Ex-49ers great Clark, famous for 'The Catch,' dies at 61
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[June 05, 2018]
Dwight Clark, the San Francisco
49ers great made famous by "The Catch" of a pass from Joe Montana
that beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game, died
Monday at age 61 after an extended battle with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS).
Clark's wife, Kelly, announced the news via a message on her
husband's Twitter account.
"I'm heartbroken to tell you that today I lost my best friend and
husband," Clark's wife tweeted. "He passed peacefully surrounded by
many of the people he loved most. I am thankful for all of Dwight's
friends, teammates and 49ers fans who have sent their love during
his battle with ALS. Kelly Clark."
Clark, who won two Super Bowls as a 49ers player and three as an
executive, wrote on Twitter in March about having ALS and wondered
about a link to playing football and his disease.
"I've been asked if playing football caused this," Clark wrote. "I
don't know for sure. But I certainly suspect it did. And I encourage
the NFLPA and the NFL to continue working together in their efforts
to make the game of football safer, especially as it relates to head
trauma."
A statement released by the 49ers said, in part, "(We) join together
to mourn the death of one the most beloved figures in 49ers history.
For almost four decades, he served as a charismatic ambassador for
our team and the Bay Area. Dwight's personality and his sense of
humor endeared him to everyone he came into contact with, even
during his most trying times. The strength, perseverance and grace
with which he battled ALS will long serve as an inspiration to so
many. Dwight will always carry a special place in our hearts and his
legacy will live on as we continue to battle this terrible disease."
Clark's last public appearance was last October at "Dwight Clark
Day" when he addressed 49ers fans at halftime of the team's game
against the Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. The opponent was an
appropriate choice, since Clark's legendary reception decades
earlier at Candlestick Park allowed San Francisco to shock Dallas
28-27 in the NFC title game. Clark's leaping catch of Montana's high
heave in the final minute put the Niners in their first Super Bowl,
which they won over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The NFL's official Twitter account wrote, "One of the most memorable
plays in @NFLHistory. The Catch. Rest In Peace, Dwight Clark."
The two-time All-Pro wideout recorded a career-high 85 catches and
1,105 yards in San Francisco's first Super Bowl season, following
with an NFL-high 60 receptions in the strike-shortened 1982 season.
In the five-year span from 1980-84, Clark led the NFC with 349
receptions. Thanks to his years as one of Montana's most reliable
targets, Clark ranks among the team's all-time leaders in catches
(506, fourth), receiving yards (6,750, third) and touchdown catches
(48, tied for sixth).
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Former San Francisco 49ers great, wide receiver Dwight Clark (R)
greets former teammate, running back Wendell Tyler, before the
memorial for former NFL football coach Bill Walsh at Stanford
Memorial Church in Stanford, California August 9, 2007. REUTERS/Dino
Vournas
Jerry Rice, the man who would go on to set every significant
receiving record for the 49ers and a teammate of Clark's, also
tweeted his condolences.
Rice's tweet read, "Love you bro Dwight Clark!! RIP"
While Clark is not a Pro Football Hall of Famer, he was in the
49ers' inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2009 and the team retired his
No. 87 in 1988, a year after he retired after nine seasons, all in
San Francisco.
Cris Collinsworth, a contemporary of Clark in the NFL and now a
broadcaster with NBC, tweeted, "Dwight Clark may have been the most
humble star the NFL has ever produced. Yes he was fun and funny, but
Dwight had an innate goodness to him that will never be forgotten by
those who had the good fortune to know him. May God bless Dwight and
his family."
Born in Kinston, N.C., in 1957, Clark went to Clemson originally as
a strong safety and only caught 33 passes in his college career. The
49ers still drafted him, albeit in the 10th round in 1979 when the
NFL draft lasted 12 rounds.
During his first NFL training camp, Clark roomed with future Hall of
Famer Montana, and an iconic quarterback-receiver connection was
born.
Once retired from football, Clark spent nine seasons in the 49ers'
front office, including as the team's general manager in 1998. Clark
then joined the Cleveland Browns as the team's general manager and
director of football operations from 1999-2002.
Clark is survived by his wife and three children, daughter Casey and
sons Riley and Mac, all from a previous marriage.
(Field Level Media)
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