Winning the Super Bowl undoubtedly brings a whirlwind of emotions. And experiencing a crushing defeat or finishing at the bottom of the league likely evokes even stronger feelings. So, who can really grasp what players are feeling in those moments? In truth, it’s only those who have shared those same emotions alongside them. These shared experiences create a lasting bond, and for Randy Cross, his ties with his 49ers teammates exemplify that connection.

Recently, the legendary player’s thoughts drifted back to his time with the 49ers. Cross took to X to remember the teammates he had lost along the way and all the ups and downs they had shared. “The 4 of us played on some @49ers historically worst AND best teams. Back to back 2-14 teams in 78+79 then 2 SB Champs in 5 years with playoffs in 4 of those years. Through the good and bad times, we did everything together on + off the field. I deeply miss Fred, John + Keith” Fred Quillan, John Ayers, Keith Fahnhorst, and Cross were a mainstay for the 49ers during that time.

The quartet stayed together for seven years as starters, eventually winning two Super Bowls. From 1981 to 1986, the 49ers were absolutely dominant, achieving a record of 61-27-1. Everyone considered them the best of the generation. And why not? They were winning regularly and had numerous records to show for it as well.

But how did they reach this point? Well, before the success, the four friends experienced failure, particularly during the disastrous 1978-79 seasons, when they ended with a 2-14 record in both years. And then something changed! Coach Bill Walsh was hired. To top it off, they got some good picks in the 1979 draft. The surprise selection of James Owens as their first pick, one of the fastest players of that time, followed by the relatively unknown Joe Montana as the 82nd pick of the third round, marked the beginning of a transformation.

Throughout all this Cross, Quillan, Ayers, and Fahnhorst were there with the team, giving their best season after season. So much so that they ended the 1984 season 18-1 dominating the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX. They were the team to beat at that time, ending 1st in NFC West 8 times in 10 years.

Through triumph and adversity, Cross and his teammates built an unbreakable bond that lasted a lifetime. Their journey from the depths of defeat to Super Bowl glory is a testament to resilience, teamwork, and brotherhood.

The losses still haunt Randy Cross

Some things in sports don’t make sense, but they do make sense. Confusing, right? Well, for one, it’s so weird how you can achieve limitless success in the game, win countless trophies, and break many records, yet that one devastating loss you faced sticks out in your memory. And in sports you remember your losses more than your failures. Weird? Not really!!

Take for example Randy Cross, the 49ers legend who saw all the glory, and won 3 Super Bowls, but does he remember those? No. For him even after almost 4 decades, the losses are more vivid in his memories than the victories.

Talking about what he remembers from his playing time, he said, “I can go back and recall quite a few of those games and it’s funny cause the big games that you play in which you’re successful are very memorable. But it’s very odd in this particular sport and I think sports in general, the ones where you don’t get it, where you’re not as successful, which are kind of crushing losses those games memory-wise tend to stick out to me more than the wins did. “

Well, Cross did suffer some poor defeats during his early days with the team. Especially during the 1979 season, where they went on to lose 12 games in which they held a lead, yes, in games where they gave up the lead and lost. To date, they remain the only team to do so. A record Cross and Co certainly won’t be proud of.

For Cross, though, it must be losses like these he remembers most now. And surely, these losses would have been the ones that stung the most back then. And understandably so. But he wasn’t alone in dealing with them, right? Right next to him stood his friends and teammates, who he so fondly remembers today. Though victories define a career, it’s the painful losses that leave the deepest marks.