We are the 49er Faithful.

No one can take that from us.

The 49ers win a Super Bowl in January, 1995.

Some of us show up here later that year. More of us, including me, sometime later on the following year.

We chronicled the slow collapse of the Walsh/Siefert/Mootch dynasty years.

Then the Dark Ages.

Fair Weather fans? What’s that?

We still wore the colors during that near decade of bottom feeding NFL performance where our team consistently earned low first round draft choices.

Who else do you know that stood the same test of time? Who else can you name right now off the top of your head who so diligently followed a sports franchise with such a dismal winning record while one entire decade passes by your eyes and is removed from our lifespan?

I’ve met fans of other teams, on occasion a “true faithful” of some perennial pathetic team, still faithfully wearing the colors.

But our group? Unheard of, really, if you stop and think about it. There’s no one who can compare to us. The 49er followers. The Loyal and Noble Devotees of an idea. The notion of Greatness. That it can be achieved. That on Earth mortal greatness achieved by flawed men could stand the test of the ages and be forever immortalized. After all of us are long gone there will still be the legends. People will still talk about the greatness of ages past. The 49ers. An era existed where such greatness could occur. Greatness personified. It will always be and nobody can take that away from them or from us.

We were there. We know. We followed the team through all of the fallow years, through the great years, from 1981 through 1994, the post dynasty years through 2002, the Dark Years until Jim Harbaugh came along to reignite the tradition. The Walsh disciple came long after the Masters demise to rekindle the flame of Greatness Long Lost.

We’re Back! Back in the Saddle.

We are the 49er Faithful.

Win or Lose we will always be the 49ers Faithful.

And…

WE WILL WIN!