[20] They moved to Santa Cruz. Lined up in the slot on the right side in the first quarter, 49ers receiver Freddie Solomon took off for the flag as Clark, lined up wide right, curled inside. The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. "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. Another photographer, Lee Romero, suggested Storey crop the photo vertically. In 2021, Kroichick earned an Associated Press Sports Editors Top 10 award for his feature on Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee conquering cancer. If that doesnt work, then keep rolling, you can run in if it's open. Getty Dwight Clark Dwight Clark, the beloved wide receiver for the the San Francisco 49ers during the 1980s, died on Monday. As such, the Cowboys were able to cover Solomon perfectly. Clark was not the intended receiver on the play call. 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. Jan. 8, 2022 Updated: Jan. 8, 2022 6:04 p.m. 5. Two weeks later, they beat Cincinnati to win their first Super Bowl title and launch an incomparable stretch of five championships in 14 seasons. Whenever he caught the ball, he made it count and managed to average an impressive 18.8 yards per catch. In the Sports Illustrated article, Montana explained that he never saw The Catch, since he had just been knocked to the ground by Jones, but "I saw Dwight's feet touch the ground. On Monday night, he was in Tampa to see Clemson, his alma mater, win the college football national championship in thrilling fashion. Born on January 8, 1957, in Kinston, North Carolina,[6] Clark graduated from Garinger High School in Charlotte, where he played quarterback. I see that catch every day. He was 61 years old. Then 49ers running back Bill Ring lost a fumble on his own 29, leading to White's 26-yard touchdown pass to Tony Hill that put the Cowboys up 107. That allowed the newspaper to fill its front page with the image of Clark reaching for the heavens to catch Montana's pass. Montana, looking looking throwing in the end zone. The strength, perseverance and grace with which he battled ALS will long serve as an inspiration to so many. The ensuing extra point by kicker Ray Wersching gave the 49ers a 2827 lead. At 6ft 4in (1.93m), his first love was basketball, but he accepted a scholarship to play college football at Clemson University.[9][10]. Montana said, "We'd never thrown the ball to Dwight on that play, at all. This included a 45-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier on in the year. Scott Ostler. Three of the Cowboys' defenders, defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Larry Bethea and linebacker D. D. Lewis, chased a backpedalling Montana toward the sideline, and seemed certain to either send him out of bounds or sack him. In the October 16, 2001 episode "My Old Lady" of the American television sitcom/medical drama Scrubs, when a dying patient David asks if anyone has ever heard of The Catch, Turk comes in and says, "Niners-Cowboys, Joe Montana to Dwight Clark deep in the end-zone, zero time left. [27] He also appeared in the video game All-Pro Football 2K8. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers' offensive line. All four broadcasts featured memorable calls by the announcers. "I don't know for sure. You get it from somewhere.. "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. 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. The 49ers coach, Bill Walsh, assumed that it was a throw-away play and immediately began planning for the fourth down until he heard the cheers from the crowd. Dwight Clark! This dramatic win was the crown jewel of a memorable postseason in the NFL. Although Pete Carroll seems to want QB Geno Smith back in 2023, the Seahawks HC said Tuesday that picking at the No. 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. After "The Catch", the 49ers went on to win Super Bowl XVI 2621 over the Cincinnati Bengals. Dallas responded with Danny White's 20-yard pass to Butch Johnson setting up a 44-yard field goal by Rafael Septin. AP Photo/Dallas Morning News, Phil Huber). 10 teams that could have interest, and how much cash he could get. To his credit, when he did catch the ball, he made it count and averaged 18.8 yards per catch. Following his workout, the 49ers selected Clark with the first pick of the tenth round, or 249th overall pick, in the 1979 NFL draft. Watch 49ers Arik Armstead work out at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. The concept for the photo. And, in fact, it was the Cowboys who made the final, fatal mistake. 1 college football recruit. 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. 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. He had two cameras, one with a 400-millimeter lens for capturing action at a distance. Those two calls added up to 10 points, Lott noted in The Sporting News. The legendary moment that changed the 49ers and San Francisco sports' fortunes forever. I cannot put into words how special Dwight was to me and to everyone his life touched. 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 . Former NFL running back Warrick Dunn shared the story of how 49ers legend Joe Perry became the first Black NFL MVP. Montana threw three interceptions, and Niners backs fumbled three times. 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. Jim Stuckey recovered the dropped ball, giving the 49ers offense possession near midfield, and allowing Montana to kneel down twice and run out the clock. As a sophomore, he was named the starter at strong safety, but he disliked the position and left school to go back to his hometown in Charlotte instead. All stats courtesy ofPro Football Reference. He was Executive Vice President and Director of Football Operations from 1999 to 2001. New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, a Bay Area native who ultimately grew up idolizing Montana on his way to his own successful NFL career including seven Super Bowl wins, attended the game as a four-year-old and aspired to become a 49er.[7]. Receiver Dwight Clark makes "The Catch" on a pass from Joe Montana that tied the game late in the fourth quarter against the Cowboys in the 1982 NFC championship game. "For almost four decades, he served as a charismatic ambassador for our team and the Bay Area. 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! Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark passed away Monday after his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. Touchdown! He rolled right, pump-faked, then threw a high pass to the rear of the end zone. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in National Football League (NFL) history. 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. [5] He served as the general manager of the 49ers from 1995 to 1998 and in the same capacity with the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2001. Coincidentally, 40-plus years later, the same teams will play on CBS this Sunday in an NFC Wild-Card Game. It's a madhouse at Candlestick! Holmes survived the knockdown, as would the Niners against the Cowboys. The fact that Clark got drafted, much less made it on the roster of an NFL team came as a surprise to many. Following this workout, Walsh selected Clark for the 49ers' first pick of the tenth round (249th overall pick) in the NFL draft of 1979. The Catch happened when Montana called Change Left Slot Sprint Right Option.. 49ers legend Joe Montana joined "NFL Total Access" to discuss theteam's Week 14 matchup against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bill Walsh, the new 49ers coach, visited Clemson in 1979 to take a close look at Clarks roommate Steve Fuller. pic.twitter.com/k2cpWiUr42, Jimmy Garoppolo Cheated Death Immediately After Being Traded to the San Francisco 49ers, Who knows how many times you get your bell rung, Clark said on the 49ers Insider Podcast. Clark was on the receiving end of the iconic game-winning touchdown -- memorialized as "The Catch" -- in the 1981 NFL Championship Game. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. He scored a pair of touchdowns. [7][8] Clark talked about how he was nervous playing quarterback in high school. Because Solomon, the first option, was covered, Montana was supposed to look to Clark as his second option. The Catch is listed as #17. Popular Mobile Games You Must Play In 2023, American football player and executive (1957-2018). Barnwell forecasts offseason moves for all 32 NFL teams, Supplemental Privacy Policy for Singapore, Covered Rams for nine years for stlouisrams.com, Previously covered University of Missouri football, Member of Pro Football Writers of America. 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. And I was real tired. On radio, it was Jack Buck and Pat Summerall doing the play-by-play and color respectively. Late in the fourth quarter with the game in the balance and the 49ers trailing 27-21, Montana guided San Francisco down the field. Clark tallied 506 catches for 6,750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards in his nine NFL seasons with the 49ers. 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. A big, physical target at 6-foot-4, Clark emerged as Hall of Famer Joe Montana's go-to receiver as Bill Walsh's West Coast offense reigned supreme throughout the 1980s. Around the NFL Writer San Francisco 49ers legend Dwight Clark passed away Monday at the age of 61, his family confirmed. Following his sterling career on the field, Clark worked his way through San Francisco's front office, ultimately rising to general manager. 49ers quarterback Joe Montana went on to gain a reputation for his last-minute heroics, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000, his first year of eligibility. 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. 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. 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.". Montana completed two quick passes to Clark and Solomon respectively and the 49ers called a timeout with the ball on the Dallas 12. 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