In 1987, when former 49ers tight end Brent Jones joined the 49ers as a free agent pickup — back ‘when it meant you were a scrub,’ he says — he never expected for Dwight Clark to treat him as a cohort. Clark had coined the most famous catch in NFL history, spectacular enough to surpass all other memorable snags as ‘The Catch’, while on his way to one of the most celebrated careers in 49ers lore.
But he was not complacent. Clark, a two-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, nurtured Jones, who eventually became a four-time Pro Bowler, upon his arrival, teaching the young tight end nuances on patterns and route-running. The NFLPA soon decided to strike near the start of season, only to add to Jones’ whirlwind of a rookie campaign.
“There was so much craziness going on,” Jones said. “But he was like my buddy. Just to barely make the team and have Dwight Clark kind of working with you and hanging out with you and talking to you, it was a big thing for a young player.”
Clark, 61, died after a long battle with ALS Monday. Clark’s memory engrained, the news still fresh, Jones reminisced about some of his favorite stories of Clark with KNBR’s Tolbert & Lund Monday afternoon.
Almost all of those shared memories took place off the football field, where Clark endeared himself with everyone in which he crossed paths.
“Dwight was one of those guys, he was like the cool kid,” Jones said. “Everybody was friends with or wanted to be friends with Dwight.”
For many years, Jones, Clark, and two former 49ers teammates, whom Jones did not specify, grabbed lunch about four times per year at Original Joe’s restaurant in San Jose. One day, Clark commented that his hand felt weak. Jones dismissed the comment as something minor. The next time they reconvened, Clark said he had trouble gripping a golf club, which prompted Jones to urge Clark to see a doctor. He did. Results showed Clark had been diagnosed with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a debilitating illness with no current cure.
“You can imagine four guys at Original Joes, lunch time in San Jose, crying their eyes out, people walking by going, ‘What is wrong with those idiots?’” Jones said. “He handled it with so much grace and style and humor. He wanted his friends and family around as much as he could. He had a lot of buddies coming around— guys he hadn’t seen for years.”
In the following months, Clark’s body and speech steadily declined. Jones said it was ‘rough,’ but there was a silver lining: his illness allowed his friends, teammates, coaches, and fans everywhere to connect with him.
First, he wanted the 1981 team, the one that won the 49ers’ first championship, to reunite.
“He knew that he might never see a lot of those guys again,” Jones said.
Then the ’84 team, which won the franchise’s second Super Bowl, cross-pollinated with the ’81 squad for larger gatherings. On the weekend of April 22, 27 former teammates, coaches, front office personnel visited him at his ranch in White Fish, Montana.
Jones fondly recalls the small details, such as the times when Clark illustrated ‘The Catch’ as he signed autographs, sketching each player’s movements and the trajectory of the ball. Sometimes, he took as many as 10 minutes to finish the autograph.
“I think kind of that long shot kid coming out of Clemson,” Jones said, “I think he had a real connection to the every-man fan… The journey the last couple of years has been emotional, and it’s been good at times, it’s been at rough at times. But it’s the ultimate human interaction, and I think a reflection on the impact on people’s lives that he had.”
Jones was among the hundreds of players, coaches, and fans in the NFL community that sent an outpouring of love and support for Clark throughout Monday. Clark was a central figure in launching the birth of the 49ers dynasty, at the onset of one of the NFL’s most accomplished franchises. His No. 87 is one of 12 numbers retired with the 49ers.
Monday is a sad day for a reason.
“I don’t know if the 49ers are the 49ers without The Catch, without Dwight Clark,” Jones said. “They are good, they are different, but they are not the same 49ers.”
Listen to Tolbert & Lund’s full segment with Jones below.