69 days to 49ers kickoff: Going back to a 2-time Pro Bowler from the 70s

The San Francisco 49ers kick off the 2015 NFL regular season on Monday Night Football, on September 14. That game means San Francisco is now a mere 69 days away from kicking off its 2015 regular season. In the spirit of that approaching date, I thought I would steal this idea from our Oakland Raiders site.

Who wore it best: OG Woody Peoples (1968-1977)

The San Francisco 49ers do not have an extensive history with the number 69. Offensive lineman Chris Martin was the most recent player to wear the number, but he was released earlier this offseason. The most notable Bill Walsh era 49ers player to wear the number was offensive lineman Bruce Collie from 1985 to 1989.

However, Woody Peoples gets the title for who wore No. 69 the best. He entered the NFL as a rookie free agent, signing with the 49ers. He joined the team in 1968 after spending one year playing semi-professional football, and then two more years in the Army. He played for the 49ers until 1977, earning a pair of Pro Bowl berths in 1972 and 1973. Those early 70s 49ers offensive lines were quite impressive. The offenses as a whole were good during that stretch, but they could never close the deal.

The 49ers had another solid run of offensive line years during the first three seasons of the Jim Harbaugh era. The line featuring Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis did some great work, particularly in the run game. Now, we get to see how this unit fares following significant transition. This along with Colin Kaepernick's continued development are critical to the offense developing some semblance of solid consistency.