49ers left out of Hall of Fame game
Eddie DeBartolo Jr., finally was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the 49ers, the team that won five Super Bowls under his ownership, won’t play in the annual game that accompanies enshrinement weekend and kicks off the NFL preseason.
The Hall of Fame game instead will feature the Colts and Packers on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio.
Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre, former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison and one-time Colts coach Tony Dungy were voted into the 2016 Hall of Fame class with DeBartolo. Teams that play in the game begin the preseason a week early and play five preseason games.
Two other 2016 inductees, Kevin Greene and the late Dick Stanfel, also have ties to San Francisco. The 49ers haven’t played in the Hall of Fame game since 2000 when Ronnie Lott, Joe Montana and Dave Wilcox were enshrined.
Matt Barrows: @mattbarrows, read more about the team at sacbee.com/sf49ers.
This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 11:27 AM with the headline "49ers left out of Hall of Fame game."