49ers pay tribute to Dwight Clark, who beat Cowboys with iconic catch

Former San Francisco 49ers greats wiped away tears during a halftime ceremony celebrating receiver Dwight Clark, who is battling ALS.

Clark, whose iconic touchdown catch at the back of the end zone won the 1981 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, was diagnosed with the disease last year.

Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice and quarterback Joe Montana were two of the 36 former teammates on hand for the tribute. Montana introduced Clark by saying “He’s very well known to 49ers fans, and to you Cowboys fans, too.”

“I need your prayers and thoughts,” Clark said with a slight slur from a booth at Levi’s Stadium. He was surrounded by friends, family and former 49ers owner Eddie Debartolo Jr. “Having all the players flown in here so I could see them one last time ... I’ve very appreciative that [the 49ers] did that for me.”

Cowboys tight end Jason Witten visited briefly with the group of 49ers players assembled on the sideline before the ceremony.

This story was originally published October 22, 2017 at 5:07 PM with the headline "49ers pay tribute to Dwight Clark, who beat Cowboys with iconic catch."