Jim Fahnhorst, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the 49ers, died at 66 on Wednesday.
Fahnhorst was a crucial member of the San Francisco dynasty in the 80s, playing linebacker for 82 games for the franchise.
The Minnesota native was a member of the Super Bowl XIX, XXIII and XXIV teams.
Jim Fahnhorst during Super Bowl XXIII on January 22, 1989. Getty Images
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of former linebacker Jim Fahnhorst,” the 49ers said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with his family.”
No cause of death was provided.
Minnesota Vikings receiver Anthony Carter (81) makes a catch in front of 49ers linebacker Jim Fahnhorst (55) during the Vikings 36-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the 1987 NFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 9, 1988. NFLOriginally a fourth-round pick in the 1982 draft out of the University of Minnesota — where he earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1981 — Fanhorst played two seasons in the USFL before joining the 49ers as a free agent.
He jumped at the chance to play on alongside his older brother, Keith, an offensive lineman with the 49ers.
Linebacker Jim Fahnhorst #55 of the San Francisco 49ers tackles Atlanta Falcons quarterback Turk Schonert #14 at Candlestick Park on November 23, 1986. Getty Images“It was a no-brainer,” Jim told the team’s website in 2018.
“We ran into each other a few times at practice, but we had an understanding that we weren’t going to try and make each other look bad,” he said of their practice field battles. “It was kind of uncomfortable.”
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Fahnhorst spent all seven of his NFL seasons in San Francisco, making 38 starts and racking up 232 tackles, seven interceptions and a sack.
Keith also played his entire 14-year career with San Francisco, retiring after the 1987 season.
Both moved back to the Minneapolis area after their playing days and continued to get together multiple times per month — with their growing families — until Keith’s death in 2018, also at the age of 66.
