4 Share 165 views 1 year ago 1/10/1981 - This day in 1981 During the NFC Championship Game between The San Francisco 49ers and The Dallas Cowboys , with 58 seconds left in the game Dwight Clark. "What I love about it the most is that it's connected me with 49ers fans for the rest of time," Clark said in 2013. In 1988, he was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame. On Tuesday, he celebrated the 35th anniversary of "The Catch," the game-tying 6-yard touchdown he caught from Joe Montana in the 1982 NFC Championship Game that set up the game-winning extra point to send the Niners to the Super Bowl. To honor his contribution to 49ers, the club retired his #87 in 1988. Dwight Clark. ", "More importantly," Silver recalled, "Clark taught me that a man could live out a remarkable dream, emerge as a beloved icon for one of America's most storied cities, receive the spoils that come with such a regal role -- and never, ever act as though he were owed a morsel of it.". He was 61. Montana confirmed that he could not see the end zone through the defenders, but claims that he knew exactly where Clark would be. [7][8] Clark talked about how he was nervous playing quarterback in high school. And I was real tired. He scored a pair of touchdowns. Clark stayed with Cleveland until 2001. Storey, then a 26-year-old photographer for the San Francisco Examiner (following and preceding stints at The Chronicle), watched it all unfold from the side of the end zone. Montana, looking looking throwing in the end zone. The 1990s, however, saw a renewal of the Cowboys-49ers rivalry fueled by "The Catch" game. Sadly, he died a couple of years ago after a short battle with ALS. Another photographer, Lee Romero, suggested Storey crop the photo vertically. The Bengals, who were 6-10 in 1980 and beat them to the honor by about four hours, defeating San Diego Chargers, 27-7, in the AFC Championship. "[28], Clark dated Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly from 1978 to 1982. Clark built his restaurant, Clark's By The Bay, the year he retired and decorated it with sports memorabilia including The Catch. In 2017, Clark shocked the sports world when he announced that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs Disease or ALS. With Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts facing off in the NFC Championship this weekend, relive their 2019 high-scoring Big 12 clash as Iowa State took on Oklahoma. It was the second of three straight NFC title game losses for Dallas. The theme of Josh McDaniels' media session at the NFL Scouting Combine was consistently vague: After releasing Derek Carr, the Raiders are going to explore every avenue to address quarterback. San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark is known for making one of the most iconic catches during the 1981 NFC Championship game. Local San Francisco radio station KCBS also provided their own broadcast, as they did for all 49ers games, with Don Klein and Wayne Walker providing the play-by-play and color respectively. A 22-year-old rookie free agent, Walls had led the NFL in interceptions that season with 11 a mark that went unmatched for 40 years until Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs did it this season. Just before being chased out of bounds, and after a pump-fake caused the 6-foot 9-inch Ed Too Tall Jones to leave his feet, Montana threw a high pass to the back of the end zone that seemed to be heading out of bounds until Clark, closely covered by Cowboys defender Everson Walls, made a leaping catch with his fingertips in the back right corner of the end zone to tie the game with 51 seconds left. AP Photo/Dallas Morning News, Phil Huber). The 49ers had another chance to score before halftime when they recovered a fumbled punt on the Dallas 42. "For almost four decades, he served as a charismatic ambassador for our team and the Bay Area. It's an extraordinary, enduring image - and, as Storey pointed out, it conveys Montana's touch as much as Clark's leaping ability. Third and three. On June 4, 2018, Dwight Clark died from the disease. "We extend our condolences and prayers to Dwight's wife, Kelly, his family, friends and fans, as we join together to mourn the death of one the most beloved figures in 49ers history. He joined Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2011 as an analyst for 49ers Postgame Live. Now, Gergen wrote of the play, Montana was throwing the most significant pass in 49er annals toward Clark. After suffering through several losses early on in the 1981 season, the Montana-led 49ers cruised straight into the playoffs with an impressive record. It wasn't a John Elway pass - that might have been somewhere in the bleachers, he threw so damn hard.". THIS CHANNEL IS NOT MONETIZED , FOR ENTERTAINMENT , PROMOTIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY !!! Their record improved, as did Montana and Clark, in 1980, going 6-10. Some people claimed that Montana was trying to throw the ball away, leaving time for a fourth down. Following his sterling career on the field, Clark worked his way through San Francisco's front office, ultimately rising to general manager. Nine and a half yards deep in the end zone! [25] Located in Redwood City, California, the restaurant was sold in 1993. The 350-pound statues of Dwight Clark and Joe Montana will be placed exactly 23 yards apart, just as the two 49ers were during the famous play. Clark finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. It also set in motion a series of events that established the Niners as one of the NFL's dominant franchises for the better part of the two decades that followed. This is championship football. An All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, Clark was diagnosed with. His wife, Kelly, announced his passing on. I feel honored people are still talking about it, 25 years later. "I'm sure the Dallas defense is saying, We forced six errors. And they'd be right. After his initial move, Clark's pattern called for him to cut diagonally left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path, running right along the back boundary of the end zone. Despite having quite an unmemorable rookie season and catching only 18 passes, Clark managed to make his mark with his team. [20] They moved to Santa Cruz. [20], Last edited on 26 February 2023, at 01:20, National Football League Players Association, "49er great Dwight Clark receiver who made The Catch dies at 61", "Dwight Clark, San Francisco 49ers receiver who made 'The Catch,' dies at 61", "One of Charlotte's greatest pro athletes has died", "Dwight Clark, 49ers receiver of The Catch, dead at 61", "Former Clemson great Dwight Clark passes", "Dwight Clark of Clemson football, 49ers fame dies from ALS", "Dwight Clark, 61, Dies; Made a Touchdown Catch for the Ages", "Illness robbed us of Dwight Clark, but not of his spirit", "49ers flashback: 1979 team was dreadful despite Walsh, Montana, O.J. Here are five things you might not know about the teams, the players, the game and, yes, The Catch, from the pages of The Sporting News: TSN ARCHIVES: Swing right option dooms Dallas. Two subsequent touchdown passes by the 49ers to win home playoff games with the team trailing and facing 3rd and 3 with less than a minute to go have also been named after The Catch: 1981 NFC Championship Game: NFL Full Game, Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 14:31, 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship, "Jim jividen: Every NFC Championship Game in San Francisco 49ers History-Part 1", "1982 San Francisco 49ers offensive playbook", "49ers finally put away Cowboys To begin their Super Bowl run", "The backstory to Walter Iooss' photo of", "New England Patriots vs. Oakland Raiders Recap", "Joe Montana on 'The Catch' statues: 'An honor to be remembered forever', "100 Greatest Plays: Numbers 5-1 | NFL 100", @NFL: "No. He returned to the Examiner office, processed his film, scanned the negatives - and, yes, he had a clear and dramatic shot of Clark snatching the ball out of the air. I see that catch every day. Former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and current Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was named the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award. Your email address will not be published. An offside penalty against the Cowboys on the next play gave Montana a fresh set of downs to work with, and Montana completed a 5-yard pass to Earl Cooper just before the 2-minute warning. Holmes survived the knockdown, as would the Niners against the Cowboys. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in National Football League (NFL) history. Montana threw three interceptions, and Niners backs fumbled three times. New general manager Ran Carthon pushed back against this notion Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. The skills Clark displayed throughout the workout were something that the 49ers had never seen on tape before. Those two calls added up to 10 points, Lott noted in The Sporting News. Scott Ostler. I don't know how I caught the ball. He was second on the team with 11 receptions for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a career-high 68-yard touchdown catch against the University of Maryland that helped the Tigers win the ACC Championship. Caught! Then Walls recovered a fumble from running back Walt Easley at midfield to set up White's 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Doug Cosbie, giving Dallas a 2721 advantage. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. In 2016, Kroichick and photographer Michael Macor earned "Best Sports Feature" from the California Newspaper Publishers Association, for their series on Antioch High running back Najee Harris, the nation's No. Clark already had plans to play a round of golf and was about to head out to begin his game when he picked up the phone instead. The 49ers defeated the New York Giants in the divisional round and then went on to verse the Cowboys in a tense rematch with lots more on the line a link directly to the Superbowl XVI. Thanks For Watching and bless uP !Copyright Disclaimer under Section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, scholarship, and research. "The Catch" - January 10, 1982 Before "The Catch" : The powerful #AFootballLife: Dwight Clark premiers TOMORROW (8pm ET) pic.twitter.com/HzycErFAgE. Reddit . Clark had been Joe Montana's running mate, and he was himself a legend to football fans, but the prospect of meeting Mays turned Dwight into a hero-worshiping kid. This was the winning touchdown reception that meant the 49ers were bound for the Super Bowl! [23] In the 2018 NFL Films' "Dwight Clark: A Football Life", he was quoted as saying that it was probably a mistake to have accepted the position. [4] Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon, who would run a short "square out" pattern that he would catch just past the first down marker, and either step out of bounds, giving the 49ers a fresh set of downs, or would turn upfield and score himself. This article has all the answers that you need. George Rose/Getty Images. "I cocked my arm to do that when I saw Dwight covered. The 49ers made the playoffs eight out of the next ten seasons and won three more Super Bowls in the 1980s, becoming the NFLs best dynasty of the decade. The Catch symbolized the end of the Cowboys' domination in the NFC since the conference's inception in 1970, and the beginning of the 49ers' rise as an NFL dynasty in the 1980s. [34][35] At the time of his death, Clark lived in Whitefish, Montana, with his wife Kelly. All the TV and radio calls you can handle from Harper, Stott clutch homers on Sunday, Shooters Radio: ECW One Night Stand 05 deep dive. The NFL has many notable moments. Despite occurring over 40 years ago, the game-winning touchdown play remains one of the most impressive NFL moves in the history of the sport. The PAT was good, and the 49ers were Super Bowl bound. On August 5, 2007, The Best Damn Sports Show Period did a special show commemorating the top 50 amazing sports catches of all time. Clark, while discussing The Catch in America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions documentary about the 1981 49ers, said: It's humbling, really. He's also The Chronicle's golf columnist, covering the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and all major championships in Northern California. Walls and free safety Michael Downs were nearby. Born on January 8, 1957, in Kinston, North Carolina,[6] Clark graduated from Garinger High School in Charlotte, where he played quarterback. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger broke down San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's four-touchdown performance against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Wild Card Weekend. "The way I remember it is, we had practiced it during practice maybe once, and then Bill [Walsh] kept Joe and I after practice during training camp, and he said, "This is what were going to do; were going to try to pick the defender thats covering Freddie, hit him, touchdown. Although Pete Carroll seems to want QB Geno Smith back in 2023, the Seahawks HC said Tuesday that picking at the No. When asked about his team's success with the play, GM Howie Roseman said "All I know is everything we're doing is legal and works.". Five seasons after The Catch, Clark took a job in the 49ers' front office, where he won three more rings. On October 21, 2018, the 49ers unveiled a statue outside Levi's Stadium depicting The Catch. After the workout was over, Walsh was impressed. Former San Francisco 49ers receiver Dwight Clark died on Monday after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Jan. 8, 2022 Updated: Jan. 8, 2022 6:04 p.m. 5. On Sunday, Clark celebrated his 60th birthday. In 2005, a commercial for the Gatorade sports drink, known as "The Winning Formula", portrayed an alternate version of The Catch, in which the ball bounced out of Clark's fingertips. San Francisco 49ers legend Dwight Clark passed away Monday at the age of 61, his family confirmed. [1] [2] He was a member of San Francisco's first two Super Bowl championship teams. Later, in the locker room, he expressed his amazement at how high Clark had jumped. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers' offensive line. The first? Dwight Clark! Coincidentally, 40-plus years later, the same teams will play on CBS this Sunday in an NFC Wild-Card Game. 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