Dwight Clark

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.

Dwight Edward Clark (January 8, 1957 – June 4, 2018) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 to 1987.

He was a member of San Francisco's first two Super Bowl championship teams.

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 6ft 4in, 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, because the team had recruited four other quarterbacks.

As a sophomore, he was named the starter at strong safety, but he disliked the position and left school to go back to his hometown in Charlotte instead.

Clark was unhappy and considered transferring to play basketball at Appalachian State University, until he was finally allowed to play offense.

After returning to the team, he was a backup wide receiver and finished with five receptions for 99 yards and a 19.8-yard average.

As a junior, Clark was named a starter at wide receiver and was part of the team that qualified Clemson to the Gator Bowl, its first bowl game in 18 years.

He was third on the team with 17 receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown.

In Clark's senior season in 1978, the Tigers were 11–1, won the Gator Bowl over Ohio State, and finished sixth in the final AP poll.

He was second on the team with 11 receptions for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a career-high 68-yard touchdown catch against the University of Maryland that helped the Tigers win the ACC Championship.

At Clemson, Clark wore #30, posting only 33 catches for 571 yards, three touchdowns and a 17.3-yard average (seventh in school history).

Unheralded as a collegian playing alongside wide receiver Jerry Butler, Clark felt fortunate to get to the NFL.

The 49ers were 2–14 in 1978 and had the same record in 1979.

Clark played college football at Clemson University and was selected by the 49ers in the tenth round of the 1979 NFL Draft.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Clark 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 at the time, considering he was seen as an undrafted free agent.

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.

But they soon greatly improved, winning the Super Bowl at the ends of the 1981 and 1984 seasons, and, starting in 1981, making the playoffs every year Clark was with them except 1982.

Clark tallied 506 catches for 6,750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards in his nine NFL seasons with the 49ers.

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."

He caught the winning touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Joe Montana in the NFC Championship Game on January 10, 1982, against the Dallas Cowboys.

The play, immortalized as "The Catch", propelled the 49ers to their first Super Bowl championship.

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 27–21 with 58 seconds to play.

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).

In 1988, Clark was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame.

To honor his contribution to 49ers, the club retired his #87 in 1988.

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.

He served as the general manager of the 49ers from 1995 to 1998 and in the same capacity with the Cleveland Browns from 1999 to 2001.

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, after following Carmen Policy who would run the team under the ownership of Al Lerner.

In 2018, he was inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame.