George Seifert Biography

George Gerald Seifert, born on January 22, 1940, is an American former football coach. He served as the head coach for the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers in the National Football League. At the time of his resignation as 49ers head coach, Seifert held the second-greatest winning percentage in NFL history by a head coach, behind Guy Chamberlin. In 1958, before beginning classes at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Utah. After coaching at the University of Iowa, the University of Oregon, and Stanford University, Seifert became head coach at Cornell University, where he was dismissed in November 1976 after a 3–15 record over two seasons. When Bill Walsh joined the 49ers in 1979, Seifert joined the team’s coaching staff the following year as defensive backs coach. During his six seasons as a 49ers assistant, Seifert’s defenses ranked in the top ten for fewest points allowed, including first in 1984 and fourth in 1983.