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. New offseason, old question: What will 49ers do at quarterback? The Catch: How one of the most iconic plays in NFL history tied Dwight Clark and Everson Walls together forever ORG XMIT: [NS_9Clark's Catch ] Headline: Caption: 1-9-95--- Dwight Clarks's catch in . In 2002, Clark resigned from the Browns and returned to his roots in North Carolina where he operated a real estate business. Local Dallas radio station KRLD also provided their own broadcast, as they did for all Cowboys games, with Verne Lundquist and Brad Sham providing the play-by-play and color respectively. With less than one minute left in the game and facing the 6-yard line belonging to Dallas, Montana fired to Freddie Solomon who had scored on the same play earlier on in the game. I am thankful for all of Dwights friends, teammates and 49ers fans who have sent their love during his battle with ALS. Caught! This included a 45-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys earlier on in the year. Clark disputes that assertion, claiming that it was a backup plan that they practiced many times. Around the NFL Writer San Francisco 49ers legend Dwight Clark passed away Monday at the age of 61, his family confirmed. Turk later joins David in watching the game. Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark passed away Monday after his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. 49ers: 30 years ago, photographer caught The Catch, SF 49ERS DWIGHT CLARK MAKING " THE CATCH " 49ERS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS, 10 JAN82, 1981 NFC championship game in San Francisco. 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. Today, I lost my little brother and one of my best friends. 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. The 1990s, however, saw a renewal of the Cowboys-49ers rivalry fueled by "The Catch" game. The Catch is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in National Football League (NFL) history. However, Solomon slipped while running his route, thus ruining the timing of the play, as Clark was no longer in position to impede Solomon's defender. Then he moved home to Charlotte, N.C., and began building luxury spec houses. Extra Mustard. New general manager Ran Carthon pushed back against this notion Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. I see that catch every day. After suffering through several losses early on in the 1981 season, the Montana-led 49ers cruised straight into the playoffs with an impressive record. Bob Hille is a senior content consultant for The Sporting News. The 49ers went on to dominate the NFL throughout the remainder of the 1980s, winning four titles within the decade. Montana confirmed that he could not see the end zone through the defenders, but claims that he knew exactly where Clark would be. Scott Ostler. 3 of 5 4 of 5 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 . 2 on the "NFL 100 Greatest" ranking of the top 100 plays of all time. Dwight's personality and his sense of humor endeared him to everyone he came into contact with, even during his most trying times. The NFL's highest-paid players at every position: Here's who makes the most money, from QB to punter, Trade for Aaron Rodgers? The Niners would go on to win Super Bowl XVI, the first professional sports championship the city of San Francisco had ever experienced. 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. It wasn't a John Elway pass - that might have been somewhere in the bleachers, he threw so damn hard.". Dallas managed to pick up a few first downs, but were forced to punt, and White's kick gave San Francisco the ball at their own 11 with 4:54 left in the game and three timeouts. The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals shared a moment of support for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin before the teams' Week 18 matchup at Levi's Stadium. The rest is history, as Montana-to-Clark became one of the greatest connections in NFL lore. The drive began with an incomplete pass to Lenvil Elliot. The Examiner sold thousands of extra editions on Jan. 11, 1982, and even turned the photo into a modestly profitable poster. 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. 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. Late on in the fourth quarter with the game hanging in the balance and the 49ers trailing with 27-21, Montana swiftly guided the 49ers down the entire field. 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. On August 5, 2007, The Best Damn Sports Show Period did a special show commemorating the top 50 amazing sports catches of all time. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, one of the most successful NFC teams in the 1970s with five Super Bowl appearances and two wins, never made it back to the Super Bowl in the 1980s. He was unhappy and considered transferring to play basketball at Appalachian State University, until he was finally allowed to play offense. As for the height of the catch, Montana has said that he didn't feel that he threw the ball very high. [34][35] At the time of his death, Clark lived in Whitefish, Montana, with his wife Kelly. Some people claimed that Montana was trying to throw the ball away, leaving time for a fourth down. Storey got $100 in a bonus from the paper. [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. Ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers unveiled statues depicting "The Catch" -- Dwight Clark's iconic game-winning touchdown in the 1981 NFL. It came at the end of a 14-play, 83-yard game-winning drive engineered by Montana. This would be the final professional football game that Vin Scully would call the play by play as well as the final game that Pat Summerall did color commentary before moving to play-by-play announcer for the rest of his broadcast career (Summerall had moved from color commentator to play-by-play midway through the 1974 season; working color commentary here as a substitute for Jack Buck's regular radio partner Hank Stram; who was also Scully's main television broadcast partner during the 1981 season). San Francisco 49ers third round draft selection BYU linebacker Fred Warner goes through drills at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. 10 teams that could have interest, and how much cash he could get. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. ", On Monday night, after watching Renfrow haul in the national-title-winning catch while playing the role of Solomon, Clark told CSN Bay Area that the player in his position never had a chance -- much like Solomon didn't -- in 1982 because the player running his route "got pushed to the ground.". Its the same play Niners QB coach Sam Wyche called from the coaches booth on third and 3 from the Cowboys 6 with 58 seconds to play. Clark was not the intended receiver on the play call. 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. [3][4] That play, one of the most famous in the history of the NFL, has been immortalized as "The Catch". It was supposed to be a pass to Freddie Solomon, who scored on the play earlier in the game. It's a touchdown for the 49ers! NFL Network broke down why WR Brandon Aiyuk and LB Dre Greenlaw are under-the-radar players to watch for in the NFC Championship Game. Dwight Clarks The Catch is now immortalized in the sporting world. Not only did the winning touchdown catch lift the 49ers to their first-ever Super Bowl, but it has made history as one of the greatest catches in the history of the NFL. Wide receiver Freddie Solomon was lined up in the right slot, while Dwight Clark was outside of Solomon, wide to the right. The Catch refers to the winning touchdown reception by Dwight Clark off a Joe Montana pass in the January 10, 1982, NFC Championship Game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. 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. He was responsible for one of the most iconic plays in NFL history that began our run of Super Bowl championships, but to me, he will always be an extension of my family. But none more important than Dwight Clarks demonstration of skill on January 10, 1982, in an event commonly known as The Catch.. Clark tallied 506 catches for 6,750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards in his nine NFL seasons with the 49ers. The Cowboys had Solomon covered. Dallas responded with an 80-yard drive, including a controversial pass interference penalty on 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott which nullified his interception and gave the Cowboys a 35-yard gain to the San Francisco 12-yard line. Their record improved, as did Montana and Clark, in 1980, going 6-10. Although it didn't play out exactly how "The Catch" did, it was just another sweet victory in early January for Clark. This meant Montana had to improvise. Kid, please, don't insult me." Clark spiked the ball. The 49ers had another chance to score before halftime when they recovered a fumbled punt on the Dallas 42. Later, in the locker room, he expressed his amazement at how high Clark had jumped. Clark caught it! The strength, perseverance and grace with which he battled ALS will long serve as an inspiration to so many. "The Catch" - January 10, 1982 Before "The Catch" CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 100 Dwight Clark The Catch Premium High Res Photos Browse 100 dwight clark the catch stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. 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. "Everybody says they were there," Storey said of The Catch. The Philadelphia Eagles have promoted quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator and hired Sean Desai as defensive coordinator. His senior season, he hauled in an amazingly few number of receptions at 11. After a less-than-memorable rookie season where he caught just 18 passes, Dwight Clark made his mark with the 49ers catching 80 passes in 1980 from quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve DeBerg, including eight touchdowns. The NFL's 2023 Hall of Fame Game will feature the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, the Hall announced Tuesday. Plus, back then, that was just football. Watch highlights of linebacker NaVorro Bowman performing at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine. The sideline was crowded with people, as usual, but he found a desirable spot along one side of the north end zone - across the field from where Montana scrambled. The play that afforded Watson the chance to throw or run for the score and sprung Renfrow with the pick/rub play had a striking resemblance to the play in which Montana found Clark. NFL analyst Brian Baldinger explained what he loved about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy's first NFL start and how the offense gelled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. Coincidentally, 40-plus years later, the same teams will play on CBS this Sunday in an NFC Wild-Card Game. 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. San Francisco 49ers 5th round draft selection Iowa tight end George Kittle goes through drills at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. And as if all of that wasn't enough, the play call that ended with Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson hitting wide receiver Hunter Renfrow for the game-winning 2-yard touchdown against Alabama on Monday looked awfully familiar. It's like a championship fight, like Snipes knocking down Holmes. Thirty years later, John Storey remains grateful it was Joe Montana scrambling to his right on that memorable January 1982 day. 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