# R.I.P. Dwight Clark **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 4, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435 "2018-06-04T23:39:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/1 "2018-06-04T23:39:33Z")
Dwight Clark, former San Francisco 49er best known for “The Catch,” has died at the age of 61 from A.L.S. He announced in March of 2017 that he had the disease. You can read about it [here](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23698130/former-san-francisco-49ers-great-dwight-clark-dies-61-battling-als). This is a painful loss for those of us who lived in the Bay Area at the time the 49ers rose from mediocrity to greatness. Even people who weren’t big 49ers fans knew who Dwight Clark was. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/2 "2018-06-04T23:50:03Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > Dwight Clark, former San Francisco 49er best known for “The Catch,” has died at the age of 61 from A.L.S. He announced in March of 2017 that he had the disease. You can read about it [here](http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/23698130/former-san-francisco-49ers-great-dwight-clark-dies-61-battling-als). > > This is a painful loss for those of us who lived in the Bay Area at the time the 49ers rose from mediocrity to greatness. Even people who weren’t big 49ers fans knew who Dwight Clark was. I was sad to read a few months ago that Clark had ALS. One of my high school classmates died of the disease back in 2015 (fairly young, too), and it’s just horrible what victims and their loved ones have to go through. I will always remember “The Catch”. Clark was a very underrated receiver, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/3 "2018-06-05T11:22:09Z")
I was fortunate enough to get my first post-college job in SF in the summer of 1981, when the Niners were coming off several bad years, and season tickets were relatively cheap. Only time in my life I’ve timed a market correctly, as the greatest team of all time, up to then anyway, began their dynasty under Walsh, Montana, and Clark, among many others (despite following NFL football to this day, the early 80’s Niners is still the only team I could name all 22 starters). I had no idea Clark was ill, let alone ALS. Makes the stuff I bitch about seem trivial. I hope he’s in the big all-star game in the sky. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/4 "2018-06-05T12:29:24Z")
ALS is a fucking insidious disease. A good friend from college has it, and its tough to see what it does to a person. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/5 "2018-06-05T14:11:48Z")
Rest in peace, Dwight Clark, and thank you for the great 1980s 49ers memories. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/6 "2018-06-05T14:12:11Z")
The last few years of Clark’s life have been fairly well publicized here in the Bay Area; he’s had a weekly lunch with a litany of former teammates and other pro athletes, which has garnered a lot of attention. It’s been heartwarming to see how much love people had for the man. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/7 "2018-06-05T14:23:55Z")
> [@markdash](#): > > The last few years of Clark’s life have been fairly well publicized here in the Bay Area; he’s had a weekly lunch with a litany of former teammates and other pro athletes, which has garnered a lot of attention. It’s been heartwarming to see how much love people had for the man. A few weeks ago, SI ran a story about [a gathering of former Niners, and other friends of Clark’s, that Eddie DeBartolo hosted in Montana in April.](https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/03/dwight-clark-als-49ers-reunion-eddie-debartolo) It was clearly going to be the last time that most of them were going to be able to see Clark, but I’m still astonished that he’s gone, not two months after that gathering. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/8 "2018-06-05T15:00:58Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > A few weeks ago, SI ran a story about [a gathering of former Niners, and other friends of Clark’s, that Eddie DeBartolo hosted in Montana in April.](https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/05/03/dwight-clark-als-49ers-reunion-eddie-debartolo) It was clearly going to be the last time that most of them were going to be able to see Clark, but I’m still astonished that he’s gone, not two months after that gathering. Great article. Thank you for the link. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/9 "2018-06-05T17:34:22Z")
[Here’s a replay clip](https://gfycat.com/VeneratedBigheartedLark) of Clark’s _other_ TD catch in that game. Slick route running. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/10 "2018-06-05T17:45:13Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > [Here’s a replay clip](https://gfycat.com/VeneratedBigheartedLark) of Clark’s _other_ TD catch in that game. Slick route running. Great double move, he faked Dennis Thurman out of his socks. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/11 "2018-06-05T18:09:07Z")
I won’t say I remember that game like it was yesterday, but it was one hell of a game. My recollection (the box score at Pro Football [Reference.com](http://Reference.com) sucks; can’t find a good one) is that the Cowboys scored to go ahead 27-21 with more than just a couple minutes left. Three and a half minutes? Five minutes? Something in that range. _And they went into their ‘prevent’ defense_, as if the clock was under 2 minutes. Big mistake. Because Walsh and Montana took full advantage of having time to work with. They didn’t play it like a regular drive - there wasn’t _that_ much time - but along with the usual two-minute-offense sorts of plays, they mixed in runs and short passes that the ‘prevent’ defense gave them almost for free. It was a fucking _brilliant_ drive. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/12 "2018-06-05T20:37:31Z")
Okay, for someone who doesn’t follow football, what was “The Catch”? ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/13 "2018-06-05T22:09:33Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > Okay, for someone who doesn’t follow football, what was “The Catch”? The [game-winning touchdown catch](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Catch_(American_football)) in the 1982 playoff game between Clark’s 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. Not only was it an amazing feat of athleticism, it symbolically marked the end of the Cowboys dominance in the 70s and the beginning of the 49ers dynasty of the 80s. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2018, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/14 "2018-06-05T22:42:35Z")
A short (3 1/2 minute) clip from NFL Films on The Catch: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Plt2ow0A0-Y/maxresdefault.jpg "#2 "The Catch" Joe Montana to Dwight Clark | Top 10 Greatest Catches of All Time | NFL Films") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plt2ow0A0-Y) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/15 "2018-06-06T00:54:48Z")
Isn’t ALS another degenerative neurological disease linked to NFL football, concussions, etc? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/16 "2018-06-06T01:29:31Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Isn’t ALS another degenerative neurological disease linked to NFL football, concussions, etc? I’m not sure if the link has been fully proven, but there have been a number of former players who have developed it, including Clark, [Steve Gleason](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Gleason), and [Kevin Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Turner_(running_back)), and researchers do suspect that there is a link. Turner died in 2016 (Gleason is still alive), and an autopsy revealed CTE in his brain. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/17 "2018-06-06T01:59:43Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Isn’t ALS another degenerative neurological disease linked to NFL football, concussions, etc? It’s what took down Heisman Trophy-winner Stephen Hawking. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/18 "2018-06-06T05:08:19Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s what took down Heisman Trophy-winner Stephen Hawking. Alright, that is fucking funny! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/r-i-p-dwight-clark/815435/19 "2018-06-06T05:23:28Z")
Yeah that was funny! Wiki has a page for [List of NFL Players with ALS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NFL_Players_with_ALS). And also a page for [List of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis). I’d forgotten that the following people had ALS: — Jim “Catfish” Hunter – MLB pitcher — Jacob Javits - U.S. Senator from New York — David Niven – actor — Sam Shepard - actor