George Seifert

George Seifert (born January 22, 1940, in San Francisco, California) is a former NFL head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers. Seifert joined the 49ers' coaching staff under Bill Walsh in 1980 as defensive backs coach and served as the team's defensive coordinator from 1983–1988.

As a 49er assistant, his defenses finished in the top ten in fewest points allowed in each of his six seasons in that capacity - 4th in 1983, 1st in 1984, 2nd in 1985, 3rd in 1986 and 1987, and 8th in 1988. His final two defenses, 1987 and 1988, finished first and third in fewest yards allowed, respectively. In 1989, he was elevated to head coach, He is one of only twelve NFL head coaches with more than one Super Bowl victory, winning in convincing fashion during both the 1989 and 1994 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In all, Seifert coached on five Super Bowl champion teams with the 49ers.

With a career win-loss record of 114–62 in the regular season and 10–5 in the postseason (all with the 49ers), many consider Seifert to be among the greatest NFL head coaches of all time. However, critics argue that his two Super Bowl victories and exceptional win-loss record resulted from inheriting Bill Walsh's 49ers team. They point to his 16–32 record as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, with no playoff appearances and a 1-15 record in the 2001 season. Many well-respected coaches, Mike Shanahan, Jeff Fisher, Ray Rhodes, Pete Carroll, and Marc Trestman, worked and learned under Seifert. He is one of the main branches of the Sid Gillman coaching tree.

Seifert also coached at the college level, leading Westminster College and Cornell University's football teams. He was also an assistant at the University of Utah (his alma mater), Stanford University, the University of Oregon and the University of Iowa.