This decade of 49ers football rolled into championship contention from 2011-13, and now the 49ers have rediscovered that form to clinch a playoff berth this season.

In between those Lombardi Trophy hunts were far too many losses, rapid-fire coaching changes, an Australian rookie experiment (g’day Jarryd Hayne) and a national anthem controversy.

This season’s turnaround began with an 8-0 run, sweeping away those 2014-18 embers.

So, 10 years, five coaches? Really? Yep, they went from Mike “I Want Winners” Singletary to Jim “Who’s Got It Better Than Us?” Harbaugh. Then came one-and-done cameos by Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly. Now, Kyle Shanahan’s third season has paid off with a playoff berth.

Quarterbacks, not coaches, drive the 49ers’ fan base, of course. Our All-Decade Team, however, must expand beyond that, so let’s get to it:

QB

Colin Kaepernick (2011-16)

He burst onto the scene midway through 2012, brought a dual-threat ability with his zone-read runs, led the the team to a pair of NFC Championships and nearly pulled off a Super Bowl comeback. After that, he became the most polarizing 49er of all-time while kneeling during the national anthem to protest social inequality and police misconduct.

Backup: Jimmy Garoppolo (2017-19)

RB

Frank Gore (2005-14)

Gore sadly left as the 49ers’ all-time leading rusher and has continued upward to No. 3 on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. He epitomizes all you’d want in a football player. He brought a fierce attitude, sacrificial style, uncanny vision and the ultimate pass protection.

Backup: Carlos Hyde (2014-17)

FB

Kyle Juszczyk (2017-19)

He arrived with the richest contract for a fullback and has produced perennial Pro Bowl seasons, not only as a lead blocker but as a sneaky receiver.

Backup: Bruce Miller (2011-15)

WRs

Anquan Boldin (2013-15), Michael Crabtree (2009-14)

Boldin produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and brought a physical, professional approach. He didn’t make a Pro Bowl but did win the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in his final year.

The legacy of Crabtree, the 10th-overall draft pick in 2009, is not defined by his 347 catches but rather the ones that got away.

He was targeted on Colin Kaepernick’s final three passes in their failed Super Bowl comeback, and a fade pass to Crabtree resulted in an end-zone interception in the 2013 team’s NFC Championship Game loss at Seattle.

Backups: Marquise Goodwin (2017-19), Torrey Smith (2015-16)

TE

Vernon Davis (2006-15)

Davis’ rounded out his 10-year tenure with fantastic production (No. 5, 49ers all-time receptions) and in the clutch (see: “Vernon Post” in playoffs vs. Saints). All that is, for now, enough to hold off All-Decade challenger George Kittle, who’s totaled more yards than any tight end in NFL history their initial three seasons.

Backup: Kittle (2017-19)

Left tackle

Joe Staley (2007-19)

The 49ers are lucky to have enjoyed such an extended run from their blind-side protector and captain. He’s led with his professionalism, athleticism and sustainability, even if fibula and finger surgeries shelved him half this season.

Backup: Zane Beadles (2016-17)

Left guard

Mike Iupati (2010-14)

A 2010 first-round pick (No. 17 overall), he earned Pro Bowl honors his final three seasons with the 49ers before defecting to NFC West rivals Arizona (2015-18) and Seattle (2019).

Backup: Laken Tomlinson (2017-19)

Center

Jonathan Goodwin (2011-13)

A Super Bowl winner with the New Orleans Saints, Goodwin was a calming presence on what served as the NFL’s best offensive line during a three-year playoff run.

Backup: Daniel Kilgore (2011-17)

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Right guard

Alex Boone (2010-15)

He relished playing the role of an intimidator, and he brought some semblance of stability to a position that’s rotated so many starters the past decade, including Chilo Rachal, Adam Snyder, Jordan Devey, Andrew Tiller, Joshua Garnett, Brandon Fusco and Mike Person.

Backup: Mike Person (2018-19)

Right tackle

Anthony Davis (2010-16)

A 2010 first-round pick (No. 11 overall), his career flourished from the start before descending into a surprise retirement in 2015 and a brief comeback in 2016.

Backup: Mike McGlinchey (2018-19)

Defensive ends

Aldon Smith (2011-14), Nick Bosa (2019)

Smith, the first-round draft pick, raced into backfields for 14 sacks in 2011 (team record for a rookie) and 19 1/2 in his 2012 encore. Off-field battles with alcohol and multiple arrests doomed his career, which he finished in 2015 with the Raiders.

Too soon to put Bosa on an All-Decade Team? This year’s No. 2 overall draft pick has been sensational off the edge, after an offseason hindered by hamstring and ankle injuries.

Backup: Ray McDonald (2007-14), Arik Armstead (2015-19)

Defensive tackles

Justin Smith (2008-14), DeForest Buckner (2016-19)

Smith was the 49ers’ most powerful defensive lineman of the decade, earning All-Pro honors as both a defensive tackle and defensive end in 2011 and ’12. He and Aldon Smith proved a dynamic combination.

Buckner has been a model pro since his 2016 rookie year. He broke through for his Pro Bowl debut last season with a career-high 12 sacks. He’s missed only one game (foot injury, 2016).

Backups: Isaac Sopoaga (2005-12), Earl Mitchell (2017-18)

Middle linebackers

Patrick Willis (2007-14), NaVorro Bowman (2010-17)

An eight-year career was long enough to establish Willis as one of the NFL’s hardest-hitting, most-athletic linebackers ever. He made the Pro Bowl each of his first seven seasons and earned six All-Pro nods. He was just 29 when he played his final snap, abruptly retiring in March 2015 with foot issues.

Bowman not only shared a stage with Willis but emerged into arguably the NFL’s best defender in 2013 before sustaining a career-altering knee injury in the NFC Championship loss at Seattle. He made first-team All-Pro four times, including 2015 when he led the NFL in tackles upon his comeback.

Backup: Fred Warner (2018-19), Michael Wilhoite (2012-16)

Outside linebacker

Ahmad Brooks (2010-16)

His 51.5 sacks rank third in 49ers history behind Bryant Young (89.5) and Charles Haley (66.5). Who can forget his strip sack on Drew Brees in 2013 that controversially drew a roughing call and sparked a Saints comeback?

Backup: Parys Haralson (2006-12)

Cornerbacks

Carlos Rogers (2011-13), Richard Sherman (2018-19)

Rogers’ six interceptions in 2011 catapulted him to Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, plus that one-year tryout earned him a contract extension through their three-year playoff run.

Sherman’s pick-six in this season’s opener was his first interception as a 49er, and it signaled his return to full health after battling in 2018 past Achilles and heel issues. He’s been an outspoken leader since defecting from the Seahawks.

Backup: Tarell Brown (2007-13), K’Waun Williams (2017-19)

Free safety

Dashon Goldson (2007-12)

The ball-hawking, hard-hitting safety came through with six interceptions in 2011, then drew the franchise tag in the Super Bowl-bound season before cashing out in free agency.

Backup: Eric Reid (2013-17)

Strong safety

Donte Whitner (2011-13)

His fumble-forcing hit near the 49ers goal line set the tone in the 2011 49ers’ playoff thriller against the Saints. He had five interceptions and five forced fumbles in a three-year ride.

Backup: Antoine Bethea (2014-16)

Long snapper

Brian Jennings (2000-12)

He never missed a game in his 13-year career and was a proud ambassador in the craft of long snapping.

Backup: Kyle Nelson (2014-19)

Punter

Andy Lee (2004-14)

The most proficient punter in 49ers history reeled off 941 punts (39.5-yard net average) and ranks among the NFL’s top-five all-time in punts and punting yards.

Backup: Bradley Pinion (2015-18)

Kicker

Phil Dawson (2013-16)

He owns the 49ers record with 14 field goals from at least 50 yards, and he made all nine of his attempts in the 2013 season playoffs, including a wild-card winner at frigid Green Bay.

Backup: Robbie Gould (2017-19)

Coach

Jim Harbaugh (2011-14)

Recruited out of Stanford, Harbaugh snapped the 49ers out of their eight-year playoff drought and delivered three consecutive NFC Championship Game berths, plus a Super Bowl trip. By the end of his fourth season, the 49ers brass had enough and Harbaugh returned to his alma mater, Michigan.

Backup: Kyle Shanahan (2017-19)

Have your own top 10 to share, or want to make an argument for a single game you think should’ve made it? Hit us at sports@bayareanewsgroup.com.