Tribute to ‘The Catch’
Emotions flow during unveiling at Levi’s Stadium
Joe Montana approaches the statue of Dwight Clark at Levi’s Stadium. The monuments of Clark and Montana are 23 yards apart, the distance between the two players for “The Catch.”
In a bittersweet ceremony that was held less than five months after Dwight Clark’s death, the 49ers unveiled statues of Clark and Joe Montana on Sunday morning immortalizing “The Catch.”
Montana addressed the intimate crowd comprised largely of 49ers alumni, officials and family members for about five minutes in a plaza inside Levi’s Stadium.
A black curtain came off Montana’s statue rather unceremoniously during the 20minute event, but there was a dramatic buildup for Clark’s unveiling. Clark died at 61 in June about 15 months after announcing he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
“I always tell Dwight that he didn’t have to make it so dramatic,” Montana said, smiling. “Kick his legs up. Throw his hands out. ‘Just catch the ball.’ And if he was here today, I know what he’d be telling me. He’d be whispering in my ear, ‘You know they didn’t call it ‘The Throw’ for a reason. I miss him.” CEO Jed York, Clark’s wife,
Kelly, and his brother, Jeff, also made brief comments during the ceremony.
“It’s difficult to be back here without D.C.,” Kelly Clark said, haltingly. “I know he would have absolutely loved this.”
The 350-pound statues are 23 yards apart, just as Clark and Montana were when they connected on a game-winning, 6-yard touchdown catch in a 28-27 victory over the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game in January 1982.
“One thing, I think, is also a reminder as we look around at all our teammates is how things can change so quickly for us and how blessed we are to still be here and be able to attend this,” Montana said. “… I know Dwight’s up there, looking over and telling me, ‘Don’t screw this thing up.’
“And he’s here. I wish he was here in person. We all miss him a lot. I just want to say thank you on behalf of both of us. It’s truly an honor to have these statues and be remembered forever.” Sherman scratched: Cornerback Richard Sherman did not play after aggravating his calf injury in practice Thursday. He had been listed as questionable before Sunday’s 39-10 loss to the Rams.
“We tried to look into it Saturday and it was still bothering him,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “So we had to shut him down.”
In Week 3, Sherman was sidelined in a loss to the Chiefs, and Shanahan initially expected him to miss multiple games. However, Sherman missed just one game and had played the previous two games.
Sherman’s calf injury is on the same leg on which he had offseason surgery to remove bone spurs near his left Achilles tendon.
Last month, Shanahan indicated it could be a seasonlong issue: “He’s going through some stuff, as he will probably be all year.” Injury report: Running back Matt Breida aggravated his ankle sprain on his first carry, and the injury eventually forced him from the game after he had five carries for 15 yards.
Breida was hurt in a loss to the Cardinals on Oct. 7 and played through the injury in a defeat to the Packers last Monday. Shanahan said the team would reassess whether Breida should sit out Sunday’s game at Arizona to heal.
In other injury news, safety Adrian Colbert (sprained ankle) and linebacker Reuben Foster (shoulder sprain) were sidelined. Colbert was carted off the field before returning to the sideline with a slight limp.