In 1977, the young scion of a family real estate empire buys the NFL's San Francisco 49ers; his efforts to build a winner fail until he hires an outcast coach with radical ideas; together they construct a team that begins to challenge NFL royalty.
In 1981, the 49ers complete their miracle Super Bowl run, galvanizing the troubled, iconoclastic city of San Francisco; as the 80s wear on, they celebrate another Super Bowl, welcome new superstar players, and weather drama off the field.
Just as the 49ers appear to reach their peak in the late 1980s, a shocking playoff loss and the burgeoning quarterback controversy between superstar Joe Montana and the up-and-coming Steve Young threaten to tear the team apart.
Rise of the 49ers documents the San Francisco 49ers as they rose from irrelevance in the 1970s to become the NFL's "Team of the 80s"; the series explores the characters behind the dynasty, which won four Super Bowls during the decade.