Dwight Clark

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Lore & Background

Clark's path to the NFL was anything but direct. At Clemson, he wore #30 and posted only 33 catches for 571 yards and three touchdowns in his college career. Unheralded as a collegian playing alongside wide receiver Jerry Butler, Clark felt fortunate to get to the NFL. The 49ers selected him with the first pick of the tenth round (249th overall) of the 1979 NFL draft, even though some people in the organization questioned the selection. New head coach Bill Walsh had visited Clemson to scout quarterback Steve Fuller, Clark's roommate. When the 49er contingent arrived on campus, Clark answered the phone by chance on his way out to play golf and was convinced to participate as Fuller's pass catcher at the workout, where Walsh was impressed with his receiving skills. Clark tallied 506 catches for 6,750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards in his nine NFL seasons with the 49ers. He led the NFL in receptions (60) during the strike-shortened 1982 season and made the Pro Bowl twice, in 1981 and 1982. Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman named Clark his Player of the Year for 1982.

In Their Own Story

In the 1981 NFC Championship game, on January 10, 1982, against the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers trailed 27–21 with 58 seconds to play. 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. That play, one of the most famous in the history of the NFL, has been immortalized as "The Catch". Clark finished the game with eight receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. During the 1981 season, Walsh had Montana practice that part of the play back in training camp. Montana said, "We'd never thrown the ball to Dwight on that play, at all." 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. After nine seasons with the 49ers, Clark retired following the 1987 season. To honor his contribution to 49ers, the club retired his #87 in 1988.

Reader's Guide

Dwight Clark played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987. He was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams (XVI and XIX). After retiring, he served as a team executive for the 49ers until 1998, when he resigned to become the first general manager in the expansion era of the Cleveland Browns. He was executive vice president and director of football operations from 1999 to 2001. 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. In the 2018 NFL Films documentary Dwight Clark: A Football Life, he was quoted as saying that it was probably a mistake to have accepted the position. He would later return to North Carolina to run his real estate business. Clark built his restaurant, Clark's By The Bay, the year he retired and decorated it with sports memorabilia including The Catch. Initially serving Cajun food, it later switched to prime rib and seafood. Located in Redwood City, California, the restaurant was sold in 1993. Clark joined his 49er teammates Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, and Riki Ellison in performing backup vocals on Huey Lewis and the News hit songs "Hip to Be Square" and "I Know What I Like" for the band's Fore! album. Huey Lewis later indicated he was impressed by Clark's singing abilities. Clark later took the lead role in the 1993 direct-to-video comedy Kindergarten Ninja. He also appeared in the video game All-Pro Football 2K8. He joined Comcast SportsNet Bay Area in 2011 as an analyst for 49ers Postgame Live.

Did You Know?

• Clark was drafted in the tenth round (249th overall) of the 1979 NFL draft, after Bill Walsh saw him catch passes for his roommate, quarterback Steve Fuller, at a workout.
• Clark led the NFL in receptions (60) during the strike-shortened 1982 season.
• Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman named Clark his Player of the Year for 1982.
• Clark performed backup vocals on Huey Lewis and the News songs 'Hip to Be Square' and 'I Know What I Like'.
• Clark was diagnosed with ALS on March 19, 2017, and stated he believed he developed it as a result of playing football, having suffered three concussions during his career.