The Catch

Montana to Clark, 58 seconds left, and a dynasty begins.

The Catch was the winning touchdown of the 1981 NFC Championship Game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys at Candlestick Park on January 10, 1982. With 58 seconds left and the 49ers facing third-and-3 on the Dallas 6-yard line, Dwight Clark leapt at the back of the end zone to catch a 6-yard pass from Joe Montana, giving San Francisco a 28-27 win.

Quick Facts

Visitor: Dallas Cowboys
Visitor coach: Tom Landry
Visitor place: 2
Visitor record: 12–4
Home: San Francisco 49ers
Home coach: Bill Walsh
Home place: 1
Home record: 13–3

Facts from the source article.

Background

The play finished a 14-play, 89-yard drive led by Montana and is widely regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. It marked the end of Dallas's dominance of the NFC since the conference began in 1970 and the start of the 49ers' rise as the dynasty of the 1980s.

The 49ers went on to win Super Bowl XVI that season, the first of their five Super Bowl titles.

The game swung back and forth. Montana threw an early touchdown to Freddie Solomon and another to Clark to retake the lead, while Dallas answered with a Danny White touchdown pass to Tony Hill and a Tony Dorsett run. The 49ers turned the ball over repeatedly, including two Montana interceptions and a lost fumble, before going ahead 21-17 in the third quarter.