NBC Sports Bay Area celebrates the life and legacy of of San Francisco 49ers legend Dwight Clark with Letters to 87 -- a 30-minute documentary featuring heartfelt stories from fans on what they were doing at the the time of "The Catch" and the impact Clark's iconic play had on their lives.
Clark joined Matt Maiocco on the 49ers Insider Podcast on Feb. 22, and expressed his interest in collecting letters from fans sharing their stories about "The Catch" and its impact upon their lives. Maiocco put the word out, and the letters poured in. Two weeks before Clark passed away on June 4 following a valiant battle with ALS, Maiocco traveled to Whitefish, Montana with Clark's friends and former teammates to read him the letters.
Over the next two hours, Clark heard from diehard fans whose devotion to the team was rewarded when “The Catch” propelled the 49ers to their first Super Bowl. The letters contained heartfelt and poignant remembrances of “The Catch.” He heard from people who were going through difficult times and experienced life-changing joy. He heard funny anecdotes about what occurred in people’s lives as the play developed. Most of all, he heard how “The Catch” enriched families and connected people.
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Letters to 87 includes some of the letter-writers, as well as Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. and Keena Turner. Letters to 87 is produced and directed by Emmy Award-winning producer Sean Maddison and NBC Sports Bay Area’s 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco.
[MAIOCCO: The 'special' story of how Dwight Clark took a piece of 'The Catch' with him]
[READ: Heartfelt letters lifted Dwight Clark's spirit on a bad day]
[MORE: Letters to Dwight Clark make impact, reach a wider audience]