Dan Bunz
refer to caption
Bunz (57) playing for the 49ers in Super Bowl XVI
No. 57
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1955-10-07) October 7, 1955
Roseville, California, U.S.
Career information
High school:Oakmont (Roseville)
College:Long Beach State
NFL Draft:1978 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:1
Interceptions:4
Fumble recoveries:14
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Dan Bunz (born October 7, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eight season in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1985, primarlly with the San Francisco 49ers.

Bunz played at Oakmont High School, the University of California, Riverside, and California State University, Long Beach before being drafted in the first round of the 1978 NFL Draft by the 49ers. He had a small role in the 1979 movie North Dallas Forty. He has been teaching physical education at Miwok Middle School (renamed from Sutter Middle School in 2023), in Sacramento, California for over 22 years.[1]

The Stop

In Super Bowl XVI (January 24, 1982), Bunz made one of the most famous tackles in NFL history. On a critical 3rd-and-Goal from the 1-yard line, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson passed to Charles Alexander in the right flat, but Bunz came up fast, grabbed Alexander around the waist, and hurled him backward before he could break the plane of the goal line. Had Bunz tackled Alexander low, his momentum certainly would have carried him into the end zone.[1][2][3] Known as "The Stop", the play was followed by another stop on 4th down, slowing Cincinnati's comeback and ultimately propelling the 49ers to their first Super Bowl title.[4]

Personal life

Bunz is a lifelong Placer County resident who grew up in Roseville with his older siblings Ben and Dennis. He retired from the Detroit Lions at age 30 after a contract dispute, and became a teacher at Sutter Middle School in Sacramento. He and his wife own a farm on the Placer County Wine Trail.[1][5]

In 1984 Bunz opened Bunz & Company restaurant and sports bar in his hometown of Roseville, California. He sold the restaurant in 1999, and it closed in the summer of 2012.[6] On January 19, 2013, Bunz and some other entrepreneurs opened 2H - 2nd Half at Bunz & Company in the same location as the original Bunz and Company. [7] He appeared in an episode of HGTV's Yard Crashers when his daughters' back yard got a makeover. Hillside Terrace (2012)[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Davidson, Joe (27 January 2017). "Ex-49er Dan Bunz still revels in game-saving stop in Super Bowl XVI". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  2. ↑ Super Bowl XVI San Francisco 26 Cincinnati 21, Goal Line Stand (YouTube). NFL Productions. Event occurs at 14:32. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  3. ↑ Merron, Jeff. "The greatest Super Bowl subs ever" (Page2). ESPN.
  4. ↑ Dan Bunz Describes 'The Stop' in 49ers First Super Bowl Victory (YouTube). 49ers Studios. 29 December 2015.
  5. ↑ Brown, Daniel (15 January 2016). "49ers' Super Bowl hero Dan Bunz now bathes in lavender". The Mercury News. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "Former 49er's Roseville Restaurant Closes After 30 Years". CBS13. Sacramento, CA. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Scott Thomas (15 January 2013). "2H at Bunz & Company determined to recapture the magic". Roseville and Granite Bay Press Tribune. Retrieved 28 September 2017. Super Bowl champion founder returns for grand opening on Jan. 19
  8. ↑ "DIY Network Yard Crashers with Bushnell Landscape Design Build and SF 49er, Dan Bunz". roseville-rocklin.news10.net. 6 August 2012. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
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