"The Catch," 40 years ago this week, capped a magnificent 89-yard drive, a breathtaking 6-yard pass play, designed by coach Bill Walsh and executed spectacularly by quarterback Joe Montana and. Yet the largest ripple effect of The Catch wasnt necessarily felt on the football field, but in the heart of the city of San Francisco itself. The 49ers defeated the New York Giants in the divisional round and then hosted the Cowboys in a rematch with much more on the linea berth in Super Bowl XVI. I'll be at an autograph thing, there'll be a 10-year old kid saying, "You're The Catch. Those two calls added up to 10 points, Lott noted in The Sporting News. Montana rolls out of the pocket, backpedals, pump fakes, spots Clark, throws the ball and a 49ers dynasty is born. Clark curled into the end zone, braked at the end line and looked for his quarterback. This meant Montana had to improvise. In 2017, Clark shocked the sports world when he announced that he had been diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs Disease or ALS. -- The game will be highlighted by the unveiling of statues depicting "The Catch" outside of Levi's Stadium. "[20] In the early 1990s, Clark's catch had become the most requested clip in the archives of NFL Films, which was charging up to $5,000 for its use.[11]. Speaking Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman called quarterback Jalen Hurts an "elite talent" but wouldn't dive into specifics on negations. Jets general manager Joe Douglas confirmed that Derek Carr will meet with the team a second time during the combine, but New York plans to look at every available option in the veteran quarterback market. "[28], Clark dated Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly from 1978 to 1982. Getty Dwight Clark Dwight Clark, the beloved wide receiver for the the San Francisco 49ers during the 1980s, died on Monday. Clark then retired after the 1987 season finished, and in 1988, the 49ers eventually retired his jersey. While the 49ers had begun the 1970s winning three consecutive NFC West titles (19701972) and losing two NFC Championship Games (1970-1971 seasons) to the Cowboys, they had spent the remainder of the decade as a losing team. Dwight's personality and his sense of humor endeared him to everyone he came into contact with, even during his most trying times. On 3rd-and-3, Clark leaped and caught a 6-yard pass from quarterback Joe Montana in the back of the end zone to tie the score, and Ray Wersching's extra-point kick advanced the 49ers to Super Bowl XVI. [7][8] Clark talked about how he was nervous playing quarterback in high school. We won't call this on fourth down. After San Francisco forced Dallas to punt on the opening drive, quarterback Joe Montana completed a 17-yard pass to Charle Young and a 24-yarder to Lenvil Elliott before throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon. Two weeks later, they beat Cincinnati to win their first Super Bowl title and launch an incomparable stretch of five championships in 14 seasons. 32 NFL players who could change teams this offseason, Source: Purdy surgery delayed due to swelling, Answering key offseason questions for every NFL team: Intel on Tua, Lamar and the No. In the game, momentum shifted back and forth between the two teams. The third option would be to roll to the right and throw it high enough where it goes out of bounds or Dwight can jump up and catch it. One minute into the fourth quarter, Septin kicked a 22-yard field goal that cut the scoring difference down to 1 point at 2120. In fact, beginning in 1986, the Cowboys went on to suffer losing seasons for the remainder of the eighties, leading to head coach Tom Landry being fired by new owner Jerry Jones after the 1988 season. Watch Nick Bosa's performance at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. It was the second of three straight NFC title game losses for Dallas. "You can see from the picture that Dwight is much taller than the defensive back," Storey, now 56 , said recently. 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark delivers a go-ahead touchdown in the 1981 NFL Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys, ranks No. 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. Despite the hurried and improvised look of the play on the field, it had mostly run according to plan. The first? The play saw Joe Montana find Dwight Clark for the game-winning touchdown in the NFC Championship Game played at Candlestick. In their first season under Walsh, Montana and Clarks rookie year, San Fran was 2-14. Some people claimed that Montana was trying to throw the ball away, leaving time for a fourth down. Caught! One is "The Catch," which happened 40 years ago on Jan. 10, 1982. I am honored to be able to be a part of a play that was kind of the culmination of just this incredible surprise season. Montana launched his next pass into the end zone, but missed Solomon. The 19921994 seasons would see the Cowboys and 49ers face off in three straight NFC Championship games, with the Cowboys winning the first two and the 49ers winning the last one; each victorious team following it up with a Super Bowl title. However, Solomon, as Montanas intended receiver, was covered by the Cowboys. He joined Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2011 as an analyst for 49ers Postgame Live. [33] "I've been asked if playing football caused this," Clark wrote. It's a madhouse at Candlestick! [30] He had three children with Stone: a daughter, Casey, and two sons, Riley and Mac. Touchdown! After retiring Dwight Clark remained a part of the 49ers organization working as an executive in the front office. [1][2] He was a member of San Francisco's first two Super Bowl championship teams. Video: FoxM9NJ In a touching tribute. Statement from @nflcommish on the passing of 49ers legend Dwight Clark pic.twitter.com/Wuaw1ceKsC, The Philadelphia Eagles converted 90% of QB sneaks this season and while the push play has been legal since 2005, no team employed it with as much dominance as the 2022 Eagles. But none more important than Dwight Clarks demonstration of skill on January 10, 1982, in an event commonly known as The Catch.. To honor his contribution to 49ers, the club retired his #87 in 1988. In the second quarter, Clark managed to catch a 20-yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana that provided the 49ers with a slight 14-10 lead. Immortalized in. Clark played for the 49ers throughout his nine-year career. Guys would take my job. 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. But how did it occur? Then he moved home to Charlotte, N.C., and began building luxury spec houses. After the workout was over, Walsh was impressed. This was a team, Joe Gergen wrote in The Sporting News, that bypassed mediocrity. "It was exciting," Storey said. The Niners would go on to win Super Bowl XVI, the first professional sports championship the city of San Francisco had ever experienced. Third and three. The representative of the 49ers on the other end managed to convince Clark to serve as Fullers receiver during his workout instead of playing golf. Here's NFL Network's list of everything you need to know for the 49ers Wild Card matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks. With the ball in 49ers territory after a long pass to Drew Pearson, Danny White was sacked by Lawrence Pillers and fumbled. He also earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 1982 and won an additional Super Bowl in 1984. Elliot then set up a third-and-four with a six-yard run. [22] On May 14, 2002, he resigned from his position with the Browns after new head coach Butch Davis requested the right to make personnel decisions. And then Dwight Clark might not have made The Catch. In the Eastern time zone, Renfrow scored his touchdown on Jan. 10, exactly 35 years after Clark made "The Catch." Dwight Clark's catch beat the Cowboys and remains one of the iconic moments in NFL . Linebacker Dre Greenlaw joined 'NFL Now' ahead of the 49ers Divisional Round game vs. the Dallas Cowboys to preview the playoff matchup. On Monday night, he was in Tampa to see Clemson, his alma mater, win the college football national championship in thrilling fashion. Whenever he caught the ball, he made it count and managed to average an impressive 18.8 yards per catch. On Sunday, Clark celebrated his 60th birthday. It's a touchdown for the 49ers! It wasn't a John Elway pass - that might have been somewhere in the bleachers, he threw so damn hard.". When Montana took the snap, the play, officially named in the 49ers playbook "Change Left Slot Sprint Right Option",[3] was intended to set up quick pass to Solomon; earlier in the game, Solomon had scored a touchdown on the same play. Bill Walsh, the new 49ers coach, visited Clemson in 1979 to take a close look at Clarks roommate Steve Fuller. CNN Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark died Monday at age 61 after a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. This ended a remarkable period that saw the Cowboys play in 10 of 13 conference championship games, while Danny White, who had become Dallas' starting quarterback in 1980, drew criticism for "not being able to win the big game," despite leading the team to successful winning seasons. This dramatic win was the crown jewel of a memorable postseason in the NFL. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers' offensive line. Vin Scullys call, his last on footballfor CBS: "Of course for the upstart 49ers they are 6 yards from (the Super Bowl in) Pontiac (Mich.) Third and three. Ryan Tannehill's injuries, Tennessee's struggles and the existence of 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis have prompted many to wonder whether the veteran quarterback's time with the Titans is nearing an end. The legendary moment that changed the 49ers and San Francisco sports' fortunes forever. That play, called simply "sprint right option," differed from the Clemson touchdown only in how it finished, but not in how it was designed. San Francisco 49ers 5th round draft selection Iowa tight end George Kittle goes through drills at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. Dwight Clark! Late in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance and the 49ers trailing 27-21, Montana guided San Francisco down the field. Another quarterback might not have artfully lobbed his pass high into the end zone the way Montana did. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. He scored a pair of touchdowns. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the most memorable events in NFL history. Coincidentally, 40-plus years later, the same teams will play on CBS this Sunday in an NFC Wild-Card Game. This included a 45-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier on in the year. [13] New head coach Bill Walsh had visited Clemson to scout quarterback Steve Fuller, Clark's roommate. They might not have finished the job without big plays from Eric Wright (game-saving tackle), Lawrence Pillers (forced fumble) and Jim Stuckey (fumble recovery) on Dallas' last-chance drive. Watch highlights of linebacker NaVorro Bowman performing at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. Actor Don Cheadle demonstrated the height of Clark's catch by standing on a stepladder in the end zone. Despite having quite an unmemorable rookie season and catching only 18 passes, Clark managed to make his mark with his team. Pearson would have scored had defensive back Eric Wright not made a one-handed horse-collar tackle. The representation of Clark, with his hands outstretched, will extend 11 . Kid, please, don't insult me." He had two cameras, one with a 400-millimeter lens for capturing action at a distance. Scott Ostler. Dwight Clark, who made one of the most famous catches in NFL history, died Monday -- 15 months after he announced he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as 49ers hero Dwight Clark's ashes laid to rest next to same goal post from 'The Catch' And this is Dwight Clark's stone in proximity to where he did make 2023 NFL Enterprises LLC. Montana and the 49ers would defeat the Bengals, 26-21, in Super Bowl XVI. Clark's got a touchdown! Photographer John Storey visits Candlestick Park in San Francisco, Calif. on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012, where he captured the iconic image of Dwight Clark's famous touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys 30 years ago which earned the 49ers its first Super Bowl appearance in 1982. On radio, it was Jack Buck and Pat Summerall doing the play-by-play and color respectively. Clark, while discussing The Catch in America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions documentary about the 1981 49ers, said: It's humbling, really. Throughout the game, player momentum shifted equally between the two teams. NFL+ gives you the freedom to watch LIVE out-of-market preseason games, LIVE local and primetime regular season and postseason games on your phone or tablet, the best NFL programming on-demand, and MORE! In his senior season in 1978, the Tigers were 111, won the Gator Bowl over Ohio State, and finished sixth in the final AP poll. New San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh visited Clemson in 1979 to take a look at quarterback Steve Fuller, Clarks roommate. The play kicked off an . The crowd erupted. 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. An All-Pro and two-time Super Bowl champion, Clark was diagnosed with. Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin has several contracts and extensions to weigh as Cincinnati looks to stay a Super Bowl favorite in 2023, and he's been unwilling to give a concrete answer on running back Joe Mixon's future. 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. 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. The height of Clark, the beloved wide receiver Dwight Clark for the 49ers Wild matchup... A fourth down 2017 NFL Scouting Combine when he announced that he had children! Rookie season and catching only 18 passes, Clark 's roommate is & quot ; the Catch widely! Navorro Bowman performing at the end line and looked for his quarterback when he announced that he been... 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