Dwight Clark

Lore & Background

Clark was born on January 8, 1957, in Kinston, North Carolina. He graduated from Garinger High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he played quarterback. At Clemson, Clark's first love was basketball, but he accepted a scholarship to play college football at Clemson University. As a freshman, Clark was moved to wide receiver.

As a sophomore, he was named the starter at strong safety, but he disliked the position and left school. He later returned and was a backup wide receiver. As a junior, Clark was named a starter at wide receiver and was part of the team that qualified Clemson to the Gator Bowl. In his senior season, the Tigers won the Gator Bowl over Ohio State and finished sixth in the final AP poll.

At Clemson, Clark wore #88, posting only 33 catches for 571 yards, three touchdowns and a 17.3-yard average. In 1988, Clark was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame. In 2018, he was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame. The San Francisco 49ers selected Clark with the first pick of the tenth round (249th overall) of the 1979 NFL draft.

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 the 1981 NFC Championship game, on January 10, 1982, against the Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers trailed 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. Clark finished the game with eight receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. After nine seasons with the 49ers, Clark retired following the 1987 season. He was a member of two Super Bowl-winning teams (XVI and XIX).

The club retired his #87 in 1988. 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. On May 14, 2002, he resigned from his position with the Browns. 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.

Reader's Guide

Dwight Clark was a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987. He is best known for "The Catch" in the 1981 NFC Championship Game. He played college football at Clemson University, where he wore #88. He was selected in the tenth round of the 1979 NFL draft. He made two Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls with the 49ers. After playing, he served as general manager for the 49ers and later the Cleveland Browns. He also performed backup vocals on Huey Lewis and the News songs.

Did You Know?

• He 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 in 2017 and died in 2018.