SANTA CLARA — One day after 49ers icon Dwight Clark, 61, died after battling ALS, No. 87 t-shirts were scattered throughout the two 49ers practice fields during OTAs Tuesday afternoon.
Several 49ers coaches, front office members, and staffers wore the red t-shirts to commemorate the life and legacy of a legend. Prior to Tuesday’s practice, Keena Turner, who played with Clark during eight of his nine career seasons, spoke to the team about Clark— the player, teammate, friend, and man who endeared himself to so many.
After practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general John Lynch recounted some of their favorite interactions with Clark.
One of Shanahan’s first encounters with the two-time Super Bowl Champion came in the sixth grade. When Shanahan moved to the Bay Area, he didn’t know much about ‘The Catch,’ Clark’s famous snag in January 1992 that symbolized the birth of a dynasty. Within a week of living in the area, Shanahan ‘knew all about it.’
The 49ers head coach was formerly a ball-boy from sixth through the eighth grade, when his father, Mike, was the 49ers offensive coordinator from 1992-1994. Clark and his teammates would send Shanahan on errands. They used to race Shanahan in golf carts, while Shanahan ran alongside them trying to catch up. He always lost.
“I really looked up to all of them,” Shanahan said Tuesday. “I didn’t know it at the time, but now that I am older and look back on that stuff, that stuff had a huge impact on who I am now. And I feel very fortunate to grow up around people like that, especially (Clark).”
After Shanahan was named 49ers head coach prior to the 2017 season, the correspondence with Clark continued. Last year, on Oct. 22, Clark addressed fans in a touching halftime ceremony. Shanahan interacted with Clark a few different times around the facilities, and although ALS debilitated his body, the same gregarious Clark shined through.
“(He) hadn’t changed a bit,” Shanahan said. “Such a good person, so special to this place.”
Lynch recalled when he met with Clark two weeks into accepting the 49ers general manager position last offseason. Clark, who formerly held the same role, gave pointers to Lynch, who had never been a GM.
Trust your instincts. Don’t make the job harder than it is. Surround yourself with positive people. Have fun. Don’t take this too seriously.
“That will always stick with me,” Lynch said. “The one thing that’s been impressed upon me since I have been here, I think just the love this community and this fan base had for Dwight. You think of Ronnie (Lott), you think of Jerry (Rice), but what I learned when I came here is Dwight is right there.”
Shanahan and Lynch want to educate the current 49ers squad on Clark’s importance to the organization and fan base. They also want the current team to manifest Clark’s most positive, vibrant traits that allowed him to become a tremendous player and teammate.
One of Turner’s messages was that Clark always prepared for excellence. So, when he made the most famous catch in NFL history, it was the byproduct of hard work and a consistent expectation of success.
“I think he really kind of embodies what that whole generation of players were about,” Lynch said. “And then the fact that he just loved every day— that was contagious.”
“It wasn’t a coincidence that team was so tight,” Shanahan said, “to hear the type of teammate he was, the type of friend he was.”
Lynch said the 49ers are considering ways to commemorate Clark during the upcoming season. On Tuesday, Clark’s memory was strong and ubiquitous, with No. 87 — one of the 49ers’ 12 retired numbers — stamped everywhere you turned.
“I promise you we will come up with a nice way to honor him,” Lynch said. “Not only nice, but fitting. He deserves it. He earned it.”