1927 and 1932, Wiberg died on August 14, 1989.
A series of National Football League pre-season exhibition games that were held at sites outside the United States, a pair of games in 1989 were contested in London, England and Tokyo, Japan.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Score | Stadium | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 6, 1989 | 16 | 13 |  Tokyo | |||
| August 6, 1989 | 17 | 13 |  London | |||
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, in which the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills 31–6, was played on August 5, televised nationally by ABC and held at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the same city where the league was founded. The 1989 Hall of Fame Class included Mel Blount and Terry Bradshaw, teammates on four Super Bowl championship teams with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, Art Shell, a member of the Oakland Raiders Super Bowl XI and Super Bowl XV teams, plus Willie Wood, who captured five NFL championships, including Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II with the Green Bay Packers.
| Inter-conference AFC East vs NFC West AFC Central vs NFC Central AFC West vs NFC East |
Highlights of the 1989 season included:
Two games were played on Thursday, November 23, featuring Cleveland at Detroit and Philadelphia at Dallas, with Detroit and Philadelphia winning.
For the first time, regular season game was held on Christmas Day, as Cincinnati visited Minnesota, for a Monday Night Football contest on ABC, with Minnesota winning.
See main article: 1989–90 NFL playoffs.
| Points scored | San Francisco 49ers (442) | |
| Total yards gained | San Francisco 49ers (6,268) | |
| Yards rushing | Cincinnati Bengals (2,483) | |
| Yards passing | Washington Redskins (4,349) | |
| Fewest points allowed | Denver Broncos (226) | |
| Fewest total yards allowed | Minnesota Vikings (4,184) | |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | New Orleans Saints (1,326) | |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | Minnesota Vikings (2,501) |
| Most Valuable Player | Joe Montana, quarterback, San Francisco | |
| Coach of the Year | Lindy Infante, Green Bay | |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Joe Montana, quarterback, San Francisco | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Keith Millard, defensive tackle, Minnesota | |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Barry Sanders, running back, Detroit | |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Derrick Thomas, linebacker, Kansas City | |
| NFL Comeback Player of the Year | Ottis Anderson, running back, NY Giants | |
| NFL Man of the Year | Warren Moon, quarterback, Houston | |
| Super Bowl Most Valuable Player | Joe Montana, quarterback, San Francisco |
Marty Schottenheimer left the Browns to coach the Kansas City Chiefs. The Browns turned to Bud Carson to replace Schottenheimer.
In a highly publicized move shortly after taking over, the Cowboys' new ownership fired Tom Landry, the team's only head coach in franchise history. Jimmy Johnson, who lead the Miami Hurricanes to a college football national championship in 1987, was named as Landry's replacement.
Wayne Fontes began his first full season as head coach after replacing Darryl Rogers, who was fired after 11 games in 1988.
Frank Gansz was fired. Marty Schottenheimer then joined the Chiefs after leaving the Browns.
Al Saunders was replaced by Dan Henning.
Bill Walsh retired after the team's 1988 NFL/Super Bowl championship. Defensive coordinator George Seifert was promoted to head coach.
Marion Campbell's second tenure with the Falcons ended when he was fired after the first 12 games, and former St. Louis Cardinals coach Jim Hanifan served as interim for the final four games.
Mike Shanahan was fired after the first four games. Assistant coach Art Shell served as interim for the last 12 games. Shell was given the position permanently and held it through 1994, then returned for one season in 2006.
Gene Stallings was fired after the first 11 games after announcing he would resign at the end of the season, and Hank Kuhlmann served as interim for the final five games. Stallings became coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide, where he won the 1992 national championship.
This was the third and final year under the league's broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, NBC, and ESPN to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, the AFC package, and Sunday Night Football, respectively. O. J. Simpson was named as the sole studio analyst for NBC's NFL Live!, joining host Bob Costas. NBC also hired the then-recently retired head coach Bill Walsh to join Dick Enberg on the network's lead broadcast team, replacing Merlin Olsen as the network's lead color commentator; Olsen left for CBS after this season.[17]