Dwight Clark
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| Dwight Clark | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 8, 1957 |
| Place of birth | Kinston, North Carolina |
| Position(s) | Wide Receiver |
| College | Clemson |
| Pro Bowls | 2 |
| Retired #s | San Francisco 49ers #87 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1979-1987 | San Francisco 49ers |
Dwight Edward Clark (born January 8, 1957 in Kinston, North Carolina) was a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers from 1979 to 1987. He played his college football at Clemson University before being drafted in the 10th round of the 1979 entry draft. Clark embarked on a fine career in which he had 506 catches for 6750 yards and 48 touchdowns, along with 50 rushing yards. He led the NFL in receptions(60) during the strike shortened 1982 season, and made the pro bowl twice(1981, 1982) in his 9 NFL seasons.
He and Miss South Carolina of 1979, Shawn Weatherly were college sweethearts at Clemson. He accompanied her to Seoul, S. Korea for the Miss Universe contest, where she proceeded to win the Miss Universe title.
In 1979, the head coach of the San Francisco 49er's went to Clemson to check out a promising quarterback. While there, he noticed a guy catching the passes. His name was Dwight Clark.
After Walsh drafted Clark, he made Clark and Montana practice a certain 20 yard roll-out "Hail Mary" into end zone pass at the end of every practice. Walsh wanted to make sure that they could complete that certain pass in the red zone. The rest is history...
So, Clark's most memorable touchdown came in the 1982 NFC Playoffs. On January 10, 1982, against the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers were trailing 27-21 in the final minute of play to advance to the Super Bowl. Clark caught that "20 yard Hail Mary" from quarterback Joe Montana in the back of the end zone to give the 49ers a 28-27 victory. That play is one of the most famous in the history in the NFL and has been immortalized as "The Catch". Clark finished the game with 8 receptions for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Clark was a member of two Super Bowl winning clubs. His number 87 has been retired by the 49ers. After retirement, he has served as a team executive for both the San Francisco 49ers and the Cleveland Browns.
He has been an executive in the NFL ever since his retirement, currently with the Cleveland Browns.
