Sports Illustrated, 1982, Dwight Clark pictured in play known as "The Catch"

The Catch was the winning score in the January 10, 1982 NFC Championship American football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. Uses for The Catch: The Catch - A memorable defensive baseball play in the 1954 World Series. ... Image File history File links Clark_si_cover. ... Image File history File links Clark_si_cover. ... January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... City Irving, Texas Other nicknames The Boys, Americas Team Team colors Royal Blue, Navy Blue, Metallic Silver Blue, and White Head Coach Bill Parcells Owner Jerry Jones General manager Jerry Jones Mascot Rowdy [1] League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1960–present) Western Conference (1960) Eastern Conference (1961-1969... City San Francisco, California Other nicknames Niners Team colors Cardinal red, metallic gold and black Head Coach Mike Nolan Owner Denise DeBartolo York and John York General manager none Mascot Sourdough Sam League/Conference affiliations All-America Football Conference (1946-1949) Western Division (1946-1948) National Football League (1950–present...

The Play

In a game where the lead shifted back and forth repeatedly, the 49ers took over the ball trailing 27-21 and marched down to the 6-yard line with 58 seconds left on the clock. When Joe Montana took the snap, the play, known as Sprint Right Option, was intended to be a pass to wide receiver Freddie Solomon; earlier in the game, Solomon scored a touchdown on that exact play. [1] However, the Cowboys covered Solomon perfectly. Making matters worse, the pass rush of the Cowboys collapsed the 49ers offensive line. Three Cowboys -- defensive ends Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Larry Bethea, plus linebacker D. D. Lewis -- chased a backpedalling Montana to the sideline and were certain to send him out of bounds or make a sack. At the last moment, Montana threw a very high pass to the back of the endzone. 49ers receiver Dwight Clark made a leaping grab from the back of the end zone for the winning touchdown with 51 seconds left in the game. He finished the game with 8 catches for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. Joseph Clifford Montana, Jr. ... Freddie Solomon (born January 11, 1953 in Sumter, South Carolina), is a former American professional football player who was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the 2nd round of the 1975 NFL Draft. ... Edward Lee Too Tall Jones (born February 23, 1951 in Jackson, Tennessee) was an American football player. ... This article is about former Dallas Cowboys football player D.D. Lewis. ... Dwight Edward Clark, b. ...

The play, remembered in 49er lore as "Red Right Tight--Sprint Right Option" had called for both the primary receiver, Freddie Solomon, and Clark to line up on the right. Montana was supposed to roll to his right and find Solomon. Clark's pattern called for him to cut left across the end zone, stop, and immediately reverse his path to the right. If Solomon were covered, it would be up to Montana to find Clark. Due to the pressure, Montana's pass was high, but Clark was in position to make his memorable grab.

A photograph of the catch, with Clark at the height of his leap and Everson Walls reaching out to try and block the ball, was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Everson Walls (born December 28, 1959) is a former NFL cornerback, having played for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. ... The first issue of Sports Illustrated, August 16, 1954, showing Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat in Milwaukee County Stadium. ...

Clark and Montana re-enacted The Catch in observance of the 25th anniversary of the play as part of San Francisco alumni day activities at halftime of the Minnesota game Nov. 5, 2006 at Candlestick Park.

Reactions

Many people claimed that Montana was trying to throw the ball away, leaving time for a fourth down. Clark disputes that assertion, claiming that it was a backup plan that they practiced many times.^[1] Montana confirmed that he could not see the end zone through the defenders, but claims that he knew exactly where Clark would be. The 49ers coach, Bill Walsh, assumed that it was a throw-away play and immediately began planning for the fourth down until he heard the cheers from the crowd. Bill Walsh (born November 30, 1931) is a former American football head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford University. ...

As for the height of the catch, Montana has said that he didn't feel that he threw a very high ball. However, Clark leapt as high as he could only to get his fingertips on the ball.

Aftermath and Legacy

While the catch is well known by most NFL fans, many forget that there was still 51 seconds left on the clock after Clark's touchdown, and with Dallas needing only a field goal to win, the game was far from over.

After the ensuing kickoff, Dallas receiver Drew Pearson caught a long pass, but defensive back Eric Wright made a touchdown saving tackle to keep him from scoring. Two plays later, quarterback Danny White lost a fumble while being sacked by Lawrence Pillers, and San Fransisco's Jim Stuckey recovered the ball, sealing a victory for the 49ers. Drew Pearson (13 December 1897 - 1969), born in Evanson, Illinois was an American journalist. ... Danny White is also a Matt Bianco band member, and musical partner to Basia. ...

The 49ers won 28-27 and went on to win Super Bowl XVI over the Cincinnati Bengals. Date January 24, 1982 Stadium Pontiac Silverdome City Pontiac, Michigan MVP Joe Montana, Quarterback Favorite 49ers by 1 National anthem Diana Ross Coin toss Bobby Layne Referee Pat Haggerty Halftime show Up with People presents Salute to the 1960s and Motown Attendance 81,270 TV in the United States Network... City Cincinnati, Ohio Team colors Black, Orange and White Head Coach Marvin Lewis Owner Mike Brown Mascot Who Dey League/Conference affiliations American Football League (1968-1969) Western Division (1968-1969) National Football League (1970–present) American Football Conference (1970-present) AFC Central (1970-2001) AFC North (2002-present) Team...

This game was a watershed in the historic fortunes of both the 49ers and the Cowboys. After being a losing team in the 1970s, San Francisco went on to win four Super Bowls in the 1980s, and made the playoffs eight out of the next 10 years. Meanwhile, Dallas, a winning team in the 1970s, never made it back to the Super Bowl in the 1980s, and suffered losing seasons in the last part of that decade. The winning Super Bowl team receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. ...

The Catch was immortalized by two dramatic calls. Vin Scully described the play for CBS Television with Hank Stram as analyst. Jack Buck voiced it for the CBS Radio Network, with Pat Summerall at his side. Vin Scully publicity photo, © Los Angeles Dodgers Vincent Edward Vin Scully (born November 29, 1927 in The Bronx, New York) is an American sportscaster, known primarily as the play-by-play voice of the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers baseball teams. ... CBS (an abbreviation for Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name) is one of the largest television networks, and formerly one of the largest radio networks, in the United States. ... Hank Stram being carried off of the field following his victory in Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs Hank Stram (January 3, 1923 – July 4, 2005), was a former American Football coach. ... John Francis Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002), born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. ... The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. ... George Allen Pat Summerall (born May 10, 1930 in Lake City, Florida) is a former American football player and well-known television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, FOX, and ESPN. Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on CBS and Fox, and in 1999 he was inducted...

In 2005, a commercial for the Gatorade sports drink, with the slogan "What Happens When You're A Fraction Off?", portrayed an alternate version of The Catch, in which the ball bounced out of Clark's fingertips. Following the Gatorade logo, the real version was shown with Dwight Clark's completion. A bottle of Gatorade, Fruit Punch flavor. ...

See also

• NFL Lore
• NFL playoffs, 1981-82
• Immaculate Reception
• The Catch

Since the National Football League was founded in 1920, it has grown from an informal network of teams based mostly in small towns and cities into the most popular and successful sports league in the United States. ... The NFL playoffs for the 1981-82 season led up to Super Bowl XVI. // Wild card round December 27, 1981 AFC: Buffalo Bills 31, New York Jets 27 at Shea Stadium, New York City The Bills jumped to a 24-0, but needed Bill Simpsons interception at their own... The Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous, controversial, and utterly bizarre plays in the history of American sports. ... The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertzs drive at the warning track in the 1954 World Series THE CATCH - in more recent times refers to the GREATEST catch in football history made by The University of Alabamas Tyrone Prothro in their September 10, 2005 game against Southern...

External links

• St. Petersburg Times

1. ^ http://www.superbowl.com/features/insider/montana