NEW ORLEANS — When the 49ers walk into their team facility in Santa Clara, Calif., they’re greeted by five gleaming Lombardi Trophies, proof of the franchise’s proud past.

Through the 1980s and into the ’90s, San Francisco was one of the NFL’s dominant teams. But after firing Steve Mariucci in 2002, the 49ers endured eight consecutive seasons at .500 or below — a tough turn of events for a fan base that had seen its team win 10-plus games for 16 straight seasons.