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!["The Catch" Joe Montana TD Pass to Dwight Clark](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_portrait_mobile/f_png/v1565906743/nfl100/ymdu33cpemtahuzmiv5o.png)
"The Catch" Joe Montana TD Pass to Dwight Clark
![Chris Harrison](https://static.clubs.nfl.com/image/private/t_thumb_squared/f_auto/nfl100/vk4t4orateuaj0l1ncwk.jpg)
After four straight losing seasons, all the promise and hope of the 1981 San Francisco 49ers’ 13-3 season was in jeopardy in the final minute of the 1981 NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park. Losing 27-21 to Tom Landry’s Dallas Cowboys, the 49ers faced a 3rd and 3 from the Dallas 6. Quarterback Joe Montana rolled back to his right, looking for receivers. Under pressure from three Cowboys while running out of room on the sideline, Montana double-clutched and then – off of one foot – lofted a pass deep into the end zone, intended for receiver Dwight Clark. To many, the ball appeared to be sailing out of bounds. Instead, the 6-foot-4 Clark leapt up and caught the ball inbounds for a 28-27 victory. Two weekends later, the 49ers won their first Super Bowl – the first of five titles during a late 20th century dynasty. "The Catch,” which had capped an 89-yard drive, established Montana’s reputation as a cool, clutch performer and was the defining moment of Clark’s career.
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